I used to think that the main reason why we are told in the opening chapters of Genesis that God created the world in six days was to be able to contradict the evolutionist's claim that it happened over billions of years. In retrospect, however, it seems a tad anachronistic to think that Moses could have been polemicizing against a theory that wasn't developed until over 3,000 years later! While Moses was indeed polemicizing (not plagiarizing!) against other Ancient Near Eastern creation myths, it is his masterful way of narrating the creation account that draws our attention.
I would like to briefly discuss the literary aspects of the opening chapters of Genesis. If one focuses solely on the chronological details of Genesis 1, they may miss what I think is one of Moses' main points in his six day outline.
For example, the first three days of creation describe the creation of light & darkness, waters & sky, and earth & vegetation, respectively.
I would like to briefly discuss the literary aspects of the opening chapters of Genesis. If one focuses solely on the chronological details of Genesis 1, they may miss what I think is one of Moses' main points in his six day outline.
For example, the first three days of creation describe the creation of light & darkness, waters & sky, and earth & vegetation, respectively. The next three days describe the creation of the sun, moon & stars, fish & birds, and animals & man, respectively. When placed side-by-side, one can see how the first three days correspond to next three. What we see in the first set of days are the creation of different realms and in the second set we see the creation of the respective rulers of those realms. 
The sun, moon and stars rule the heavens, the fish and birds rule the seas and skies, and animals and man rule the land. The fact that the creation of man takes place on the final day of creation highlights man's supremacy over the rest of creation. Certainly, the way Moses describes the creation of man in God's image sets him apart from the rest of God's creation. Indeed, God, as it where, saved the best for last when he created man to be the great ruler over all the rest of his creation and thereby mirror the dominion that the Triune God exercises over all things.
The sun, moon and stars rule the heavens, the fish and birds rule the seas and skies, and animals and man rule the land. The fact that the creation of man takes place on the final day of creation highlights man's supremacy over the rest of creation. Certainly, the way Moses describes the creation of man in God's image sets him apart from the rest of God's creation. Indeed, God, as it where, saved the best for last when he created man to be the great ruler over all the rest of his creation and thereby mirror the dominion that the Triune God exercises over all things. 
