Latest / A Tithe of Time Podcast / Genesis 1: 6–13 — The Second and Third Days

Transcript

Genesis 1: 6–13 — The Second and Third Days · A Tithe of Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to a tithe of time, verse by verse.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Today we begin reading from the ESV, Genesis 1 6 to 13, the second and third days.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it was so.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And God called the expanse heaven, and there was evening and there was morning the second day.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it was so.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: God called the dry land earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas, and God saw that it was good.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: And God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind on the earth.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it was so.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning the third day.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's look closer.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: On the second day God separates the waters and establishes the expanse between them.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Once again creation is being organized by separation.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: What was undivided is being given structure and boundaries.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: There is an interesting translation difference here.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: The King James Version reads, And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from waters which were above the firmament, and it was so.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And God called the firmament heaven, where the ESV says expanse, the KJV says firmament.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Both are translating the Hebrew word rakia, which carries the idea of something spread out or extended.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly how the ancient description should be pictured has been debated.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Some understand it primarily as the visible sky or open expanse above the earth.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Others believe the wording reflects a more solid structure separating waters above from waters below.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: The passage itself clearly tells us what the expanse does.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: It separates the waters, and that God calls it heaven, but it does not stop to explain its physical structure in the kind of detail a modern scientific description would.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: That distinction is worth keeping in mind.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: The wording is clear about God establishing a boundary between waters, while some of the details about exactly how that boundary should be understood remain open to interpretation.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: On the third day, the waters below are gathered together and dry land appears.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: God names the dry land earth and the gathered waters seas.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Just as with day and night, naming again shows God assigning identity and order to what he has made.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Then something new happens.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: The earth begins producing vegetation.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Plants yield seed, and fruit trees bear fruit with seed inside them, each according to its kind.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: That repeated phrase emphasizes an ordered creation with living things reproducing according to the pattern God gives them.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Notice also that the third day receives two statements that what God made was good, once after the land and seas are established, and again after vegetation appears.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: The land is not merely uncovered, it is prepared to support life.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: This concludes Genesis 1 6 13.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Next, we'll continue with Genesis 1 14 25, and remember, tithe your time.