The creative pattern continues.
Still on day three, after God calls forth vegetation from the land. "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." (v. 11).
On day four, God calls forth other lights from the vault of the sky. "'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so." (v. 14-15). These included the sun, moon, and stars. (v. 16-18).
Note, we know today these things are not actually lights made within the “vault” surrounding the earth. Rather, the moon is 300,000 miles away and only reflects light from the sun. Likewise, sun is its own solar body 93 million miles away. The stars are similar but all beyond the Milky Way. Their light does but emanate from our atmosphere, but rather pierces it after a very long journey to Earth.
Nonetheless, the author(s) of Genesis 1 maintains this creative pattern that God builds on what already exists to make something new.
On day five, God called forth living creatures from both the water and air. "And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.'" (v. 20). This happened. (v. 21).
On the sixth day, God called forth living creatures from the land. "'And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so." (V. 24).
Man and woman are also made. (v. 27). No other detail about the source materials from mankind is given in this narrative. The narrative in Genesis 2 does specify some details.
On the seventh day, nothing material is created. God rests and institutes the seventh day sabbath. We can say that the creation of the sabbath rest builds on the creation of time and days, the latter being created on day 4. However, the narrative of the first three days ignore the discrepancy that days are created before the sun to mark it as a day. Nonetheless, the creative pattern of building upon prior foundations remain.
The Creation narrative of Genesis 2 follows the same pattern. "Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (v. 7)
Man is formed from the ground. There is no direct speaking creation which was the pattern in Genesis 1, but God breaths into man "the breath of life."
Man was lonely, prompting God to declare, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (v. 18).
In this account, wild animals and birds are created from the ground. "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky." (v. 19).
But none of these were suitable for man. So, God created woman.
However, he removes a rib from man to do so. From this rib, woman is formed. "Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." (v. 22).
I guess men won't miss that rib. Presumably, this rib also had the 'breath of life', as the text is silent as to breathing it into woman.
Regardless, the cycle of creation from prior foundations is established.
As an overall pattern, something more complex and beautiful emerges. The exceptions are the creation of the Sabbath on day 7 and creating terrestrial and avian wildlife after mankind in Genesis 2. This includes birds, which were created on day 4, not 6 in the narrative of Genesis 1.
Notwithstanding that, the prior creation becomes a building block from which God builds the next thing.
And the next.
And the next.
Each time, God fully incorporates substance of the prior foundational creation. It is not perfected, but amplified in sophisticated arrangement.
This is God-breathed.
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