Both James Jordan and Alistair Roberts have made a case that the literary structures of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 mirror one another.[1] As evidenced in Genesis 1:1–2:3, creation took place over the course of seven days—six days of work, one day of rest. Equally, Genesis 2:4–25 follows a similar pattern, as observed below, as does Genesis 3, which Jordan develops in his book Trees and Thorns: Studies in the First Four Chapters of Genesis.
If this reading is correct, then the first three chapters of Genesis give us three parallel events—three weeks that speak of the same creation week. To put it in temple terms, Genesis 1 gives us the creation of the macro-temple, the cosmos; Genesis 2 gives us the formation of the micro-temple, the garden; and Genesis 3 gives us the defilement of the garden which leads to the de-creation of the cosmos, what I might call the massacred-temple.
If this approach is correct, then it not only stresses the seven day pattern of creation, with each chapter following the same basic pattern (see below). But it also situates the first three chapters as following.
- Genesis 1 outlines the full, seven-day creation week (Gen. 1:1–2:3),
- Genesis 2 returns to Day 6 to detail how God created man at the beginning of the day and woman at the end of the day (Gen. 2:4–22),
- Genesis 2:23–25 develops the glory of God’s good creation, as the woman comes to the man when he awakes on Day 7. But it continues to watch that glory turn to shame, as the rest of Day 7 follows the tragic sin of humanity to believe the serpent, eat the fruit, and rebel against God. As a result, man’s first disobedience results in him being cut off from the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:1–24; cf. Rom. 5:12, 18–19).[2]
Following Jordan and Roberts, therefore, I offer the following seven day outline of Genesis 1–3. Let me know what you think and how it might be improved. At the end, I’ll share why reading these chapters in this way matters.
Genesis 1–3: Three Chapters, Three Seven-Day Weeks
| Days | The Macro-Temple(Genesis 1:1–2:3) | The Micro-Temple(Genesis 2:4–25) | The Massacred-Temple(Genesis 3:1–25) |
| DayDay’s Theme | Opening Statement: In the beginning . . .(1:1)God created [bara] the heavens and the earth. | Opening Statement: In the generations . . .(2:4)God created [bara] the heavens and the earth. | Opening Statement: They were naked and unashamed . . . (2:25) |
| 1Light | 1:2–5. God made the light.
The world was dark, formless, void, with the Spirit in position waiting for the command to create (1:2). God spoke and created light, calling the light Day and the darkness Night (1:3–5).
|
2:5–7. God made the light bearer.
The world was formless and void (“no bush . . . no shrub,” 2:5), water was over the face of the earth (2:6), and by extension the world was dark , so . . |
3:1–7. Man seeks light, but is darkened in understanding.[3]
Light becomes darkness. 1 Nakedness (2:25) 2 Crafty (naked) Serpent Arrives (3:1a)[4] 3 Serpent asks about eating (3:1b) 4 Woman speaks of death (3:2–3) 3 Serpent promises eating (3:4–5) 2 Serpent’s Words Accepted (3:6) 1 Shameful nakedness (3:7a) |
| 2HeavenlySeparation | 1:6–8. God made the heavens. [Holy Place]
God separated the heavens from the earth and called that expanse ‘heaven/s’ (1:6–8).The heavens are the place that angels would ascend and descend, serving as ministers of fire. |
2:8. God made heaven on earth. [Holy Place]
God created the garden of Eden, setting it apart (separating it) from the rest of creation and patterning it after the temple in heaven. (2:8a) This is the place where God put the man (2:8b) |
3:7b–10, Man makes clothes to hide from God and pursues his own separation.[5]
The clothes separate man from God. 1 Naked and Made clothes (3:7b) 2 Sound of God (3:8a) 3 Adam and Eve flee (3:8b) 4 God speaks (3:9) 3 Where are you? (3:10) 2 Sound of God (3:10a) 1 Naked and Hid (3:10b) |
Both heaven/s and the Garden function as the holy place, not the holy of holies.·
|
|||
| 3a
Earthly Separation 3b Trees |
1:9–13. God made the land and sea, and he planted trees according to the their kind.
Day 3 has two actions. First, God formed the land and sea (1:9–10). Second, God caused trees to grow (1:11–13). |
2:9–14. God planted trees (in the Garden) and poured out waters from heaven onto the earth.
God separated the Garden from the surrounding waters.God planted trees of various kinds, including two ‘sacramental’ trees—a tree of life and a tree of knowledge (2:9) The waters then flow down from Eden, through the Garden, and into the four corners of the earth. (2:10–14) |
3:11. God accuses them of eating from the tree; thus he reveals their condition.
Adam and Eve are not oaks of righteousness.And so, he questions their actions. Later, God will declare Jesus is his true Son (Matt. 3:17) and in glory, he will declare his children true servants (Matt. 25:21). But here, the question hangs in the air as a declaration that Adam and Eve are not (yet) true children.
|
| 4
Rulers |
1:14–19. The rulers of day and night are created and set in the heavens (the holy place).
Sun and moon are not mentioned. Instead, the stress is on the ruling authority of the greater and lesser lights. N.B. God has fixed day and night with two rulers (Jer. 31:35–37). The rulers of day and night mirror the covenantal ruler of the garden. |
2:15–17. The ruler of the earth is set in his heavenly place of service (the holy place). The man is created to be a priest in the garden.
God makes a covenant with him to be shared with his wife. |
3:12–13. Failing to sacrifice himself, Adam shows he is unfit to rule. The son blames the father and the wife; the wife blames the husband.
Instead of this is my son in whom I am well-pleased. The son blames the father.
|
| 5
Flying and Swimming Beasts |
1:20–23. The birds of the heavens and the creatures of the sea are formed.
The birds in the sky resemble angels; the fish in the sea, including the Tannin, resemble the devil. |
2:16–17. God warns of the coming serpent.
The Garden must be protected from unclean creatures. |
3:14–15. God curses the serpent.
Instead of playing in the waters, the waters will be used to destroy the serpent. Instead of the birds rising into the heavens, the angels will thrown down.
|
| 6a
The formation of land animals. 6b Mankind and marriage |
1:24–31. The lands animals are formed and then the man made in God’s image.
Like Day 3, there are two steps.The creation of beasts (1:24–25) and then the creation of mankind (1:26–31). On day six, the man is created with the woman. |
2:18–24. The man names the animals and receives his wife.
The beasts of the earth are brought the man, where he will give them names. The creation of the woman comes from the man.
The day ends when the man is put to sleep. He awakes on Day 7 to behold his glory (1 Cor. 11:7). So technically, the woman is created on Day 6, but she is not received until Day 7. |
3:16–19. God adds pain to the fruitfulness of woman and man.
Instead of being fruitful and multiplying, the woman will have pain in her labor.Instead of having dominion over the earth, the man will have pain in his labor. The earth is cursed, making difficult the original commands.
|
| 7
Rest/ Glory/ Grace |
2:1–3. God’s Rest.
God enjoys the world that he has made and he is ready to share it with the Son of God and his bride. |
2:25. Man’s Glory.
The man rejoices in the creation of the woman, and a covenant is begun.Only, as soon as the covenant is pronounced, sin enters the garden. |
3:20–24. In place of glory, God gives us grace.
Cut off from Sabbath rest (glory and life), they are given grace in the fallen world.They are not able to serve in the presence of God, they can only rule in the earth. |
In the end, the reason why these outline matters is twofold.
First, it helps train our eyes to see what is happening in these opening chapters. It unifies them and shows what God created, how he created it, and what went wrong. Even more, the seven-day structure identifies creation with God’s temple building project, which is more than a literary feature of Genesis 1–3. The world really is the macro-temple of God and within this world, he is looking to bring his glory from micro-garden, i.e., Christ and his church, into the universe. In this way, the Second Adam dies and rises again with his bride to bring his children into the world.
For those with eyes to see the work of Christ is patterned after the creation week. John picks this up in his gospel and it helps us to understand the work of redemption as a true and lasting new creation, which is the second thing to consider from seeing Genesis 1–3 as three repeated weeks.
Second, discovering a pattern of redemption in the creation week, or better discovering the pattern of new creation in redemption, helps us to understand what God is doing in Christ. As I noted in my sermon series on Genesis 1, the first week of creation actually provides an ordo salutis. Or again, to get the order correct, redemption follows the order of salvation. I will not address that all here, but here’s what it might look like, as applied to the life of Christ and the life of the church.
From Creation to New Creation: A Seven Day Pattern
| Creation | Christ | Church | |
| Day 1 | Light Created
Day + Night |
Light of the World
Incarnation |
Light creates life
Regeneration 2 Corinthians 4:4–6, which cites Genesis 1:3
|
| Day 2 | Heaven + Earth
This day is not called ‘good’ It waits for Day 3, which is called good twice. |
The man from heaven walks on the earth (Life)Separation of his Body (Death)
A Seed from Heaven is Sown Into the Ground |
Separation of Heaven + Earth
Church is in Heaven + Earth Bodies are in Heaven + Earth Intermediate State |
| Day 3 | Land and Sea
Plants Raised from the Earth |
Raising the Firstfruits of the Harvest
Resurrection on the 3rd Day
|
Raising the Harvest
Resurrection |
| Day 4 | Placing Rulers in the Heavens | Placing the Ruler in Heavenly Places
Ascension
Psalm 110; Revelation 1 |
Placing the Rulers in Heavenly PlacesGlorification—given the right to judge
Romans 8:31; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 15:44–49 |
| Day 5 | Creation of Birds and Fish
Leviathan is Created |
Judgment of Satan
Isaiah 27:1 |
Judgment of Angels
1 Corinthians 6:3 |
| Day 6 | Creation of Land Animals
Creation of Man and Woman puts in place a mystery |
Judgment of the Beasts (goats, wolves; unbelieving seed of serpent)
Marriage Union of Saints
Revelation 19:1–6
|
Separation from the beasts
Marriage Union of Saints Revelation 19:1–6
|
| Day 7 | Sabbath Rest | New Creation
Sabbath Rest Eternal State |
New Creation
Sabbath Rest Eternal State |
That’s enough for now. What do you think? Is this approach to reading Genesis 1–3 plausible? Probable?
I’d love to hear your insights and how best to understand God’s plan of creation, which from the beginning was anticipating and preparing for his new creation.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
Photo by Jakub Novacek on Pexels.com
_________________
[1] James Jordan, Trees and Thorns; Alistair Roberts, The Music and Meaning of Male and Female.
[2] The timing of Days 6 and 7 are due to literary considerations. The first is the seven-day pattern of each chapter. The second consideration is the way that Day 6, which includes the formation of man from woman (Gen. 1:26–28), transitions from night to day in the sleep of Adam (2:22). Thus, the woman was formed on Day 6, but the introduction of the woman to the man would be in the morning of Day 7 (Gen. 2:23). The third consideration is that Genesis 2:23–3:24 has no other time stamps, suggesting that a careful reading of the text, which includes the sleep-wake motif of Genesis 2:22–23, results in Day 6 turning to Day 7 for the events of Genesis 3. The fourth consideration, and this held with open hands, is that Genesis 3 records the way that man and woman are deceived before they enjoy the fruit of their union. Put together, these four textual observations lend support to seeing Genesis 3 as Day 7.
While we can conjecture that the events of Genesis 3 happened at sometime early on in the lives of Adam and Eve, there is good textual evidence for placing Genesis 3 on Day 7. Even more, if Adam was created on Day 6 in the Garden, which was placed between Eden (i.e., the top of God’s Mountain) and the land split by the four rivers, then it seems that he failed to obey his only command on the first day, thus preventing him from eating of the tree of life. Canonically (or theologically), it makes sense that if the Tree of Life is what Adam would be offered if he obey at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, then it appears he lost the chance to eat of that living tree after his first disobedience.
[3] Jordan, 200, 209.
[4] The word for naked (Gen. 2:25) is arum and the word for crafty (Gen. 3:1) is arummim.
[5] Jordan, 191, 199.
Via Emmaus 
Pingback: The Test of Wisdom: Which Path Will You Take? | Via Emmaus
Pingback: The First Day of the Lord (pt. 1): Seven Reasons Genesis 3 Occurred on the Seventh Day | Via Emmaus