Creation - Six literal days?
Image credit - Tim Wildsmith - Unsplash.com
"And God spoke all these words."
"When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law."
Eureka moment!
Image credit - Artturi Jalli - Unsplash.com
Moses wrote the Pentateuch - the first five books of the bible.
Genesis - the book of beginnings - was written in retrospect; Moses was not yet born when the events in Genesis unfolded. Therefore we must accept that God revealed the details of this book to Moses.
I suspect that the precise details of the book of Genesis were audibly dictated to Moses by God during the forty days and nights on Mount Sinai; in the same way as the details relating to the Law and the Tabernacle were communicated to Moses. Numbers 12 v 8 - face to face.
Exodus and Leviticus - describe primarily how God spoke to Moses and what he said. In the first 20 chapters in Exodus alone there are more than 50 references to "Then the LORD said to Moses". Make no mistake about it; God spoke to Moses in an audible voice!
These books give all the details relating to the Exodus, the Law & Tabernacle and the Priestly Ministry. It is likely that the details of these two books were also relayed to Moses during the two back to back sessions of forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai in the presence of God.
Numbers and Deuteronomy on the other hand contain the record of Moses telling the Israelite's what God had said to him on their behalf. These two books also contain the main historical account of the forty year desert wanderings, subsequent to receiving the Law and instructions for the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai.
Therefore, these books were written during the forty years in the desert, but after the forty days and nights on Mount Sinai.
Genesis to Deuteronomy covers a period of circa 2600 years - c 4000 BC to c 1400 BC. Therefore, bearing in mind this extended period of human history covered by the Pentateuch; we note...
All of the above books were inspired from the same source (God), written by the same person (Moses), at the same location (Mt Sinai and the desert), during the same 40 year period (40 days and nights, and the desert wanderings), and in the same language (Hebrew).
The point is this; It was the same God, the same human author, the same location and the same language when Moses recorded the following statements:
Genesis 1 v 1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Exodus 20 v 11
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day."
The first point is this; the heavens and the earth were created at the same time. According to Scripture; when God spoke face to face to Moses he includes the heavens and the earth as part of the six day creation.
Please take careful note of what the above text does say and what it does not say.
It does say - that the heavens and the earth were created at the same time - in the beginning.
It does not say - in the beginning God created all the raw materials of the universe, and then after a long period of time he subsequently formed the earth and everything in it.
It was the same location, language and time, and, it was within the same context that the Hebrew word 'Yom' was used to describe literal 24 hour days within a 7 day week.
The following scripture also seems to encourage an interpretation of six literal 24 hour days;
Numbers 12 v 5-8
5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said,
“Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. 7 but this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
All of the above verses are taken from the first five books of the bible. These were inspired by the same God, written by the same man, at the same place and at the same time.
We hear God emphasise that He speaks to Moses - face to face, clearly and not in riddles - therefore, we must accept that the creation week consisted of six literal 24 hour days!
When I was very young, my late mother - the beloved 'Granny Maggie' - used to say; "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" I think she was quoting the late Derek Bingham.
It is true that this word 'Yom' can have a different meaning within other contexts - an expanded period of time - but in the context of creation and in the context of the giving of the Law, Yom predominantly refers to a 24 hour day.
We conclude from the literal reading of the above scriptures that the creation week consisted of six literal 24 hour days. It is also clear that there is no extended time gap between Genesis chapter 1 v 1 and 2.
In summary: Moses was alone with God on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights - twice! It was at this time that the following words were written. Moses was 'in the zone' so to speak.
Genesis 1 v 1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Exodus 20 v 11
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day."
If ever there was an opportunity for God to suggest that the six days of the creation week were anything other than literal - this was it. But He didn't make any such suggestion; God spoke to Moses face to face, plainly and without riddles and we need to believe what he said!
What do we read in the New Testament relating to this subject?
In the context of Moses and the Pentateuch; let's consider again the statements of the Lord Jesus:
Matthew 19 v 4 "at the beginning the creator made them male and female."
Mark 10 v 6 "at the beginning of creation God made them male and female."
Luke 11 v 50-51 "since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel.."
And finally, in the great book of Revelation, when human history approaches a dramatic end, we see the work of creation described like this:
Revelation 10 v 5-6
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay!
It is clear from this passage that the creation of the 'heavens' and all that is in them, the 'earth' and all that is in it, and the 'sea' and all that is in it; were all created at the same time with no significant time gaps.
In light of this passage of scripture it is difficult to justify the notion of extended time gaps between Genesis 1 v 1-2, or between the successive days in the creation week.
Man was made at the beginning of creation; not millions of years after it all started!
The bottom line is this; There is only one beginning.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
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