Prose and Poetry of Creation

When something is important, we often repeat reading it or saying it to make sure that it is understood. The Bible repeats the creation of man and woman in Genesis chapter two because of its supreme importance to our understanding of who we are and where we came from. The following are my insights from reading Genesis Chapters one and two. Genesis chapter two is prose and poetry while Genesis chapter one is more didactic and like a textbook. Chapters one and two cannot contradict each other because there is one Author and the Bible is inerrant and infallible.

1. Not all plants sprang up on the third day. They must have been created in seed form and were awaiting moisture in order to germinate and grow. Some small plants and bushes were in this category.

2. Rain did not come from clouds in the original creation. The earth was more like a greenhouse, where moisture from the land and the seas would rise like mist and condense as moisture to water the whole earth. Therefore, some plants may not have germinated until after the fourth day when the sun was created and its heat caused evaporation of moisture and condensation to water the earth. It must have started "raining" by the fifth day.

3. The Garden of Eden was planted by God. Its trees and plants grew after the fourth day, and on into the sixth day and beyond. "Rain" occurred after the fourth day, and with underground springs of water, caused rivers to flow, adding to the geographical features of the earth, defining Eden. There were two trees which were one-of-a-kind in their species. One was called the Tree of Life, and the other, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

4. Just as He did with the plants and animals, God assembled man's physical body from the earth. The DNA, molecules and cells, all came from the same elements that make up plants and animals. Only when God breathed into man did he become a living creature. On the sixth day, He created man full grown, with language and intelligence, and accountable to God. After creating man, God placed him in the garden and gave him one command.

5. Woman was also created on the sixth day. Eve must have learned of the command from Adam. It is also possible that God spoke the command again so that both of them could hear it.

6. Genesis chapter one defines man's purpose and authority on the earth. Genesis chapter two defines man's responsibilities to God and his family. God gave man work. God gave man provisions. God gave man companionship.