Inquiry:
How orderly were things in creation?
#1: Step-by-step. The only discrepancy is that there is no Sun or Moon or stars n the first three “days.”
#2: God fixes things up as He goes. The first man is lonely, and is not satisfied with animals. God finally creates a woman for him. (funny thing that an omniscient God would forget things)
Is there a contradiction?
Response:
As mentioned in last week’s column, there is no discrepancy or contradiction in that the sun, moon and stars did not exist for the first three days. There is no law that requires the presence of the sun, moon or stars in order for there to be a day, except in the questioners own mind.
There is no evidence that God forgot things, but rather, He created things in an orderly fashion. God bringing the animals before the man to be named (2:19-20), and the man not finding a help meet comparable is no accident. This illustrates what was spoken in 1:26, that man was greater than the animals — they were not comparable.
Consider the creation of woman, that it was of an intimate nature. Adam realized such, for he declared, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh…” (2:23) There was a bond between man and woman that did not exist between man and beast.
The questioner calls God’s orderly creation “fixing up”. Let me ask, is the builder “fixing up” when he builds the frame of a house, and then adds to it drywall, paint, electrical outlets, light fixtures, etc., etc.? He is constructing the house in an orderly fashion. These things are not “fixing up”, but rather planned and deliberate construction. Likewise was the creation of the world by the hand of God.
There is no contradiction.
This article is a response to Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, but original article is no longer listed
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
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