What does Genesis 1:17 Mean?

Study Notes

heaven
i.e. the "heaven" of the stars; e.g. Genesis 15:5 ; Luke 23:43 .

Context Summary

There were successive stages in creation. The days probably represent long periods. It is so with the new creation in our hearts. See 2 Corinthians 5:17. In nature the clouds that float above us are separated from the waters at our feet so in Christian experience we must seek to quench our thirst not only from below, but from above. See Colossians 3:1-4. Our wells must be filled from Heaven. Notice how in creation there are repeated separations, as between Day and Night, Seas and Lands; so as we live in the Spirit, we are quicker to distinguish not only between white and black, but the different shades of gray. The test of plant-life is the power of reproducing their kind; we are always reproducing ourselves in others, and sowing wheat or poppies. If God maintains suns and planets in bright and ordered beauty, He can keep us, Isaiah 40:26-27. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 1

¹  God creates heaven and earth;
³  the light;
⁶  the firmament;
⁹  separates the dry land;
¹⁴  forms the sun, moon, and stars;
²⁰  fishes and fowls;
²⁴  cattle, wild beasts, and creeping things;
²⁶  creates man in his own image, blesses him;
²⁹  grants the fruits of the earth for food