This transcript was auto-generated.
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
(Genesis 1: 6-7) N.K.J.V.
Evidently when God created the earth, the earth was covered with a thick formless mass of water. So, on the 2nd day in verse 6 we see God separating water from…… water. And he calls the space between the two, the firmament. That’s interesting because that means there is still water covering the surface of the earth, no land, just completely covered with water, but now there is a canopy of water above the earth with a separate area of space in-between. Meteorologists will tell you today that clouds are made up of entirely of water vapour. In the K.J.V. in verse 7, we are told God called the space in-between the firmament.
And God called the firmament Heaven. So, the evening and the morning were the second day.
(Gen 1: 8)
Remember at this point the view of the heavens above are covered by a very thick cloud covering full of heavy moisture. Doesn’t that look awfully like many of the lifeless planets that astronomers observe today both within and outside our solar system. Verse 8 says it very simply. The firmament is what we observe in the space between the earth and the sky. What we would today call the atmosphere.
So, the first day he creates light.
The second day he creates the sky, the atmosphere.
For the third day…. Let’s pick it up at verse 9
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good
(Gen 1:9-10)
So, keep it in mind that until we get up to verse 9 the surface of the earth is still completely covered in water. But here now he separates the water from the surface of the earth creating dry land, continents and oceans as well as seas and lakes. Now this passage doesn’t tell us exactly he how does this, but if you’re interested Psalm 104 gives us a poetic picture of Him doing this very thing. God calls the dry land earth and the waters, seas and then God say that it was good. The term good means fit for purpose, and that purpose as we shall is good for populating with plants, animals and humans.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
(Gen 1:11-12)
And again, God saw that it was good. Fit for purpose that purpose being the supplying of food and resources for the future arrival of animals and humans.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day
(Gen 1: 13)
There you have it the first 3 days and God has created light, the firmament, the oceans and the dry land, and all different kinds of plants and vegetation. So, in these three opening days. God takes thing from the chaos of verse one to the created order of verses 2 and 3. The first three days!