Day Four of Creation Week Dilemma Solved!

[Nic Samojluk]

Those who favor a literal reading of Genesis One have been plagued by the problem of what to do with the alleged creation of the stars on day four of creation week. How can we reconcile the recent creation recorded in Genesis One with the creation of the stars whose light takes millions of years to reach our planet earth?

Most Adventists believe that the stars have been in existence for millions and billions of years, yet the official position of the church is that the creation story recorded in the book of Genesis is rather of recent history. How can Adventists reconcile an old universe with a relatively recent creation of life on earth?

A possible solution seems to be in the proper understanding of two Hebrew words used in Genesis 1:1 and 1:16. Those two words are: “created” and “made” : In Gen. 1:1 the word used is “created” while in 1:16 the term “made” was used, and those two words are not exactly synonymous in the Hebrew language. Notice the following:

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on Genesis 1:16

“Both these lights may be said to be “made” on the fourth day—not created, indeed, for it is a different word that is here used, but constituted, appointed to the important and necessary office of serving as luminaries to the world, and regulating by their motions and their influence the progress and divisions of time.”

Ref.: http://biblehub.com/genesis/1-16.htm

When I checked the interlinear version of the Bible for those words, I discovered a confirmation of what Bible commentator Jamieson affirmed above:

In fact in Gen. 1:1 the Hebrew term is “created” [בָּרָ֣א], while in verse 16 the word used is “made” [וַיַּ֣עַשׂ. This suggests that the sun, moon, and stars were not created in the fourth day, but rather assigned to act as luminaries for our planet. This seems to indicate that the sun, the moon, and the stars were probably already in existence when God assigned them the role of illuminating the sky for us.

The same is true about Exodus 20:11. Here, again, the word “made” is used in reference to the six days of creation. This might be interpreted as follows: Our planet earth was likely in existence when God decided to make it suitable for life during the creation week. Perhaps this is why in the reference to the creation act in the book of Exodus the term used is not “created” but rather “made.”

If this interpretation is correct, then the actual creative activity in genesis 1 began when the Lord said: “Let there be light.” in verse 3 of Gen. 1. This understanding of the story of creation may allow us to read the story of creation in a literal manner in spite of the reference to the creation of the stars in verse 16. What do you think?

[Gerr]

The words "he made" in the phrase "he made the stars also" are supplied. Here is how other translations render it:

ESV | ‎Ge 1:16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 

NRSV | ‎Ge 1:16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 

HOLMAN | Ge 1:16  God made the two great lights—the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night—as well as the stars. 

LEXHAM | Ge 1:16 And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night, and the stars. 

DARBY | Ge 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night, —and the stars

YLT | Ge 1:16  And God maketh the two great luminaries, the great luminary for the rule of the day, and the small luminary—and the stars—for the rule of the night;

DOUAY | Ge 1:16  And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and The stars. 

 

All the translations state that "God made two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night".  It seems obvious to me that these are referring to the sun and the moon.  So how does "and the stars" fit in?  Some scholars treat the phrase "and the stars" as a parenthetical statement that the stars were also meant as night time luminaries.  I think the YLT clearly gives that thought.  Furthermore, while most Adventists believe in the 6 day creation of life on this planet, not all believe that the earth itself was created during that time span.  The first day of creation already assumes the existence of a planet covered with water that was created way back "in the beginning".

[phkrause]

CJB: God made the two great lights - the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night - and the stars.

the Online Tanakh: And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars.

[Gerr]

On 4/23/2016 at 3:29 PM, phkrause said:

CJB: God made the two great lights - the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night - and the stars.

the Online Tanakh: And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars.

Thanks, PK.  I believe that carries the  same thought I am trying to convey.

[Aliensanctuary]

Seems odd that there is such a variety of and quantity elements and compounds scattered throughout our solar system and beyond. That some believe that all of this material came from occasional supernovae seems to be wishful thinking. The Old World, before the Great Flood, was likely engineered.

I agree with those who think that the Earth and the stars were created at the Beginning of the Universe, while the Earth was colonized much later, about the time that the sun and the moon showed up to warm the planet and rule the much dimmer stars of the night sky.

 

[Robert]

On 4/23/2016 at 3:06 PM, Gerry Cabalo said:

 The first day of creation already assumes the existence of a planet covered with water that was created way back "in the beginning".

So the foundation of the earth is old perhaps, but the creation of life is relatively new.  In other words this world might have looked much like Mars before Christ started creating life on it.  According to the Genesis account (and this account is reaffirmed throughout the Scriptures) Christ created life in six literal 24 hr days.  If not, the Sabbath of creation becomes meaningless. 

[Gerr]

That's what I think.

[Raphael]

Yup.. Also, land was set aside from water or in other words the earth's land and water wasn't created but "lanscaped".

[Kevin H]

Hi Nick, very good post, however old news. I was taught this at Atlantic Union college back in the 1970s and at Andrews in the 1980s and in sermons over the years. All pointed out as you did that the text does not say that God created them on the 4th day but that the same God who was in the process of creating our world created them also and in the 4th day the sun and moon were seen from earth.

[Kevin H]

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 8:32 AM, Robert said:

So the foundation of the earth is old perhaps, but the creation of life is relatively new.  In other words this world might have looked much like Mars before Christ started creating life on it.  According to the Genesis account (and this account is reaffirmed throughout the Scriptures) Christ created life in six literal 24 hr days.  If not, the Sabbath of creation becomes meaningless. 

Yes Robert. Implied in the Bible story and brought more open by Mrs. White in describing the great controversy that this earth was created for Lucifer and the other angels and beings on the other planets to study and see if life was able to come from natural results or if it needed God. The wording and the idea of water indicated that what ever was here before ended up becoming chaotic. The created beings decided which side of the great controversy to join based on faith and studying the evidence here. It was once the two sides were chooses that God moved from evidence and faith to proof. It was as they decided which side to be on that God's spirit hovered over the chaos and said "Let there be light!"