JAN 13

Genesis 1:5-2:3
Memorise Exodus 20:11
“And the evening and the morning were the first day…”

When discussing the six days of creation in Genesis 1, one common objection or argument that comes up, would be with reference to the length of each ‘day’ of creation. Instead of accepting the traditional view of 6 literal days of creation, many would look to the arguments and socalled facts of science, and insist that the earth must be billions of years old. Sadly, even some Christians today also hold to that view, quoting passages like 2 Peter 3:8 to try justify their understanding that God does not always mean a literal 24-hour day when he says ‘one day’, for one day in that verse could also mean a thousand years. Yet if we examine that passage more closely, we realise that the verse speaks nothing of the actual length of a ‘day’, but it is about the waiting for the second coming of the Lord, and that God is outside of time, and does not see time the same way that we see it. In fact, as much as a day would be like a thousand years, the reverse is also true, in that a thousand years are as one day, and that effectively cancels out their argument!

Instead, as we look back at the record given in Genesis 1, there are many clues given to conclusively show that the Bible consistently and clearly speaks of single 24-hour days in the Creation week. It is true that the use of the Hebrew word for day, ‘yom’, can refer to either an actual single day or a period of time. However, whenever it is used with a numerical adjective (first, second etc.), as it is in Genesis 1, it always refers to a single 24-hour day. Furthermore, in the description of each day in Genesis 1, there is always the mention of ‘the evening and the morning’, showing that it was in the framework of a 24-hour day and night cycle.

Turning to the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:11, we see another clear undeniable proof of a literal 24-hour day. Using the creation week as an example, the commandment clearly instructs us to labour for only six days, and then to keep the Sabbath day as the holy day of the Lord, in which we are to do no work. This commandment would make no sense if the day refers to long indefinite periods of time!

This understanding is crucial, for the repudiation of 6 literal days undermines the whole message of the Bible and the validity of the gospel!

Thought: Can faith and science coexist?

Prayer: Lord, may I learn to appreciate Your wisdom in all things.