There are some interesting principles learned from comparing creation stories. (Genesis, Moses, Abraham)

1:1-2

We actually learn a lot from these first few sentences of the Bible. We get additional clarification in Moses 2 and Abraham 4. I’m going to do my best to glean what valuable information is given to us through three accounts. In Genesis, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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.” The earth was formed from unorganized materials. In Abraham, it reads differently: “…the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.” This makes the distinction that the earth wasn’t simply created from nothing. It was organized. We learn that there were more than one creator of this earth.

We know that it was at least Jesus and Michael. I personally think that we all weren’t watching from the sidelines but had some involvement. Obviously, everything was directed by our Heavenly Father and the creation effort was led by Jesus himself. Michael was with him and perhaps you and I helped plant some stuff or something.

Verse 2 talks about how darkness reigned and the Spirit of God was there. There was no light added, nothing formed on the earth, no division of water and land, no placing of plants and animals.

I think it’s interesting that Abraham uses the word “brooding” when describing the Spirit. To us, that’s a word with a negative connotation. But, the Hebrew verb is רָחַף (rachaph), which means:

• To hover

• To flutter

• To move gently over

• To protectively cover

This suggests that the Spirit was actively involved in the creation process. There was an intentional presence of the Spirit. There was preparation before the next steps of creation. Truly, chaos existed, darkness was there. But, something divine was already there.

It’s worthwhile to consider that, even when darkness exists in our lives during our trials and tribulations, the Spirit can be present and is protectively hovering over us.

1:3-5

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Dividing appears to be one of the significant pieces of creation. Light and dark already existed - what changed is that they were separated, named and governed. God’s work appears to begin by creating meaningful distinctions.

This separation is essential. If light and darkness were somehow mixed, nothing could be measured or governed. In fact, moral agency itself requires separation. To have agency, there must be something to choose where the boundaries are clear and there are distinctly different outcomes or consequences.

God didn’t just get rid of the darkness. Just like he doesn’t just annihilate wickedness. God works through order - not by just eliminating the bad or the dark.

1:6-8

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” Water, in the ancient world represented chaos. This day of creation represents God bringing forth order in chaos. I've always thought about “water above” as clouds - which it probably does - but it means more than that. God was making room for life to exist. There was space for us to live and grow.

Again, God isn’t just eliminating chaos, he is restraining it. He’s also creating room for us exercise our agency. I think he’s clearly stating that there is a separation from where we dwell and where he is.

1:9-13

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.” On the third day, God again separates and divides. In all versions in Genesis, Moses and Abraham - it says that the dry land was gathered together in ONE PLACE.” I think there are many who believe that, originally, before the flood - the earth was one big mass called Pangea. This verse seems to support that.

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 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. And the evening and the morning were the third day.” I think it’s interesting that plants were intentionally designed to reproduce “after its kind.” That phrase is repeated over and over. Why?

I think it’s another example of how God is a God of order. Things happen in a certain way. Plants don’t just grow to be random plants. They each grow to be what they are. If it wasn’t that way, it would be hard to predict the benefits of planting. This order is not accidental. It also suggests that our identity matters. We also don’t just become something else as children of God. We are created in the image of God and we should progress according to what we are. As with plants, our progression will happen according to eternal, divine law.

1:14-19

“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: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” The fourth day was about celestial bodies and an introduction of time. It was the “lights in the firmament” that would “divide the day from the night.” Celestial bodies would govern seasons, days and years.

It’s important to remember that lightness and darkness existed separate from any celestial body. All light in the universe comes from Christ. He is the ultimate source of light and power. It is the light of Christ that allows stars to produce light and heat.

The “days” of creation relate to a phase or stage of divine work until this point. Now, with the introduction of the sun, moon and stars, the earth is regulated to a specific time relating to day and night.

I’ve sometimes thought, “maybe this creation story is inaccurate because plants need light from the sun to live.” I’ve since learned that, at this stage of the earth’s development, plants were not dependent on the sun to live. It’s not God’s pattern to say that life depends on a created object. Placing the light before the sun demonstrates that life depends on God - not a burning orb in space. The now natural cycle of day and night and years is not what sustains life. God is the ultimate source of life.

1:20-23

This is the fifth day of creation. A lot happened! “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. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” This is when fish and fowls were created. They were also intended to be “fruitful and multiply.”

In Genesis and in Moses, it reads that “God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth…” In Abraham, it reads, “And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature that moveth…” That’s different. In the former case, God is creating. In the latter case, God is preparing the waters. In the temple, we learn that fish and fowl were “placed.” As we’ve discussed, God doesn’t create from nothing. I believe that plants and animals were placed from somewhere else.

1:24-28

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 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 his kind: and God saw that it was good.” This is the first part of the sixth day. He again wants every creature to reproduce after its kind.

Again, there is a distinction in Abraham that is different than Genesis and Moses. Instead of saying that God “made” the beasts of the earth - Abraham says that “Gods prepared/organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind.” It’s a difference that is worthwhile to think about. Again, I believe that animals were placed - that is how it is explicitly described in the temple.

1:26-31

This is the latter half of the sixth day. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” We must remember that we are in the image of God. We are his children. We know what he looks like because we are in his image.

Genesis simply says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image…” In Moses, it reads, “And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so.” So, there is some specificity in that it is the Father and the Son who took part in the formation of man and woman. As we learn in the temple, God and Jesus formed man and woman.

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: 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.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Man was meant to preside over this earth. We have dominion over the plants and animals.

The word "replenish" has been confusing to me. In our modern language, it suggests that the world used to be filled with people and needed to be replenished. That's not what that word means in Hebrew or King James English.

Meaning:

• To fill

• To make full

• To occupy

• To complete

This word never means “refill.” If the text meant refill, Hebrew has other words for that — and they were not used here.

So linguistically:

• Hebrew → fill

• Early English → fill abundantly

• Modern English → refill (this meaning came later)

God wanted us to make the world complete and fulfill the meaning of its creation. It was created to house the spirit children of Heavenly Parents. We are all working to complete that purpose.

Also, God doesn’t mention the idea of eating the animals. I think it was set up originally that men and women should use “fruit of a tree yielding seed/green herb for meat.” I love eating meat so I won’t think about this too much.

Final Thoughts:

The creation story is very important for us to know. We have three versions of it. There’s not a lot of other examples of such repetition in the scriptures. We also watch the creation story in the endowment ceremony. Why is understanding the creation story so important? We must understand:

• What God has done for us. How much love and appreciation would we feel for God if we didn’t know all of the work he has done for us?

• Our place in the plan of salvation. We aren’t just random creations. We are different than plants and animals. We were meant to have dominion over them. We are in the image of God and that let’s us know our destiny and divine potential.

• The need for Christ and his atonement. Understanding the fall is the foundation for understanding our need for Christ. Adam and Eve were unable to return to the presence of God. They were fallen people in a fallen world and would need the help of a third party.

This mindset puts us in a position to WANT to accept and keep covenants with God. If we didn’t know what God has done, our place in the plan of salvation, and the need for Christ, why would we be motivated to make and keep covenants?? Truth is, we wouldn’t. It is why we are reminded of all of this before we are asked to make the five covenants found in the temple.

I think it’s also safe to assume that Moses and Abraham were taught this in preparation for setting up their own temple ceremony. I think to cover this first in Genesis wasn’t because it was chronologically what had happened to our earth. I think, as I said, it is what gives us the perspective about our purpose and the plan of salvation. We are a part of a grand plan. I am one of eight billion people on the earth but this entire planet was created for me to progress. No one is forcing God and Jesus to do this. There could be another existence for them that doesn’t involve so much selflessness and work. I am forever grateful that they were willing to do what they have done and continue to do. It makes me want to draw closer to them and do what they want me to do. I love them.