God created and lit “the dome”
Daily Scripture
Genesis 1:6-8, 14-19
6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters to separate the waters from each other.” 7 God made the dome and separated the waters under the dome from the waters above the dome. And it happened in that way. 8 God named the dome Sky. There was evening and there was morning: the second day.
14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will mark events, sacred seasons, days, and years. 15 They will be lights in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth.” And that’s what happened. 16 God made the stars and two great lights: the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. 19 There was evening and there was morning: the fourth day.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“The inspired author(s) of the primeval prologue drew on the manner of speaking about origins that was part of their culture and literary traditions. [Genesis] 1 needs to be read in light of creation accounts from Mesopotamia.” * Note, e.g., that they saw the sky as a dome with waters above and below it. Later Genesis 7:11 said it rained because “all the springs of the deep sea erupted, and the windows in the skies opened.” Genesis echoed pre-scientific ideas but taught timeless spiritual truths.
- Ancient Mesopotamian cultures like Babylon’s pictured rival “gods” fighting violently, with earth created from the crushed body of the dead loser. Genesis 1’s poetic writing (likely used in Hebrew worship at times) was a striking contrast. Dr. Stuart Briscoe wrote that while Genesis 1 “raises many unanswered questions about how [God] created, it provides many answers to questions about who did the creating.” ** How did Genesis 1 assert the goodness of Israel’s creator God?
- Have you ever been told (by teachers, parents, friends or general voices in our culture) that faith and science are “opposites”? Have you felt (or do you feel) the need to choose one over the other? Genesis made vital spiritual claims (e.g, that humans were made in God’s image). Is there any way the scientific method could prove or disprove claims like this? Could it be that the idea that the two are incompatible is due to confusing the function and limits of science, faith or both?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give me faith to know that God is the creator of all that is, while at the same time helping me to honor the integrity of true science. Thank you for the amazing universe you created that includes my world. Amen.
GPS Insights
Gabby Delpleash
Gabby Delpleash serves Resurrection as a returning summer intern within the Worship Experience ministry, where her spiritual gifts are used to organize resources for the work of Christ. Gabby will be a sophomore at Creighton University as a College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Fellow where she is pursuing a major in Biochemistry with a double minor in Biology and Music on the pre-medicine track. When Gabby’s not serving or studying, she can be found anywhere outside on a long run, obsessing over books from her favorite authors or getting way too competitive in a game of Pickleball.
I’ve taken up a rather interesting hobby of listening to the full discography of my favorite rock bands and ranking all their songs from best to worst per self-devised criteria. Recently I moved to Lynyrd Skynyrd, a band whose sound reverberates like the sweet nostalgia of past summers. If you have the slightest knowledge of Skynyrd’s notable works, you can guess which song I have at the number one spot: “Free Bird.”
Now I hope you’re asking, “What does Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” have to do with God’s creation of the cosmos?” Oh, ‘Free Bird.’ The ballad first elevated my appreciation for rock with its soaring double-tracked guitar and poignant lyrics, capturing my heart (and my “Run Like a Girl’” playlist) with its timeless sense of freedom. To seek the answer to my question above, we must look to lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins.
“Free Bird” speaks to the desire to break free from constraints, to find one’s place and destiny. God’s creation of “a dome,” the sky, to separate the waters and bring structure and clarity in Genesis 1:6-8 represents a separation and liberation from chaos, much like Van Zant’s sung yearning for freedom and the quest for purpose. The lyrics, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” evoke a longing to be remembered for one’s true essence, reflecting God’s transformative act in Genesis of creating a new, ordered reality in the sky.
God then adds stars to the sky in Genesis 1:14-19 to distinguish day from night. He created the stars to guide and govern his children, offering a sense of direction and purpose. “Free Bird” mirrors this “guiding light” through its narrative of seeking freedom and the healing journey towards self-realization. Collins’ powerful guitar solo at the lyrical conclusion of the song, is a metaphor for the stars in the sky, providing direction and illuminating the path forward as the song fades out.
Just as God’s creation of the sky and stars brought order and beauty to our world, “Free Bird” encapsulates the pursuit of freedom to experience God’s creation, much like that of a bird. The song, with its extensive sound that continues beyond the graves of Collins and Van Zant, can be likened to the vastness of the sky, endless and full of possibilities. Both today’s Scripture and the song celebrate the act of creation—whether it’s the creation of the world or the creation of one’s destiny. They remind us that within the structure and order of life, there is always room for the boundless spirit of freedom to fly across God’s magnificent dome “as free as a bird.”
For readers unfamiliar with “Free Bird,” you can listen to the song here.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* La Sor, W. S., Hubbard, D. A., & Bush, F. W. Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996, p. 19.
** D. Stuart Briscoe, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 1: Genesis. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1987, p. 25.
