Proposition 5:
Days One to Three in Genesis 1 Establish Functions
Day One. In the ANE, light was not material, but a condition, just like darkness was. The author intends us to interpret light as a period of light (hence naming it day).Time is then defined as the alteration between periods light and periods of darkness. This interoperation helps solve some of the riddles in text.
Day Two. The idea of the dome separating the earth from the waters has troubled scholars. But, if you think about is a functional description (giving space for mankind to life and a way to control precipitation, then it makes perfect sense.
Day Three. God is not credited with any creation on day three (if you have a material interpretation). But from a functional standpoint, he set up functions on the earth. He separated functional space which allowed plants to flourish thereby providing food.
“So on day one God created the basis for time; day two the basis for weather; and day three the basis for food. These three great functions—time, weather and food—are the foundation of life. If we desire to see the greatest work of the Creator, it is not to be found in the materials that he brought together—it is that he brought them together in such a way that they work.”
There is a parallel between days 1-3 in Genesis 1 and the flood account. After the flood, God promises to never stop those three functions.
Excerpt From: John H. Walton. “The Lost World of Genesis One.” Apple Books. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-lost-world-of-genesis-one/id870735215?mt=11
Vocabulary: metonymy: the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.