In Genesis 1:1 begins with the famous verse: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” But what does it mean that God created “the heavens and the earth?” What is the "scope" of God's creative efforts? I have always interpreted this phrase quite literally to mean the "sky" and the "planet Earth". In the book Creation and Change, Dr. Kelly points out the significance of this phrase by quoting Hebraist John Currid:The Hebrews had no single word to describe the universe. When they wanted to express the concept of all reality they spoke in terms of ‘the heavens and the earth’ (hassamayim we’et ha’ares). So, when Melchizedek blessed Abram in the name of the Sovereign God of the universe, he said, “Blessed be Abram of El Elyon, possessor of heavens and earth; (Gen. 14:19). The expression ‘the heavens and earth’ is a figure of speech called a merism, in which two opposites are all-inclusive. Thus, when Melchizedek commented that God owned heaven and earth, he meant not only the places of heaven and earth, but also everything in them and on them. As well, when the Genesis writer stated that God created the heavens and the earth, he meant that God fashioned the entire universe.
I thought that was a really awesome point! In the very first sentence of the Bible, we are informed that God made everything! BANG!
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