Upon reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, one quickly realizes that the gods and goddesses are petty and childish. It is much the same way in mythologies as well. Allegedly divine beings can do what they will, and meddle in human affairs as if people their playthings.
But why six days? Myths have things pop into existence, or in the cosmic evolution myth, it takes billions of years. (Those who insist on long ages and not literal days have to contend with Exodus 20:11, 31:17 as well as other areas in the Bible.) While God is not confined to space and time, he is still very much with us — which is one reason for the six days of creation.
Creation myths are downright silly. Contrast them with the Bible, which has specifics such as matter, energy, time, and space in Genesis 1:1. Readers learn there are acts of creation for each of the six days, and then God rested (ceased that act of creation) on the seventh.
Sunrise over the Pacific, International Space Station, June 20, 2023 / NASA |
Some people wonder why God didn’t instantly create the cosmos in which we live. The Church Father Augustine of Hippo (AD 354–430) suggested that He did, less than 6,000 years before Augustine wrote.. . .Of course, God is far more than His creation, and in creation He does far more than the sharing of ‘action in days’ that marks the shared history of God and us. The link between creature and Creator that makes sense of mankind being in the image of the Creator is pivotal. Also pivotal is that Creator and creation are separate. It is in the creation done within real history that God shows He is distinct from but present and active in the world we live in. He acts in the same sorts of days that we must act in.
To read the article in its entirety, see "Days for Reasons — God creating in the span of Earth-days has important implications."