I've decided that as I try to read and understand and study the bible, I will post here my summary of what I think it means and how I interpret it. And although my Pastor suggests not starting in Genesis, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a whirl. I think the best way to do this (at the moment) is chapter by chapter, so thank you for joining me in this journey.
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Genesis: Chapter 1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters."
In the beginning, God created the universe, even the very planet we live on. The Earth was just a meteor without any shape and no life no land, only water, and it was always dark. (Because of this, it stands to reason that perhaps we really ARE the only planet with life on it? And does this mean the Earth existed before the Sun? Seeing as how science believes the Earth and the sun were both created about 4.5 billion years ago, then yes, it would stand to reason that the Earth could have been formed before the sun.)
"Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day."
Then the sun formed, and there was light. And the Earth rotated around the sun, making night and day. God saw the benefits of what night and day did to earth (tides, temperature, weather), and he saw the potential and it was a good thing.
"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."
As the sun heated up the Earth, it became a planet of humidity, and he created oxygen to be a space that formed a layer between the evaporating waters and clouds above, and the deep waters below. Night came and went, ending the second day.
"Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good."
On the third day, as more evaporation occurred, the surface of the ground began to peak, becoming the land, and the waters were known as the seas and ocean. God saw the potential in this and thought it was good.
"Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day."
Then God said to let grass, plants, and trees, and anything that makes seeds and fruits that bear seeds to keep producing plants of their own kind with seeds. All sorts of vegetation covered the ground. Then night and day came, the third day passed.
"Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day."
Then he made planets visible to the sky, so we had stars, sun and moon. We would be able to use the stars be to determine seasons, days, years, and locations. (But wait... If light existed BEFORE the sun was put in the sky, then where did the light come from? The answer is that the light came from God because He IS the light.) He saw that it was good. Day and night passed, and the fourth day was completed.
"Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day."
Then God created creatures for the water, and birds for the sky. Whatever this creature was, it would give birth to the same creature of it's kind. He blessed them and told them to multiply. Evening passed and morning came. That was the 5th day.
"Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good."
Then God created land animals, and also had them make babies of the same kind. (A monkey could only mate with a monkey, a chicken only with another chicken. Etc.) God saw that it was good.
"Then God said, “Let us make human beings." So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."
Then God made human beings that looked similar to him. He made them male and female. (But wait... If this says he already made a female, how does Eve come from Adam's rib, as they don't come in until Chapter 2? Does this mean there were more people in Eden other than just Adam and Eve??? The answer here is no... There was no one before them, as Chapter 2 just goes back and tells more in-depth history to the creation story.) He told the humans to bear children and grow in numbers. He told them to master the animals and the land, and to eat the plants that grow fruit and the plants that make seeds. Leafy plants were for the animals. Basically, he told humans to take care of his creations, and be vegetarians (even though this would later change). He saw that it was good, evening passed, morning came, and that was the sixth day.
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End of Genesis: Chapter 1
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