The Dawn of Civilization (Genesis 1)

We can look back at the end of the Genesis account Creation Week and see all the pieces are in place for human civilization to flourish.  

How does this differ from the Dawn of Mankind?  It clearly is related, but the combination of elements is far more subtle and deserves special attention.  The text calls out specific attributes, which get the majority of focus.  

1.  Calendar

Creation Week is the beginning of a calendar.  It is not just a series of days, but an order to the days.  

A week

We can only live one moment, one day at a time.  It is the concept of a week that is the basic unit of time that gives order to our days.  The time interval of a week is created alongside the creation of the earth.

Months, seasons, and years

We extrapolate from one week to make a month or a year by simple multiplication.  Or, we can look to the lights in the heavens, created on Day Four (v. 14).  Verse Fourteen even states that marking “seasons and days and years” is a principal function of the lights of the heavens.

For instance, the word “month” is derived from the word “moon” because four weeks approximately equals one lunar cycle.  So, people could say “one moon” which meant “one month”, or 28 days, or 4 weeks.

A year represents the time required for the earth to pass around the sun.  The position of the sun in the sky or against the background stars changes as the year progresses.  This marks various seasons.  Once the sun returns to the original position, a year has passed.

2.  Navigation

This is related to the concept of a celestial calendar.  In short, if we know the time, then we can use the celestial bodies to determine direction or even location.  Everyone knows that the sun (and the moon) rises in the east and sets in the west, although the exact position of the arc changes with the seasons.  Likewise, people in the northern hemisphere can use the location of North Star to determine both the direction of north at night and also their latitude.

This use of the heavens allows people to travel without getting lost.

3.  Separation of lights and waters

This is a more subtle characteristic of Civilization specified in the Creation Week account.  In verse 3, God separates light from darkness.  Likewise, in verses 6-9, God separates water from the heavens and from the land.

Taken together, both light and water are relegated to their proper places.  Light and water have boundaries that they must obey.

Mankind, made in the image of God, is given the ability to harness and manipulate the boundaries of light and water.

The use of water enables important aspects of Civilization, including agriculture, domestication of animals,, plumbing and sewer systems, and digging wells to name a few.

Likewise, the harnessing of light enables Mankind’s use of fire, including candles, and electric lights.