Engaging with Genesis 1:1–2:7

Have you ever wondered why God gave us five senses? Or have you ever wondered what life would be like without one of your senses? Which sense would you choose to live without if you had to choose one of them?

Thankfully, we don’t have to make that choice when it comes to engaging with God in the reading and studying of his Word. But, if we’re honest, we often choose to only use one or two “senses,” perhaps the strongest ones, to engage with God. That’s where the Abide Bible can assist us. Though I’ve referred to them as “senses,” we could also consider them spiritual disciplines, but then, who likes discipline?  The Abide Bible uses what they call “Scripture engagement practices” to engage Scripture and “aid in more productively interacting with God’s Word.”

This post will demonstrate these five engagement practices—Contemplate, Journal, Picture It, Praying Scripture, Engage Through Art—in reading Genesis 1:1–2:7.

Contemplate

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1–2

Read. Read the passage slowly. What about this portion of the creation narrative captures your attention: “In the beginning,” “God created,” “The earth was without form, and void,” or “The Spirit of God was hovering”? Repeat it silently to yourself.

Meditate. Try to imagine the nothingness that existed before the creation of the universe. Which characteristics of God do these verses reveal? How are these characteristics still visible today?

Pray. After you experience the wonder of the first two verses of His Word, ask God’s Spirit to speak to you. Then praise Him for His glorious creation of the heavens and the earth.

Contemplate. After praying, rest in God’s presence. If time allows, go for a walk in His creation, and breathe in the presence of your Creator.

Picture It

Read and Engage Genesis 1:3-25.

Prepare. Quiet yourself and ask God to prepare your heart and guide your imagination.

Picture. Imagine standing with God as He speaks creation into existence. How awed are you to see light for the first time? Describe the sun, moon, and stars. Watch as God makes birds, fish, reptiles, and animals to inhabit the earth. Which one is your favorite? Which day holds the most amazement for you, and why? How does God show He is pleased with His creation (v. 25)?

Pray. Ask God for the eyes to see the wonder of His creation, today and every day.

Engage Through Art

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26–27

Michelangelo painted The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is sixty-five feet above the floor. On the left, Adam reclines in a passive pose, his left hand extended toward his holy Maker. Surrounded by angels, God boldly reaches out to touch Adam. The Creator is pursuing Adam, His creation.

Read Genesis 1:26–27 and consider what it means to be made in the image of a relational God—One who is always reaching toward you.

Praying Scripture

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 1:26–31

Prayer

As you read this passage, thank God for making all men and women in His image. Meditate on what that means in relation to your worth and identity. Ask God to help you treat other people with the love and dignity He shows you.

Next, thank God for the blessings He gave to humanity (v. 28). God proclaimed that the material world He created was good (v. 31). Notice in these verses the specific ways God has provided for our well-being. Then thank God for all the ways He has blessed your life—perhaps make a list!

God also gave us an opportunity to participate in His purposes. In Genesis 1:28, we see a short list of responsibilities. Notice the verbs used in this verse. How can we fulfill these roles in our daily lives?

Journal

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:1–7

Prepare Your Heart.

Open yourself to God’s presence. Ask God to speak to you and to reveal Himself through His Word. Then read the passage.

Reflect and Write.

• What example did God’s rest set for humanity? How do you follow His example?
• How was the seventh day sanctified (see v. 3)? How did this become an Israelite tradition (see Ex. 20:8–11)?
• Why do you think it hadn’t rained yet (see v. 5)? How did God water the plants and ground (see v. 6)?
• How does the description in verse 7 differ from the account of the creation of people in chapter 1 (see Gen. 1:26–31)? Why might the accounts differ?

Engage Scripture with the Abide Bible

There are not many study Bibles that incorporate spiritual practices into the study notes. These practices will help you get more out of your Bible study and train you to interact productively with God’s Word. The Abide Bible also includes introductions to each book of the Bible and can be purchased with either the NKJV or NET translation.