Bible Study Genesis Part 20-All the Hosts of Them

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished.” If you take Genesis 2:1 at face value, it forces a hard question: are we willing to trust what God says about creation, or do we feel pressure to reshape Scripture to match the modern story of never ending change?

We pick up right after completing Genesis 1 and lay down a key principle for any serious Bible study: nothing in God’s Word is random. God gives information with purpose. That is why the Bible can be nearly silent about things people obsess over, like detailed descriptions of heaven or long explanations of angels. Scripture is written for humans, on earth, and it aims at what we need most: knowing God, understanding His plan, and facing the decision to believe or reject what He has said.

From there we talk about God’s simplicity and clarity, and why the world often hates that. God’s plan is not buried in mystery. We were made in His image to glorify Him, to portray the truth about Him in the world. Then we shift into Genesis 2:1 and the meaning of “finished,” including the Hebrew sense of completion, and why that finality clashes with the assumptions behind theistic evolution and Darwinian evolution. We also unpack “host” as an “army”, an image that portrays creation as obedient under a Commander, raising the personal challenge of whether we will march in step with what God has said.

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Transcript

Welcome And Why Scripture Matters

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Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel. God's Word is supreme at Chapel Ministries. We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God. We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day. The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold. And we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture. Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible. It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision. Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us. It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word. We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death. In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death. Never treat what God has said lightly. There's truly nothing more important to you. Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

Genesis 1 Sets The Rules

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Well, we made it through our first chapter of Genesis. It was very exciting. I'll mention that again in just a second, but we are going to continue all the way through. There are 50-something chapters in Genesis. It's going to be a lot of work, but I don't think it's going to be as much work as we've had heretofore, because pretty soon we're going to be dealing with far more recent history. If you remember at the beginning, we talked about the difference between the first 11 chapters of Genesis as opposed to the last, whatever number there is. The first 11 chapters are a certain number of years, several thousand years, perhaps billions of years, and then the rest isn't nearly as long because the story starts to take focus. So it will be a lot easier, I think, for us to get through those later chapters in a little bit more of an easier time because, as I said, a lot of it is more contemporary to us. Right now, we're going all the way back to the beginning of time. So let's go ahead and get started for tonight. As I said, chapter one is now behind us. I think it was a fantastic learning journey, and I hope that you feel that way too. The very first chapter, that very first chapter, like the first of anything, anything of value, I suppose, set an important standard. We must get this one thing through our heads if our travels through scripture are going to bear fruit. And that's why we're here. And this is it.

The Bible Is For Humans

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Nothing that is in God's word is random. Everything he's put down in his book is there for a reason. In fact, it's there for a very specific reason. And chapter one of Genesis introduced that concept to us in very strong terms. Genesis 1 demonstrated how God is going to handle information flow throughout the rest of the Bible. Everything that God is talking about here in Scripture is necessary, necessary for us, for mankind to learn. That fundamental truth was established in Genesis chapter one. It's there that we've become aware of that crucial notion. God has taken the time to share things that we as human beings need to know about Him. If you're a human being, you need to know Scripture. It is of the utmost, and if ever that word had relevance, it does here. The word of God is of the utmost importance to mankind. The Bible is meaningless to my backyard birds. It has no value for them, it has no relevance to them. The Bible is meaningless to my sweet lab gypsy. She's wonderful, but God is not speaking to her here. Some may think all dogs go to heaven, but there's not a word of that in Scripture. And I know some of you get real upset at me when I say that. Listen, I'm not saying God sends all dogs to hell. I'm just saying we're not told where they will go. Not in the Bible, anyhow. Maybe there's a Bible for dogs out there somewhere that they're supposed to be familiar with. Don't know. But if there is, it's for them exclusively, just like the Bible is for humans exclusively. If someday aliens invaded the earth, it would be a waste of time for us to try and evangelize them through scripture. It would have no effect on them because it wasn't meant to. You see, God in the Bible is sharing his plans for us. Though we know there are countless numbers of angels, there's almost no mention of them in the Bible. Do you realize that? Listen, I know in modern Christianity there's a very active cult around the belief in angels, but the Bible is nearly silent about them. Why? Because the Bible isn't about them nor for them. It's about humans and for humans. If I was teaching you how to play football, you can be certain that the name Ty Cobb would never come up, nor would Babe Ruth, nor Lou Gehrig. Those men certainly existed, and they are important and famous sports figures. Everyone knows who they are, but they have nothing to do with what I'm trying to tell you. So I won't bother bringing them up. It wouldn't make sense and it wouldn't help me in my mission.

The Gaps Are Not Mistakes

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Did you know that the Bible tells us almost nothing about heaven? Yes, it's mentioned a few times. That's how we know it exists, but we don't know anything about it. God hardly says a thing about it, and that's where his throne is. He manages the entire universe from there, and one of those days we'll be right there with him. But we don't know what the place is like because God didn't give us any means to find those details out. Why? Because at the moment, heaven has nothing to do with us. We live on earth. God made this earth to be our home for now. So telling us about his home would not aid us in discovering his plan for us here. Mentioning in detail what heaven is like would be a waste of time. And I hope you're convinced by now that God never wastes time. If you can get this concept through your head, the Bible is a much clearer book. There are things in here that we have to know, and there aren't things in here that we don't need to know. So stop asking questions about the gaps in the information. You don't need to know them. God is kind and merciful and fills in some of those gaps. But for now and for the plan he's given us, they're not there because we don't need to know them. Chapter one of Genesis should have, in part, persuaded us by what was there and what wasn't there, that God's entire purpose for giving us scripture is to share with us his plans for us.

God’s Simple Aim For Us

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And to be honest, those plans, those plans are really not that complicated. In fact, nothing about God is complicated. Just yet another place where God differs wildly from mankind. In fact, this is where he turns off most of the world. This is one of God's least desirable qualities to the non-believing world. For some reason, our society reveres complex human personalities. Most of the time, the talented and famous have this one thing in common. They're complex. Now, I admit it's probably what makes them good at what they do. So many of our most famous kings and generals and writers and poets and actors and adventurers and scientists all seem to have this complicated approach to life. And for some reason, the world likes that about them. But you know, that's also what makes them unpredictable and sometimes cruel and very often narcissistic, prone to anger and depression, and not to mention susceptible to the world's many sedatives. And you know, it seems complicated personalities are exclusive to the human mind. You're not going to find that in nature, and you're certainly not going to find it in God. What we know of God's personality is straightforward and simple. And some people think that's an insult. Some people think I'm insulting God by saying that. And the world hates him for that. They hate him for being non-complicated. With God, there's no middle ground, no gray areas to hide in. You know where you sit with God. He is what he is, and he says what he says. Therefore, his plans are straightforward. His plans are simple and wonderful. And in case you missed it, his plan is that we glorify him. It's that simple. That is why he made us in his image and then told us to be fruitful and multiply. God wanted his people, his image to be spread throughout creation. He made us in his image, and then he said, Now go multiply and multiply my image throughout the world so the world can see my image. And I say, And beyond, the world and beyond. I have no proof of that, but that's what I say. Now remember, the biblical definition of glorify means to portray the truth about whatever we're glorifying. It's often described as shining a light, and any light you shine on God reflects a dazzling image of his greatness. It was the objective of the human race to put on display the majesty and wonder of God Almighty. We were to glorify God. Mankind failed at that first attempt, but I'm going to tell you, God will not be defeated. And that is what the Bible is telling us. And Genesis is just the beginning of that long story, but you already knew that. It's right there in the name. Remember that? Way back when we started, we said that the book of Genesis was originally called Baresheth. Remember that? Baresheth is Hebrew for in the beginning. Now, that of course comes from the first three words of the book. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. The book of Genesis, Beresheth, is the beginning of God's story. And all the time we took to get to know the first chapter of the first book of the Bible is going to pay dividends. Lots of firsts in this chapter. First time God speaks, right? This is a book of firsts. First time God speaks, first time we see the word life, first time we see God blessing, etc. What a wonderful chapter. Am I right? But can I say it again? Doesn't it feel like there was so much left out? But at the very least, we can see that through what he did tell us, that there's a pattern emerging. We get the impression by the obvious gaps and information that this discussion is leading somewhere very specific. But of course, you know how this story ends up, which only makes this even more amazing. Starting to see through what God has shared, and perhaps even more so through what He hasn't shared, that there's a purpose in mind. Now, generally speaking, I think we also learn that although most of us have heard a lesson or two on creation, that perhaps it wasn't presented to us in as much thought-provoking detail as it deserves. At the very least, I hope our in-depth look at the first chapter of Genesis has convinced you that God's creative process is far more marvelous than you heretofore gave it credit for being. Okay.

“Finished” Versus Evolution

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So that was the first chapter. Sure was a lot going on there. Strap yourselves in because you ain't seen nothing yet. Chapter two is even more amazing. Who said the Old Testament was boring? Probably those people that were sitting in the same church with me that knew nothing about it. So chapter two, verse one. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Now see the word finished that clearly states that God's creative process is now closed. That is very important for modern believers to understand. I hear lots of so-called Christians attempt to reconcile evolution with scripture. One such approach is often referred to as theistic evolution. You can tell from the title that this refers to a theory of God-centered or God-directed evolution. The word theistic is derived from the noun theos. Theos is the Greek word for God. And what I think is out of some fear of being labeled irrelevant by the outside world that embraces various forms of scientific, nonsensical yet fashionable explanations, there are even some within the church that try and tell us that the Bible teaches evolution as plainly as Darwin's origin of species. That God Himself actually set evolution in motion, and science is just now discovering that truth. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. And just in case one might doubt as to what God was including under the heading of finished, he clarifies: thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. We'll talk more about that a little later. Now, one of the most important tenets of evolutionary theory is the assumption that creation is not yet finished. We are told by scientists who attest to such things that all life is locked in a never-ending, or at least far from ending, process of changing and improving. All lesser biological functions are bound to evolve into something more efficient and, well, I guess better. Evolutionists claim that life continuously improves, improvement upon improvement, to the point that something becomes so improved, it actually becomes something else. One species leads to another newer and presumably more improved version of the one that gave rise to it. In fact, if one lets one's imagination wander over the whole of Darwinism, then one cannot but question whether creation will ever end. Well, to believe in evolution, one cannot believe in God because God says the heavens and the earth were finished, past tense, and all the host of them. Now, listen, I know some time back I said I'd keep my comments about evolution to a minimum as we went through these first couple of chapters, and I meant it, and I will stick to that. But I want to quickly cover chapter two, verse one. And to do so, I have to point out the definite, unmistakable finality that it communicates to us. And finality and evolution are in direct conflict with one another. Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. God says he finished creation. That's important for us to understand. Listen to me. If we're going to grasp, if we're going to be able to grasp the importance of the next two verses and not just the literal meaning of those two verses, but also the much more important spiritual meaning that they communicate. So we cannot move on until we've tried our best to cement this idea of finished in our minds. Because if you believe in evolution, then the rest of the Bible will make no sense to you whatsoever. At the very least, you're going to miss the entire point. Once again, John, you're being a little dramatic. Listen, you will not be able to trust God if you believe in evolution, because evolution and the Bible make completely opposite statements. If you believe the scientists, then you cannot believe God. And I'm going to show that to you so you don't waste any more of your time on what he says in his word, if it's not going to fit your beliefs about creation, because it all starts right here. I've told you this already a few times. If you cannot believe Genesis chapter 1 and 2, forget it, close the book. This is the foundation of the gospel of Christ. And I'm going to show that to you. Now, this isn't going to take that long. There's not much to talk about because it's as straightforward as just about anything you'll ever hear. We already said that's just the way God is. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

The Hebrew Word For Complete

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The Hebrew word that gets translated finished here is. Is used in verse 2. Sorry, I thought I thought I was getting to the Hebrew word, not there yet. I was reading Catherine's notes before I was reading my own notes. So the same word used here for finished is also found in verse two that's translated ended. I'm pointing over there because I have a TV that has my screen, has all Catherine's notes on it and my my face. Look at that. Verse one says finished, verse two says ended. It's actually the same Hebrew word, and that's a good thing. The translators use two very expressive English words so that we get the impression that nothing else will be created following whatever point in time is represented in verse one. There will be, listen to me, there will be no more work with respect to creation. No more work. Work is over. The word that gets translated finished is kah law. I knew I'd get there. And it is a primitive root word. So there's little chance of misinterpreting the meaning. It's a solid word that simply means complete. In fact, lest you doubt my skills, which is probably a good idea, let me read from a trusted academic source. The venerable authority on the Hebrew language, the theological workbook of the Old Testament states that call law means to bring a process to completion. Trust me, you don't very often get such a clear-cut definition of an ancient word. Call law means a process has been brought to completion. What process would that be, John? Creation. The creation of the heavens and the earth were call law. They were completed. The message? The creative process has ended. No way around that one. A statement that is a complete contradiction to the prevailing mindset of mankind. Science has such a grip on us that this just doesn't seem logical. And yet it's unquestionable in God's word. Few things are more clear than this for a very good reason. There's more, though. Let's take a look at the last few words of verse one. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. You know, part of me believes that God included this statement to completely confound the foolishness of Darwinists far in advance of their arrival. But maybe that's me giving them more credit in God's mind than God does, but you never know. The original statement gives us the impression that everything that is to be created has been created. Yes, I know I'm repeating myself. We've already said that. Now,

Creation As God’s Obedient Host

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the other impression the original Hebrew leaves us with is similarly incredible. You see that word host there, because I know you have your Bibles in front of you. It's the same word that gets used to signify literally armies. For example, Exodus 6.26. These, it's referring to the tribes of the sons of Jacob that were mentioned in the previous verses in chapter six, these, the tribes of the sons of Jacob, are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. Numbers 10, 18, and the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies, and over his host. By the way, same Hebrew word. We have armies here twice, but this time the translators used the word host, just like they did in Genesis 2, 1. Let's start over. And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies, over and over his armies or hosts was Elitzor, the son of Shadur. Psalm 68, 12, kings of armies did flee apace, and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Now, the reason why it's important for you to know that this word invokes this idea of armies is because it's demonstrating to us God's relationship to his creation. Now, I'm sure I've said this to you before, but mankind is the only creature that dares to rebel against its commander and maker. I should probably throw the devil in there. Mankind and the devil, you see what kind of company we're in? We're the only ones that rebel. Everything else, everything else God made does exactly what he tells it to do. Everything else God made respects the boundaries of its created purpose. We humans can't even really grasp that truth, though we rely on it every moment of our lives. This is what I mean. If even one other of God's created things were as rebellious as we are, then this earth would immediately become uninhabitable. Think about it. Imagine if the sun decided it was not going to send its warmth toward us. I mean, it's ridiculous to think about it, but let's give it a shot. If the sun decided in the next few minutes that it's going to disobey God and withhold even a little bit of the energy it's commanded to send our way, we'd all perish in a blink. If old Saul up there decided to check out for a little self-care, a little me time, that'd be it for us. Maybe the sun wakes up one day questioning whether it was a sun at all, and that it should be a moon instead, and decided it was going to transition from sun to moon so it can live out its life as it feels it should have been all along. Doesn't that sound ridiculous? Well, thank God that won't happen. Thank God the sun is incapable of human foolishness and human self-centeredness. Thank God the sun obeys its commander like a good soldier and does what it's been created to do. What if all the trees got together and said, you know, God is too demanding on us? We shouldn't have to always convert everybody's carbon dioxide to oxygen. I mean, what do we get out of it? God is being totally unreasonable. Not only would all of us die, but all those stupid rebellious trees would die too, because without us air breathers producing CO2, we when we exhale, they'd wither and die themselves. But I tell you what, that sure would teach God a lesson or two, wouldn't it? Of course, that's a silly story, right? It's utterly ridiculous to us. You know why? Because we've come to expect that trees simply do what they're supposed to do. Without question, they follow all of the protocols God instilled in them. We can be certain that all living things will do precisely what is expected of them, just like loyal soldiers in the army of God. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the armies of them, all the host of them, they are armies following orders.

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God said, Halt, and they did.

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The writer of the book of Genesis was inspired to use such language so that we, the readers, would realize that God's universe, outside of ourselves and the devil, God's universe is in perfect obedience to his commands as their captain or their general or admiral, whatever you think is the highest military rank. And that is the nail in the coffin of the theory of evolution. That's why I say you can't believe God in Darwin. You see, to evolutionary scientists, there is no directing force in nature. Nature goes along unguided. No one tells nature what to do but itself. It obeys no one. That is the entire crux of the argument for not only evolution, but all materialistic science. God's word says the exact opposite as expressed right here in Genesis 2.1. I don't need to prove that evolution is wrong to you. All I need to do is prove to you that God doesn't believe in evolution.

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Whether you get a convincing argument out of me or not doesn't matter.

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I'm not asking you to make an intellectual assent as to whether or not evolution makes sense. I'm telling you, you make the spiritual connection to the commander of the armies of God and march as he told you to.

Closing And How To Connect

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God's word is a great treasure, and it's our belief that a thorough, purposeful study of it will bring all of God's children to an understanding of his eternal plan of redemption. It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners. Please join us again soon. New content is being added all the time, so make sure you check back often. For more information on Chapel Ministries, including our YouTube channel and podcasts, please visit www.chapelontheweb.com. And if God has laid it upon your heart to share materially with us, we encourage you to follow the links to our secure giving page. Please note, Chapel Ministries is not an IRS registered nonprofit organization, and your donations to this program are not tax deductible. It's our hope that you do not rely on taxing authorities to decide for you who is worthy of your generosity.