The Bigger Picture on Creation

Krista Bontrager

This is a Bible study guide on the Genesis account of creation. It is designed to be used along with the DVD.

p 45 Lesson 4 Creation Days 1-3

p46 Makes use of the parallel structure of Days 1-3 (Days of Forming) and Days 4-6 (Days of Filling). They give credit to John Jefferson Davis, The Frontiers of Science and Faith, for this structure. They then add function to the list so that you have form, fill and function.

p49 Discusses the "Let there be light" with the view that from the reference frame of the surface of the Earth this referred to the clearing of the atmosphere from earlier opacity so that the light from the Sun could light the Earth, give the experience of distinct night and day. Discusses the Hebrew word haya "to exist, to be, to happen, to come to pass" rather than the word bara which would mean to create something that didn't previously exist.

p51 Discusses the formation of the water cycle.

p53 In discussion of the plants, uses the word dasha or produce.

p54 Begins discussion of three types of miracles, "providence", "non-transcendent miracles" and "transcendent miracles.". She includes Earth's moon (p55) as a non-transcendent miracle since its formation parameters were critically matched to the Earth's need for axis stabilization. Table of examples of the three kinds on pg 56.

Lesson 5: A Short Interlude

p59 Discussion of Galileo

p60 "Clerics held on to a particular interpretation of the Bible instead of reexamining the text and try ing to reconcile it with data from God's other revelation, God's world."

p61 yom has four literal translations

A portion of the daylight period (usually a few hours)
A 12-hour period (generally from sunrise to sunset)
A 24-hour period (such as from sunset to sunset)
An unspecified long period of time (such as the "Day of the Lord" used throughout the books of the prophets.)

p62 In Genesis 2:4b yom is used to summarize the activities of the whole creation process.

p63 "evening and morning" may be used to signify the close of a given creation day in the sense of completion of that phase of the creation process.

p65 Gen 2:8 God planted a garden and the trees grew - implies longer than 24hr day.

p73 Lesson 6: Creation Days 4-6

Continue discussion of the parallel 3 days of forming and 3 days of filling.

Reference Isaiah 45:18 ".. did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited."

74 Discusses issue of apparent creation of sun and moon on Day 4, but there was night and day for days 1-3, and warmth for photosynthesis on Day 3, so one could point to the increasing clarity of the atmosphere on day 4 to provide visibility of the sun, moon and stars.

p75 Points out that the Hebrew word asa is used, a past form of made referring to something already completed.

p76 Science connection discusses change from translucent to transparent atmosphere.

Need to go back and make a list of the verbs used and their distinctions, like bara, hayya, dasha ...

p87 Lesson 7: Creation Day 7 and Beyond

Audio/Video Reference

R Nave