II

The word Genesis means "origin".  It is our beginning and lays the foundation for the entire existance of this world.

The very first verse can lead our minds to many questions, hours of pondering and seeking an understanding with which we are satisfied.  Take note of the very first phrase "In the beginning".  Beginning of what?? Eternity past is even more incomprehensable that eternity future.  The beginning it speaks of is the beginning of our earth and universe only.  Due to the very fact that God began creating this universe is evidence itself that God existed before the universe did.  Was this the first universe?  the only universe?  I have not seen in The Bible anywhere that states it is the only universe.  There are religions today that INSIST that God created many.  We'll discuss that more in-depth later.
I see God invisioning the kind of world He wanted.  (didn't take man long to louse it up)  He stared creating.
1st day  -  Light and the separation of day and night (how perfectly He created it.  The angel in charge of the Alpha Centuria must be a busy guy)  Did he creat man to live in harmony of the earth and its universe or did He create the universe to accomodate man.  ie day, night, earth's rotation around the sun, seasons of hot and cold determined by the tilt of the earth's axis, perfect gravitaional pull and gravity of the sun to keep us in orbit,  the list goes on and on, but the question remains as to which was created for which?
2nd day  -  Firmament (KJV)  Vault (NIV)  Simply, the sky.  Don't underestimate the importance of this part of His creation.  The sky holds everything between us and the Heavens.  God made the earth to have the EXACT amount of everthing, including water.  No matter what we try to do with or to water, the sky keeps every drop within the earth and its atmosphere.  None can excape.  Frightening to imagine what would happen if any did actually escape.  We are the stewards God assigned to all this.  More on that later.
3rd day  -  The land, the seas, and the plant life.  Now its starting to look like something.
4th day  -  Sun, moon, stars.  Remember, God being perfect, know all of that which is needed before He started.
5th day  -  Animals in the water and animals in the sky.  I still see sparrows and listen to them and still marvel at how complete His creation is.
6th day  -  Animals on land and then Man.
There it is.  All we need and I think nothing we don't.  I've believed this most of my life, just as I belive that the Bible contains all we NEED to know.
Verse 26 is thought-provoking:  "Let us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness"  The word "Our" always told me that God the Father was speaking to Jesus.  And further that God actually is a phsical as well as a spiritual Being, complete with a shape similar to ours.  So when we speak of God's hands or God's eyes, we are not at all being disrespectful in our references.
Verse 27 stated He made male and female of everything living, so that all things' existance will be self perpetual.  He said to be frutful and increase in number.  God imparted to every life form the capacity to reproduce itself.
He further said for man to "rule over" all animals.  I have at times lost patience for the factions of our society that have taken seemingly unreasonable steps to protect certain of our species of animals, but I must remind myself that God made us stewards of these and we must act responsibly with much prayer.
7th day  -  God rested from His work.  He blessed the seventh day and made it holy.  Holy means set apart.  The Sabbath still means Saturday.  Nowhere in the Bible have I found that the sabbath was to be switched to Sunday (I've looked)  Have we made a very LARGe mistake??  I'll bet we have.  We'll discuss this further down the road.
Before I close this post today, I must comment further on verses 25,26,27........ This is sooooo important.  God created everything, including the birds, the fish, and all the animals and His creation was full and alive.  But none of these had the capacilty to love God or fellowship with Him.  I think that is why man was created.  Remember, God has angels to worship Him.  That was covered, but even the angels were not able to make a concious decision to love and serve and fellowship with their Creator.  Only man has been blessed with the ability to do that.  That is a sobering thought.  One which will be commented on very frequently in the months to come.