Day-by-Day Chronological Reading Plan, a 7-Day IntroductionEsimerkki

With this foundational scene, the plot is set in motion. We observe truths about God, our world, and humanity that are essential for understanding the overall story. First, God is the sovereign Creator of everything. There is no speculation on where God comes from or how He became powerful. He simply is.

Second, our world is created good; moreover, the world is not God. The universe depends on Him.

Third, humans—male and female alike—are made in God’s image. We are not the random result of time and chance. Thus, God holds human beings in high regard and we are accountable to Him.

Notice ways the days of creation relate to each other: day 1 to day 4, day 2 to day 5, and day 3 to day 6. Days 1, 2, and 3 tell of God’s creation of settings to be inhabited, while days 4, 5, and 6 introduce the characters that inhabit those settings. God built both beauty and order into His creation. There was also a progression in creation, a process climaxing in the creation of human beings. According to Genesis 2:2-3, God rested on the seventh day, blessed that day, and declared it holy. In declaring one day of the week special, God built order and rhythm into the weekly human routine.

• Identify the order and rhythm of rest in your weekly patterns. 
• In Genesis 2 the author took one aspect of the creation account in Genesis 1—the creation of man and woman—and expanded on it. When you read narrative passages in Scripture, remember that God is the hero of the story.
• How is God the hero in Genesis 2?
• What does the passage say about the nature and beauty of marriage as God designed it?