What Does The Bible Say About Creation?

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Do you ever find yourself wondering, what does the Bible say about creation?

Usually when we talk about creation our minds go straight to the creation story in Genesis 1. We get the answer to most our questions from there.

What does the Bible say about the creation of the universe? Genesis 1 answers that.
What does the Bible say about the creation of man? Genesis 2 answers that.

But there’s so much more to learn from the Bible about creation! Both in and outside of the Creation story in Genesis.

In this post… I’ll share Bible verses about the beauty of creation, some you’re familiar with but many you might not be. And the ones that are new, I’m pretty confident will blow you away.

Click here to jump to the creation in the Bible summary!

What does the Bible Say About the Creation of the Universe?

Typically, the word creation in the Bible means the origin of a thing. The word creation comes from the root word for create which in Hebrew is “bara”. It’s used mostly in the context of things that are not mad made; for example, the heavens and the Earth.

Scripture teaches,

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2

So we know when it comes to the creation of the Earth (or the origins of Earth) it had everything to do with God. Genesis carries the first but also the basic descriptions of creation in the Bible. Some of the more jaw dropping descriptions are found in Job, Isaiah, and the Psalms. We’ll look at them together after we review the timeline of the 7 days of creation in the Bible.

Creation Timeline

The Bible is pretty clear about the creation of the universe and how it all happened. What we need to know, God is sure to tell us. What does God say about creation?

In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 you’ll find a summary of the seven days of creation that outlines the following timeline.

• Before creation there was darkness, water, depth, an unraveled; formless earth, and the Spirit of God.
• Day 1 – Light, measurements of time, and order.
• Day 2 – Firmament (heaven)
• Day 3 – Land, Sea, Vegetation
• Day 4 – Light in the firmament
• Day 5 – Sea life and birds
• Day 6 – Land animals and mankind
• Day 7 – Rest (the 1^st Sabbath)

Before Creation of the Earth…

We don’t know much about what was around before earth, but we do know that God had a dwelling place which means there was creation in some form before there was creation on Earth. The Bible does say a lot about what that looked like. As far as I know, the most information we have is in that first Bible verse about creation in Genesis.

Earth was formless.
There were measurable things like depth and emptiness.
There was water.
And of course, there was the Spirit of God.

Though these things are present before the creation of the earth, it’s still my firm belief that they are God’s creation (see John 1:1-3) and He has dominion over all of them.

Day 1 of Creation | Light, Time, and Order

Then God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light.
Genesis 1:3

I think it’s really interesting that the first thing God did when He created light was separate it; He set it apart from the darkness (see Genesis 1:4). Like much of creation, this carries spiritual significance as well. God is constantly at work separating the light (good) from the darkness (evil) and teaching us to do the same.

The first day of creation in the Bible is also our first introduction to measures of time and order. By giving this light a name (day) and setting it’s composition (evening and morning) God introduced the basic order of the earth.

Our time would be measured in days. Our days would consist of evening and morning. It would be this way until God declares otherwise.

P.S. If you were curious why Jewish holidays (and days in general) start in the evening; this is why. “Evening and morning were the first day.”

Day 2 of Creation in the Bible | God Created the Firmament

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Genesis 1:6

Before creation, there was water. On day two of creation God created what we know as the sky and placed it in the midst of the waters. It’s hard to imagine that above sky and space is an ocean of water (realistically, that’s probably a minuscule measurement) but that’s what this Bible verse about creation describes.

Waters above.
Heavens in the midst.
Waters below.

That is until Day 3 when God creates land.

God Creates the Sea, Land, and Vegetation

We don’t hear much about the waters above heaven, but Genesis 1:9 tells us about the waters under the heavens.

God gathered them, named them, and appointed their boundaries by making land appear where the sea would end.

God called these large bodies of gathered water sea.

He called the dry land earth.

On this same day God created land vegetation. With that comes our first introduction to the concept of sowing and reaping; another “scientific concept” with spiritual significance. Similar to you and I, if left alone without interference or intercession, seeds will only produce more of its own kind. Hang onto this fact! It’ll become really important when we get to Day 6 of creation. For now, let’s move on to Day 4.

Day 4 of Creation | Lights In the Firmament

In Day 1 of creation we learn that God created light and He separated the light from the darkness. In day 4 of creation in the Bible, we see God giving light dominion over the darkness. The sun, moon, stars, and all the lights of the heaven.

God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:17-18

Another amazing thing to note about heavenly lights is recorded just prior to these verses where God says,

Let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years.
Genesis 1:14

The most miraculous and life-changing event in the history of the world was marked by a mysterious sign in the sky… a star. I think it’s fair to say even as early as creation God knew we would need a Savior, and He was already preparing the world for His arrival.

The Bible teaches that the final return of Jesus will also be marked by signs in the sky (among other things).

Sometimes God uses creation to prepare us for things to come.

Day 5 | God Created the Sea Life and the Birds

Just like the seeds, herbs, and vegetation – when God created the birds and the sea creatures on day five of creation, He made them “according to their own kind.”

Day 5 of creation is also the first time we see God bless what He created and gave His creation the task of reproducing.

And God blessed them, saying “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the Earth.”
Genesis 1:22

Day 6 | What Does the Bible Say About the Creation of Man?

Like the seeds, vegetation, sea life, and the bird, the living creatures on Earth were each made in their own image and produce only their own kind (see Genesis 1:24-25).

Like the sea creatures and birds, land creatures were also given the blessing and instruction to “be fruitful and multiply.”

The same day that God made land animals, He made people.

The first things that we learn about humans (or mankind as the original Hebrew puts it) is that humans are set apart in a way that no other creature is. Instead of being made in their own image, according to their own kind (like the seeds, vegetation, and sea and land creatures) humans were made in God’s image according to His likeness.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ”
Genesis 1:26-27

Though we’ll never match His complete sovereignty, when God created people He did give us authority and dominion over the Earth and the creatures in it. We were (and still are) its caretakers. God was (and still is) our provider. He gave us the vegetation of Earth as food (Genesis 1:29).

He blessed and commissioned us also to “be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis 1:28

Day 7 of Creation | The First Sabbath Day

On the seventh day God stopped working on creation and rested. The creation of Earth was complete. (See Genesis 2:1-2).

This was the first Sabbath. It’s described in Genesis like this,

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work God created and made.
Genesis 2:3

When God establishes the Sabbath Day later on in the 10 Commandments (see Exodus 20:8-11) He ties it to this specific day when He rested from the work of creating the Earth.

BONUS: Learn more about what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath Day here. 

Are Their Two Creation Stories in the Bible?

Most people look at the creation story in Genesis 1 and then get to Genesis 2 and wonder, does Genesis tell two different creation stories? Why do these accounts of creation seem so different? The next section will answer this questions.

 

There’s a story that goes along with the creation of land animals and mankind on Day 6 of creation that gives us a picture of what that day looked like. You’ll find it in Genesis 2 following the author’s (thought to be Moses) summary of creation of the Earth.

The Setting: While God was creating the Earth He planted the garden we know as Eden. It was a special place where God and mankind would dwell together. See Genesis 2:8 The story of how God created people went something like this.

God created man…

The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living thing.”
Genesis 2:7

God put man in the garden that He had planted for him.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
Genesis 2:15

God desired a partner for man.

And the Lord said, it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him. Our of the ground the Lord formed every beast of the field, bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them… So Adam gave names to to all the cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every best of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
Genesis 2:18-21

God creates a suitable partner for Adam.

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept; and He took one o his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said, “this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.
Genesis 2:21-24

What Does God Say About Creation?

Remember how I said there are some Bible verses about creation and nature that will totally blow your mind? This is the part of the article where I get to share them!

Most of these verses you’ll find in Job. Here’s the backstory.

Job was a righteous man who lost everything; his family, wealth, and health had all be stolen from him by the devil (see Job chapters 1-2). Job cries out to God about it but he feels alone in his suffering and struggles to hear God and make sense of his situation.

When God does respond, He does so with awesome might and power and uses pictures of creation to remind Job of his glory and sovereignty. Here’s a quick glimpse of what God says about creation in the book of Job.

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know. Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstones, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:4-7

God continues by describing the creation of the seas.

Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst fourth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limits for it and set bars and doors ; when I said, “this far you may come but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!”
Job 38:8-11

And these verses about the creation of our days are incredible!

Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?
Job 38:12

Those are just a few of the Bible verses about creation and nature that give us a glimpse of God’s hand in it all. You’ll find more in Job 38-41.

Bible Verses About Creation Praising God

Did you know that creation responds to the glory of God? The trees, the wind, the waters, the stars – they all worship.David wrote in Psalms,

The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Psalm 19:1

In Psalm 148 David paints a picture of all creations praising God. Here are the first couple verses.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
Psalm 148:1-6

What Is the Main Message of the Creation Story?

In Psalm 8 David is describing the glory of the Lord that we see through creation. He writes,

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars , which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and mortal man that You visit Him.
Psalm 8:3-4

To me, that encapsules the very message of the creation story. God is mindful of us. He created the Earth and everything it so that He could dwell with us. Creation of the world is the beginning of a really incredible love story.

Join us in the free online Genesis study to learn for yourself how the story goes!

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