Deuteronomy 33:15-"ancient mountains." Habakkuk 3:6-"ancient mountains," "age old hills." Psalm 68:33-"ancient skies."
Judges 5:21-"ancient river."
If the universe is 6000 years old then Biblical "ancient" means, say, 3000 years before these verses were written. What then of the two thousand years waiting for Jesus to come "quickly?" Just a thought, this.
This is more to the point; In Daniel we see an example of the Hebrew word for "Father" used to denote "Grandfather." Many people groups employ this idiom. The hebrew word for "father" is the same Hebrew word used to say "ancestor." Note also that the Biblical Chronologies do not match each other. This is not error. There are two possible reasons for that. Traditionally, people of poor character were left out of chronologies. Also, Chronologies are given for different purposes. Who is it that demands that the chronologies used by Anglican Archbishop Ussher to arrive at a six thousand year old earth were in fact absolutely complete, and/or that "Father" was absolutely the correct Hebrew meaning? "When Seth had lived 105 years he became the ancestor of Enosh," is a perfectly legitimate translation. Who dogmatically constrains it to one generation? For what reasons?
A fact not often referenced is that in an "old earth," "yom=age" model, the universe, and the earth are old, but human beings are not.
They are, in fact, the youngest things of creation. We do not need very many bad characters left out of the chronologies to fit the observations. Still, a perusal of the Noah's flood account allows for very many bad characters, as well as in following times.
It has recently become a popular thing for young earth Christians to assert that "God created with an appearance of age." Note that this acknowledges that the earth "appears" old. This would be an example; The Eniwetok coral shows layers bearing pollen from seed bearing plants and shrubs occurring at 300ft., 1000ft., and 2780ft., when the coral must have been exposed to air during ice ages when sea levels were low enough to expose them. Did God (who "cannot lie") place those things to create an appearance of age, with a number of young earth Christians figuring it out nonetheless, in spite of God's efforts? I am not employing sarcasm here towards my Christian brothers and sisters, rather, I believe the question is warranted.
It occurs to me to Biblically support my appeal to "observations." I submit that it is a Biblical instruction to do so, as in the following:
Psalm 19:1-4 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
("Knowledge" is displayed, we should thus observe it.)
Isaiah 40:21 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?"
Job 36:24,25 "Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. All mankind has seen it."
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
(what excuse for not observing "what has been made"?)
Proverbs6:6 "Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider it's ways and be wise."
Isaiah 51:6 "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath."
Psalm 77:12 "I will meditate on all your works."
Psalm 111:2 Great are the works of the Lord: they are pondered by all who delight in them."
Job 12:7 "but ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will teach you: or speak to the earth, and it will teach you."
I submit that these verses confirm our Biblical responsibility to look to creation for accurate information. This sometimes called "science." These verses are why some have posited 2 books of revelation; the Bible, and creation itself. Both "science" and "theology" are imperfect human "practices." We must be careful in each. Very careful.