Dr. Couch, does yom (day) in Genesis 1 really imply a day, a twenty-four hour day, as we now understand it?
Remember the two cardinal rules of Bible study that we drill into the
heads of our students: Context, context, context, observation,
observation, observation! As the author of Genesis, Moses used very
clear language to tell us these days are what we see today. Oh yes, the
revolution of the earth may have been a little different (say 23.6 hours
per day) but the idea is basically a full revolution as we now know it.
How can we escape the obvious when it says in
Genesis 1, for example, "And there was evening and there was morning, a
second day" (v. 5, 8, etc.)?
We all have a thousand questions about the
creation story that God did not wish to reveal to us. In one sense, the
details are unimportant. This is why the creation story is compressed,
abbreviated, with details left out. That the universe was created ex
nihilo is what is most important. The Scriptures then get to the point
quickly about the unique creation of man, and the story of the Fall.
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
