“God Created the Universe”  
Printed Text: Genesis 1:1-6, 8, 10, 12-15, 19, 20, 22, 23, 
25 
 
Background Scripture: Genesis 1:1-25 
 
Devotional Reading: Psalm 8 
  
Genesis 1:1-6  
 
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  
 
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness 
was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved 
upon the face of the waters.  
 
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 
 
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided 
the light from the darkness. 
 
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called 
Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 
 
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of 
the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 
 
Genesis 1:8, 10 
 
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and 
the morning were the second day. 
 
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering 
together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it 
was good. 
 
Genesis 1:12-15 
 
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding 
seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose 
seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was 
good. 
 
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.  
 
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of 
the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them 
be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  
 
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the 
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 
 
Genesis 1:19-20 
 
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.  
 
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the 
moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above 
the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 
 
Genesis 1:22-23 
 
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, 
and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in 
the earth.  
 
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 
 
Genesis 1:25 
 
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and 
cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon 
the earth after hi kind: and God saw that it was; good. 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
As you are probably aware, evolution is the theory that all 
life forms developed from the very simple into the more 
complex, a process taking millions of years.  
 
While the proponents of evolution frequently assert that 
this theory is a fact, it has never been proved — nor can 
it be! Others, called theistic evolutionists, claim that 
God used evolution to bring about life on our planet. A 
great many evolutionists, however, are atheists. Evolution, 
they say, leaves no place for belief in a Creator.  
 
In contrast to the mechanistic theory of evolution is the 
simple but profound account of Creation found in Genesis, 
the book of beginnings. Genesis should not be thought of 
primarily as a book of science, for it never claims to be 
that.  
 
It is nevertheless an accurate account of the beginnings of 
the universe and of life on earth. 
 
Interestingly, a growing number of scientists today do not 
believe that the world is millions of years old. In 
addition, the intelligent design theory is being proposed 
by some, suggesting that the world is too complex to have 
evolved over time by random chance. 
 
 
 
LESSON BACKGROUND 
 
Genesis in not merely the first book in the Bible. It 
stands as the first book in a five-book section of the Old 
Testament we call the Pentateuch, or the Books of Moses 
(Genesis, Exodus. Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). This 
collection was finished long before the end of the Old 
Testament period; it was already in use during the times of 
the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, many centuries before 
Christ. 
 
The overall purpose of the Pentateuch is to tell the story 
of the origins of the nation of Israel. With this purpose 
in view, we can understand that Genesis serves as an 
introduction to the great events of nation-birthing found 
in Exodus. Genesis provides us with the place to start: the 
beginning, with God’s creation of the heaven and the earth. 
What better place to start could there be?  
 
Included in this account is the creation of humanity, the 
first man and woman. They are the ancestors of all people, 
not just the nation of Israel. The tragedy of Genesis is 
that humanity rebelled against its creator. Sin flourished. 
Later, the story focuses on Abraham, father of the nation 
of Israel. He was chosen because God planned to use one of 
his descendants (Jesus) to redeem humanity from the bondage 
of sin.  
 
And so we begin the greatest story ever told. It is the 
drama of human origins and humanity’s eventual deliverance 
from its self-caused alienation from the creator of the 
universe. The stage could be no bigger. 
 
 
 
TODAY’S AIM  
 
Facts: to see how God created the universe in six days.  
 
Principle: to know that God is always active in the work of 
creation.  
 
Application: Make a plan for greater stewardship toward one 
aspect of God’s created resources. 
 
 
 
God at the Beginning (Genesis 1:1, 2)  
 
Where did God come from? The opening of Genesis has no 
comment on God other than to place Him at the beginning. 
However far back in time we can imagine, God was there! 
This is an understated, yet striking testimony to God’s 
eternality. God is uncreated, separate and apart from any 
created thing. The existence of an uncreated creator is the 
reason there can be anything instead of nothing. The 
universe is not self-explanatory. It exists because God 
upholds it by His powerful word (see Hebrews 1:3; 11:3; 
Psalm 19:1).  
 
 
 
1. What does it mean that “the earth was without form” 
(Genesis 1:2)?  
 
When “God created the heaven and earth” the earth was 
“without form, and void.” God has yet to mold it into final 
state.  
 
At this point in creation, the future home of humanity is 
characterized three ways. First, it is without form or 
unfinished; Second, it is void or empty; the living 
creatures who will inhabit it have yet to be created. 
Third, it is dark; this is not a limiting factor for God 
(see Psalm 139:12), but the condition must be changed in 
order for earth to be a suitable habitation for humans.  
 
2. How is the Trinity seen in the biblical passages 
concerning the Creation? (Gen. 1:2b)  
 
Particularly noteworthy is the presence of the Spirit of 
God moving across the face of the waters in the latter part 
of verse 2. We know that the preincarnate Son of God was 
active in Creation (John 1:1-3), and the presence of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is affirmed at the beginning 
of the Bible (cf. Ps. 104:30).  
 
3. What should our acceptance of the fact that God created 
the world mean in our lives on a day-to-day basis? 
 
Humans think of themselves as rulers and owners of the 
world. But the truth is that the world belongs to God. God 
provided the world to meet our needs, but also to 
demonstrate His glory. Therefore, it is our role to be 
caretakers of the earth, not abusers. Instead of treating 
the world as our disposable possession, we are to view it 
as something for which we are to be responsible stewards. 
 
This realization affects our understanding of ecology and 
environment (although “environmental extremism” is to be 
avoided, as it tends to see the earth itself as something 
almost to be worshiped). How we care for the earth is an 
indicator of what we think of the things of God. As 
stewards of this world, we are to be faithful.  
 
Creation, Days 1–3 (Genesis 1:3–6, 8, 10, 12, 13)  
 
4. What did God do on His first day of creation (vs. 3-5)?  
 
God’s first day of creation concerns not living creatures 
but light. It is difficult to conceive of life without 
light, for it is a necessary component of life as we 
generally understand it. If there were no light, it would 
be a blind universe.  
 
Notice that darkness is not created. Light is separated 
from darkness, but there is no sense of God “making 
darkness.” This is because darkness has no real existence. 
It is simply an absence, a lack of light. Darkness is a 
“without.” This is why darkness is an apt metaphor for 
moral evil and sin, which is living “without God” (our 
moral light).  
 
Verse 5 establishes the pattern for the days of creation. 
The expression “the evening and the morning” establishes 
the pattern for the days of creation. Each section ends 
with the statement the evening and morning were the … day, 
indicating a creative cycle has been completed. This is 
also the source of the Bible way of reckoning days. For 
most of the Jews of Bible times, the new day does not begin 
at sunrise but at sundown, because that signals the end of 
the old day.  
 
5. What is meant by “firmament” (vs. 6,8)?  
 
The word “firmament” can be understood as the expanse of 
the sky. “On the second day God separated the atmospheric 
waters from the terrestrial waters by an arching expanse, 
the sky. This suggest that previously there had been a 
dense moisture enshrouding the earth” (Walvoord and Zuck). 
 
This firmament is called “Heaven” (Gen. 1:8). Both the 
place where the sun, moon, and stars exist and the air 
where the birds fly were called “heaven” by the ancients.  
Throughout Scripture, the term is also used of the place 
where God’s throne exists (Ps. 103:19; Isa. 66:1). 
 
The term Heaven here probably does not refer to the 
dwelling place of God and His angels. Rather, it is the 
sky and atmosphere above the earth, the place where birds 
fly. 
 
Thus the second day of Creation concluded with God making 
the firmament, or sky. Without this atmosphere surrounding 
the world, no life could exist on earth. 
 
6. What would be a very practical reason for gathering the 
waters? (vs. 10, 12-13) 
 
A practical reason for gathering the waters would be to 
produce a distinction between the “Earth” and the “Seas.”  
The organization of the earth continues. Now the waters are 
no longer allowed to dominate, but are confined to 
appropriate areas. This allows for dry land, a prerequisite 
for plant life.  
 
Once the land appeared, God was able to create the great 
variety of plant life that exists in the world. He created 
within each kind of living thing the ability to reproduce 
after its kind. This took place on the third day. 
 
Creation, Days 4–6 (Genesis 1:14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25) 
 
The author now moves on to describe the creation of the 
patterns of the earth in relation to other heavenly bodies. 
 
7. How does the author describe the fourth day of creation 
(vs. 14, 15, 19)? 
 
The author is explaining how days and seasons came into 
being, thus allowing for the growing cycles that result in 
crop production from the plant life (food) that came in day 
three.  
 
It is astounding for us to contemplate the perfection and 
intricacy of God’s system! Consider that water can exist in 
its liquid form only within a very narrow temperature 
range, namely from 32 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a 
tiny slice of the range of temperatures found in our solar 
system, from the inferno of the sun (27 million degrees 
Fahrenheit at its core) to the temperature of absolute zero 
of the outer planets (approaching –459 degrees Fahrenheit). 
 
 
Yet, because of the precise distance that the earth is 
positioned from the sun as well as various other factors, 
water is able to remain liquid over most of our planet. 
There could be no life as we know it without this precious 
liquid. 
 
Furthermore, if earth were not in its precise location, 
revolving around the sun and rotating on its axis, life 
could not be sustained. If the world were just a little 
closer to the sun, we would burn up, a little farther, and 
we would freeze. Could this have occurred by accident? The 
precision with which the world and the universe operate is 
more evidence for believing in a divine Creator. Modern 
scientific knowledge does not negate the majesty of these 
verses, but only makes them more astounding.  
 
8. When God blessed the animals, what did He tell them to 
do? (v. 22) 
 
On the fifth day of Creation, God made the creatures that 
live in the waters and those that fly in the air. He 
blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply in 
the earth. God’s blessing enabled them to reproduce after 
their kind and to enjoy what He had created. Later, God 
would bless man and command him to, “Be fruitful, and 
multiply,…and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and 
over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that 
moveth upon the earth” (v. 28). 
 
At the time of the writing of Genesis, the total human 
population of the earth was a tiny fraction of what it is 
today. Even so, the rivers and oceans of Genesis are full 
of fish, and the skies are full of a marvelous variety of 
birds. The few urban varieties of birds that most people 
are familiar with today are but a small fraction of the 
avian creatures. 
 
The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the Pacific 
Northwest of the U.S. some 200 years ago. On that 
expedition the explorers observed such a heavy migration of 
salmon that it seemed as if one could walk across the river 
on the backs of the fish! This abundance now has been 
reduced, but we can still appreciate God’s original 
provision for the earth.  
 
9. What is the main purpose of the Creation account? (v. 
25) 
 
The sixth day of creation was God’s last stage of 
preparation of the earth for the coming of humanity is to 
create land animals. The term cattle has the larger 
meaning of range animals that eat plant life. Later, the 
author differentiates between domesticated and wild animals 
of this class (Genesis 3:14). 
 
In all of this, God was carefully preparing the universe in 
which people would live and prosper.  
 
The purpose of Genesis 1 is to render praise to the Creator 
and to give a basic outline of how God made the world. Our 
existence and sustenance are made possible by the mighty 
works of God. The Lord has the ability to sustain 
everything that He has created. He is worthy to be 
praised.  
 
 
 
CONCLUSION  
 
“All Creation Waits”  
 
Violin players are taught from the first day of lessons 
that their violins must be tuned every time they play. The 
longer the violinist waits to retune, the worse the 
instrument sounds. After Adam and Eve’s disobedience, 
creation ended up being “out of tune” because of sin. The 
one who created our earth and its heavens intends to return 
and “retune” it according to His perfect will. 
 
Paul teaches that all creation is anticipating the 
revelation of God’s ultimate purpose (see Romans 8:19-23). 
Paul even speaks of creation groaning in pain as it waits 
for its creator (Romans 8:22). The one who created will 
re-create, and there will be “new heavens and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). What a 
glorious day that will be! Then sin will be no more, and 
“he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). 
 
As wonderful as this promise is, however, we do not know 
when God’s re-creation of the universe will be. It could be 
tomorrow. It could be 10,000 years from now. Until that 
day, this present universe is what we have. Although it is 
marred by human sin, it retains the pattern and intention 
of the master designer. 
 
That fact should bring praise to our lips. When science 
discovers some new intricacy or complexity in nature, we 
should marvel. When we see the vivid colors of the sunrise 
on a stately peak, we should stop to ponder the artistry of 
the maker. When we are high in the mountains on a clear 
night and see the uncountable stars in all their majesty, 
we should stand in awe of their creator, for “the heavens 
declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). 
 
PRAYER 
 
Mighty and loving creator, the all-wise and all-powerful 
God, may we stand in awe of Your master design and plan for 
the universe. May we live daily in appreciation of the 
marvels of Your creation, our world, which exists and is 
sustained through the word of Your power. In Jesus’ name, 
amen. 
 
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER 
 
It was God who created.