Frank

As a progressive creationist (or older earth creationist, if you will, much like Hugh Ross, author of The Genesis Question and The Creator and the Cosmos), I see no problem with Cheryl’s “meshing” of Day six in Gen 1:24-31 with Gen 2:5-25, or with Gen 3:1-24, for that matter. (Note: I regard 2:4 as summary of the general historical account given in 1:1-2:3 and also as a transition to 2:5-25, which explicates what happened before God’s giving the “cultural mandate” to both Adam and Eve in Gen 1:28. And both 2:5-25 and 3:1-31 are connected to Gen 1:24-31 by the Hebrew word translated “Now” in 2:5 and 3:1, indicating these are further elaborations of Day Six.) Whether the total time involved in Day Six was 24 hrs or a year, I think, is of secondary importance. For my judgment is that when you put the two passages together, the sequence of events, at least chronologically, appear to be 1) God’s decision to make human beings, male and female, both in his image and set them up as co-regents and stewards of the garden placed under their rule and care; 2) He creates Adam, places him in the garden, where he begins his “scientific work” of naming the animals and tending the plants God placed there; 3) Going through this process, he recognizes, what God already knows and plans to rectify, that he is alone and incomplete; so God creates a female counterpart, whom he acknowleges as such by calling her isha, “woman”; 4) Shortly after this, God gives them both what theologians have called the “cultural mandate” in Gen 1:28; 5) some time after this, Satan invades the garden and tempts the human pair; and 6) they embrace the lie, are judged and then shown grace before being expelled from the garden. Perhaps some might disagree with my view about the length of the six creation days, which is fine. But I think we can at least agree that Day Six was long enough for all these events to take place sequentially and to be completed within that time period.