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In six days God created the heaven and earth and all its contents, resting on the seventh day. The purpose of creation was to provide 'good' to all creatures, as the verse states, “And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good” (Genesis 1:31). In order for people to merit that goodness, God created people in the divine image. He left humans room to partner with Him in improving the world, as we read, “And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (ibid. 1:27), and “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it [to improve it] and tend it [so that it would not be ruined]” (ibid. 2:15).
How long were these six days? That question can be answered in a number of different ways. Since the sun and moon were not created until the fourth day (ibid. 1:16), it is clear that Genesis is not speaking about days as we know them. Rather, the six days represent the hierarchy of creation on a conceptual level. Is this compatible with the theory of evolution popular in modern thought? Yes, it could be, since “days” can refer to epoch time periods. The significance of the creation of man containing a soul that God breathed into him (ibid. 2:7) enables people to choose to move the world forward. In any event, even if we accept the theory of evolution, the creation of the world reflects a planned, purposeful process at the hands of the Creator. The destiny of humanity, created in the image of God, is to choose what is right and thereby become God’s partner in perfecting the world.
