Order out of chaos

July 23, 2020 (Thursday)

 

“Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.” [Genesis 1:6 – 8 NLT]

 

The creation account of the second day is problematic. Basically what is happening here resembles one explanation for the “big bang theory.” It is a separation (or stretching) of waters, kind of like the expansion of a rubber band. The ESV uses the word “expanse” while the NIV uses “vault.” The CEB uses the word “dome” while the KJV uses “firmament.”

 

It is simplest to understand God created, by separating the earth from the rest of the universe, the sky. The idea of “sky” should also include our understanding of “space.” Some people have suggest the Genesis account is borrowed from the Babylonian account of creation. That epic suggests heaven and earth were created by splitting the cadaver of a goddess. Thus the ancients understood the "heavens" as a solid dome. I believe the correct understanding here is that “the heavens” (as opposed to “heaven”) is the atmosphere and vast space above the earth.

 

What is difficult about this passage is the explanation of separating the waters from earth and the waters from the heavens. One idea proposed has been that of a canopy of water above the earth. This is called the “vapor canopy model” and was used to explain the pre-flood (antediluvian) climate and the source of water for Noah’s flood. Trouble with this model: it seems if there was such a canopy it would have cooked the earth not warmed it (source:icr.org). Most leading Creationist have given up on this explanation.

 

Using the “simplest is best” explanation; I personally think the idea here is the separation of elements. In other words, God created what we think of as the atmosphere (water and vapor). Water is almost a universal solvent. It makes up most of the world’s mass as well as the human body. While “space” is included in the general idea, Genesis is explaining the account of what we call earth. Later the sun, moon, and stars will be set in the heavens.

 

For those who are interested; the word translated “water” (mayim) was also used for urine, semen, and danger. Sometimes we have to leave the answer to the question at “we don’t know.” One of the problems we have is the earth’s climate has cooled considerably since creation. (In the Arctic Circle there is evidence of a tropical rain forest.) In other words, we don’t know what God’s original design was at this point in history. What changed? We do not know for certain, possibly a global flood.

 

The second day is the only day God’s judgement of “good” is not given. I’m thinking it is because the work of separation was not completed. It is also not a day of creating something that hasn’t already existed, merely a separation of what was already there. On the third day God separates the dry land from the seas. Maybe there is a lesson in seeing God willing to leave things unfinished, waiting for another time.

On the second day, God separated the elements into the heavens and the earth. Thus, creating a breathable atmosphere capable of sustaining life. Remember, the Genesis account is a general observation of what happened, not a scientific (in the way we would understand science) explanation.

 

One question, why did God take His time to create earth? Why not just speak what exists into existence with one word. Why take seven days? Stay tuned!