Rather than getting bogged down in minute details, the author of Genesis focuses on telling its first readers how the world is meant to function and for what purpose. To paraphrase John Walton, the author of Genesis is telling us how God turned this house into a home. When we go to our friend’s house, we don’t really care about the brick, mortar, wood, electrical wiring, and so forth that were used in the construction (the “how” of the house). Instead, we are more interested in how the space is used and how it can facilitate relationship (the “why” of the house) (John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate [Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009]).

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