The Beginnings: Complete Series
Part 1: Introduction
Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It tells the story about how the Heavens and Earth came to be.
Every culture has an origin story, even within our current scientific paradigm. We all know about the Big Bang, the appearance of life and then the slow evolutionary process which resulted in our world today. This is a creation story. It seeks to help the culture make sense of where they’ve come from.
Creation stories are very important. If we look at origin myths, we can see how the values within those stories inform the values of those nations or communities.
Think about how the Evolution creation story has impacted secular cultures.
The Biblical creation story in Genesis 1 has its own inbuilt values. God brings order to the formless Earth. He gives function and purpose to His Creation. He says that all the Creation is ‘very good’. Think about how these values would effect a culture.
Did God create the Earth in six days?
This is a common question, particularly with what the scientific method has uncovered about the age of the Universe.
Some people believe it was created over an exact six day period.
Others believe it was over a longer period of time, but each event took a single day to occur. So millions of years would pass between each day of creation.
I understand, back in the Middle Ages, some people believed that the ‘day’ mentioned in Genesis, was equivalent to 4 hours. So God would have made the Earth in 24 hours, in a single day.
Personally, I am not too interested in these discussions around how long it took. I prefer to look at the pattern of Creation.
Pattern of Creation
The Bible shows God creates the Earth using a pattern.
He first creates the opposites and then populates the space between them and then assigns a purpose.
He creates the Heavens and the Earth (Or as St Paul says in Colossians 1, the Seen and Unseen). They are opposites.
Into this God then populates it with the rest of Creation.
He divides the Day and Night, setting out the opposites again. He later populates this space with the Sun, Moon and stars.
He then gives them a purpose.
Genesis 1 v 14-15
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.”
This pattern continues throughout the whole text. He splits apart the sky and the ‘waters below’, populating them with birds and fish. He splits apart the land and sea and populates it with land animals.
When God creates humanity, he sets up the opposites, Man and Woman. He tells them to ‘be fruitful’ and populate Creation.
Then God gives them the command to subdue the Earth.
The Pattern in the Red Sea Crossing
We see this pattern in other parts of the Scriptures.
God splits the Red Sea, separating the sea from the dry land. The Children of Israel ‘populate’ the vacant space. After they reach the other side, they are given the purpose to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Exodus 19:5-6
Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
God creates a nation for Himself.
The Pattern in Christ
We see this pattern when Jesus died on the Cross. On one side hung the good thief, on the other, the bad thief. The opposites were separated. Between the opposites, Christ hangs. God populates the space between the opposites.
Then Jesus fulfils His purpose, in triumph and glory, and sits at God’s Right Hand.
[Note: There are other patterns within the Genesis 1 text. I have mentioned only one here. I may return to the others at a later date.]
Part 2: Evolution Mimics Genesis 1
Charles Robert Darwin published his book, On The Origin of the Species in 1859. It would prove to be a controversial work, but within 20 years this new Theory of Evolution was widely accepted amongst academia.
Over the years, it has been broadly welcomed, especially as it fits within the scientific paradigm.
However, one nagging thought I have over this theory is how similar it is to the Biblical Creation story.
When we look at other ancient creation stories, they appear markedly different to the generally understood Theory of Evolution. Even within the non-Biblical religious traditions we have today, their creation narratives are also very different.
Darwin was a Christian
Charles Darwin was a committed Christian when he first joined the ship, the HMS Beagle. By the end of the journey, his discoveries caused him to rethink his beliefs.
I wonder if he was part of a different religious tradition, whether he would have taken what he saw and developed a different theory.
How much was he affected by his deeply Christian upbringing and how much did it influence his ideas?
If Charles was a Hindu, the theory may have been significantly different to the one we have today.
Evolution is a Creation Narrative
In my last post, I mentioned how that secular culture uses the Theory of Evolution as a creation narrative.
Our culture engages with it as a creation story, but covered in a veneer of science. We rely on various selected elements of the scientific disciplines (physics, geology, biology, etc) to build up this narrative.
Because our culture only relies on these material sciences, it can’t describe the origin of the metaphysical and how the physical interacts with the spiritual/mental.
So as a creation story, it only tells half of what makes up the human experience.
Biblical Creation vs Evolution Creation
I prefer the Biblical narrative which describes the creation of the whole of reality not just the physical space.
I can see God using the evolution mechanism to regulate the physical world, but it is not good enough to describe reality as I experience it.
The Evolution Creation story still leaves many important questions unanswered, like why am I here? What makes me a success? And Who do I credit for this beautiful world?
Part 3: The Two or Five Creation Stories
Did you know that the Biblical Creation story is ordered differently in Genesis 2?
In Genesis 1, vegetation is created first and then the humans, while in Genesis 2 it is the other way round.
One explanation is that vegetation in Genesis 2 means cultivated varieties. The Hebrew word translated ‘plant’ is different to the word used in Genesis 1.
Though I think what is more interesting is in Genesis 2 v 4, it says, ‘This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.’
We’ve just seen that said earlier in the same chapter and it seems to also relate to the previous chapter.
Genesis 2 v 1
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
So it appears there are two separate creation stories. They are similar, but not exactly the same.
But in fact, there are even more creation stories mentioned in the Bible.
…Was the Word
The most famous non-Genesis creation story is John 1.
John 1 v 1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomea it.
In this creation narrative, we learn that Jesus was at the beginning, He was with God and was God. He was the Word which created Reality.
Image of the Invisible God
Colossians has another creation narrative.
Colossians 1 v 15-17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Creation begins with Christ, who then creates all things, both the visible and the invisible.
‘Firstborn’ does not mean a created being, but in the sense that the first born son is in charge of the family.
All things are created for Him. Which means everything, both the Heavens and the Earth and everything within them was made for Jesus. He is the reason why all this, the whole universe and its inhabitants, exist. Nothing has any purpose outside of Him.
Also, the whole of creation holds together in Him. Every star in the Universe, every galaxy in the sky, every new born star and every dust cloud formation. In Him, they all hold together.
Every cell in our bodies, every family bond, every hug between best friends and every hand shake between former enemies. In Him, all these hold together.
Even every string of heart beats, every letter in a word, every vowel in a sentence and every note in a musical phrase. They all hold together in Him.
Yes, when I mean everything holds together in Him, I mean absolutely everything.
God’s Tells All
Job 38
Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?
This is an exert from Job 38. Here we see God is giving a Creation account in the form questions. These poetic phrases give more details about how God created the Earth. This reminds me of the name the Old English texts give to God, the Measurer. He measures out the Universe.
What is interesting about Job 38 is God is talking in the first person, while the other creation stories mentioned here are in the third person.
Other Creation Stories
There are even more creation narratives throughout the Bible. So which one is the most accurate?
In the same way, the four Gospels present different narratives of the life of Jesus, so the different stories complement each other to help us understand Creation.
The different angles on the same event provides deeper insight into Creation, God’s role in making it and our place in it.
Part 4: Given Dominion Over the Earth
Genesis 1 v 28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
In Genesis 1, humanity is told to subdue the Earth and to rule over the fish, the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
In other translations, ‘subdue’ and rule’ has been also replaced with:
Govern and reign
Subdue and have dominion
Bring it under control and God is putting you in charge
God’s purpose for humanity, on this Earth, is to function as a steward.
A steward is an official appointment made by a monarch to represent them. We are not monarchs of this Earth, but are ruling on His behalf.
What is a Good Steward?
A good steward is someone who respects those under their control. They take care of the community’s current needs and work to secure its future. They rule with humility and are willing to listen to criticism, but are unafraid to make the difficult decisions.
A good steward knows they are part of the community, but at the same time are in a privileged position.
They take the responsibility for the relationship. And ultimately, they are responsible to the monarch to ensure the kingdom runs smoothly.
Stewards of the Earth
What does it look like to be a steward of the Earth?
Due to our urban life style and technological culture, we may feel separated from the natural world.
Unlike our ancestors, we don’t rely on the Sun, Moon and stars to tell the time of day, month or year.
With light bulbs, we can read all night. Our ancestors would have struggled to read by the dim candle or lamp light. Their work day was dictated strictly by the rising and the setting Sun.
Our food is grown hundreds of miles from where we live and transported to local supermarkets. It is normal to be unaware of the name of the farmer who grew the food.
Even with this, we continue to still be a part of Creation. We are not foreigners or aliens exploiting the Earth. We are of the Earth. Sometimes we forget. And in that forgetting, we miss the fact that we are part of the community of Creation.
Cain’s Rejection of Creation
We see how Cain’s descendants invented technologies, built cities and removed themselves from the natural world. Consequently their lives filled with sin.
These generations ended with the Flood.
As stewards, we need to be aware of Cain and his kin. We should remind ourselves to enjoy this World; take our time as we wander on a woodland walk, look purposefully at a setting sun and embrace the scene of a Summer’s night sky.
But also, we need to show great love and care for our local part of the Creation. The place God has personally given us charge over.
What Creatures Do We Have No Dominion Over?
In Genesis 1 v 21, we see God creates the ‘sea monsters’. The Hebrew word here is ‘tannin’. It is connected to the Hebrew word for Leviathan mentioned in Job 39.
Even though God commands humanity to have dominion over the fish of the sea, this does not include Leviathan and its kind.
I wrote about Leviathan here. But in short, they are similar to the beasts of chaos mentioned in other ancient cultures.
This tells us, we will never control the whole of Creation. This is beyond us. Only God, the Creator, has the authority over these creatures and every aspect of Creation.
Creation is Very Good
Gen 31 v 1
And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.
God says the Creation was very good. Even though, due to the Fall, we live in the age of decay, we can still see the beauty of it.
Yesterday, at dusk, I heard a blackbird sing. It was beautiful. I paused for a few minutes and listened attentively.
And thanked God for His amazing Creation.
Part 5: Made in the Image of God
In Genesis 1, we learn God made men and women in His Image.
Genesis 1 v 27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
This is reiterated in Genesis 5 and further mentioned in Genesis 9.
Genesis 9 v 6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
‘Made in the Image of God’ is a key doctrine in the Scriptures. Conceptually, it connects us to God and separates us from the other creatures.
What is the Image of God?
Most commentators say it’s a quality which God gives us. A spark of the Divine, so to speak.
Other commentators say it is a function. Throughout Genesis 1, God gives purpose to the different elements of Creation. Why would this be different for men and women? Our function and purpose is to be the Image of God in the World.
Considering the different ways of looking at it, I can see both can be true. There is something divine about us, and also a divine purpose placed on our lives.
What Does It Mean?
Jesus said, in John 14 v 9,
‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’
The Epistle to the Colossians says Jesus is the image of the Invisible God. This means Jesus is the perfect bearer of Image of God.
In order to fulfil the function God gave us at the beginning of Creation, we must look to Jesus as the template.
Describing our purpose on this Earth in relationship to the life of Jesus is a deep and complex topic which I don’t feel today’s post can achieve So I will leave that for another time.
But by reading about and meditating on Christ we can understand our role in Creation more fully.
Idols and the Image of God
When I read about how God formed Adam out of the ground and breathed life into him, I get a strange notion that this sounds like God was creating an idol.
Idols were pretty much obligatory in pagan worship. The temples were filled with them. Israel existed in a land surround by cultures drenched in idol worship.
Ancient texts tell us how the pagan cultures created idols. They describe the rituals and ceremonies which brought a god (demon) into an idol.
Whereas man-made idols cannot move, eat or reproduce, God made Adam and Eve fully alive.
And God does not make them to be idols to be worshipped by Him, but created them to worship Him.
God’s purpose for them was to populate His temple and be His image, by bringing order, creativity and love to His Creation.
Equally, as ‘sons of Adam’ and ‘daughters of Eve’, our roles are the same. We are here to exhibit the Image of God throughout His Creation.
Part 6: Who God Said?
In my post discussing the Holy Trinity in the Beginning, I talk about how Jesus was present at Creation.
He was the ‘Word’ God spoke, who then brought order to the formless Earth and created Reality.
When God said, ‘Let there be light’, it was created through the pre-incarnate Jesus, the second person of the Trinity.
This is developed in John 1 v 4:
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The rest of Creation then comes to be through Christ as the Word.
And even now Creation continues to be held together by the ‘Word of the Lord’ incarnated as Jesus.
Col 1 v 17
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Jesus is not only the Co-Creator with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but He is also the means by which the universe continues to be sustained.
Jesus, The Wisdom of God
In Proverbs 8, we see how God used Wisdom to create the Heavens and the Earth. Wisdom was a Co-Creater.
Proverbs 8 v 22 - 31
The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began.
When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth, before He made the land or fields, or any of the dust of the earth.
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence. I was rejoicing in His whole world, delighting together in the sons of men.
Paul refers to Jesus as being the Wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians.
1 Cor 1 v 24
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The early Christians identified the Wisdom of God with Jesus. Jesus’ role in Creation aligns with Wisdom in Proverbs 8.
Light of the World
A quarter of all the healings of Jesus involved healing sight. In John 9, before the healing happens, Jesus states, ‘He is the Light of the World’.
This is a direct allusion to John 1 and Genesis 1. Jesus is both the Co-Creator of the physical light in Creation, but also the spiritual light.
He brings light, even to those born blind.
Tradition says that the man in John 9 was born without eye balls, which explains why everyone in the story was so shocked. This is why Jesus spits on the ground, forms mud and places it in the blind man’s eye sockets. If true, this is the only miracle where Jesus creates a new body part and shows Christ is the Creator God whose commands bring the world into existence.
Even those without the ability to see physical light can, along with the rest of humanity, see the true Light of World, Jesus Christ.
Part 7: And God Rested
At the beginning of Genesis 2, God rests.
Genesis 2 v 2-3
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
This seems a reasonable thing to do. After all, He worked very hard and made the whole of Creation. If I had achieved what He had completed, I would be worn out too and would need a rest.
This would be the straightforward modern interpretation of that verse. However, to a Bronze Age Israelite, this had a vastly different meaning.
Creation as God’s Temple
Genesis 1 is similar to other ancient temple texts. A temple text gives details about how a temple was constructed, along with the ceremonies and rituals involved.
Ancient near-Eastern temples where often created in sevens.
The Hebrew Tabernacle took seven days to consecrate in Exodus 39-40. It took seven years to construct the Temple in Jerusalem under King Solomon (1 Kings 6).
The Sumerian Gudea Cylinders tell how a temple was established over a seven day consecration ceremony.
When God makes Creation, He does so in seven days. He is building a temple for Him to reside. He is building it, so He can share Himself with humanity and the rest of Creation.
God Rests
In Babylon, the chief god, lived in a temple on a ziggurat. In his temple, Marduk had a bed and a throne. The temple was where he rested.
Beds and thrones were common types of temple furniture in paganism.
Notice how different the Holy of Holies is in Solomon’s Temple. The only ‘furniture’ in the furthest part of the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant. No bed or throne were present.
There are also other arks found in the tombs of Egypt. These normally had the god standing on the lid of the ark. In the case of the Ark of the Covenant, there is no image of God. The Children of Israel were commanded to make no image of Yahweh, so consequently, no idol was placed on the Ark.
Isaiah 66 v 1
This is what the LORD says:
“Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of rest be?”
God rested in His temple, which means, He entered His Creation. The Heavens became His throne and the Earth became His footstool.
[I need to point out that God’s presence fills Creation, but not everything is God. That would be Pantheism, which is a heresy.]
Slaves to the gods
In Babylonian myth, the reason the gods made people was so they didn’t have to work and could use humanity as slave labour.
In Egyptian beliefs, humanity were also slaves and expected to not only work every day of their lives, but even after they die, they had to continue working for the gods.
A Royal Priesthood
Humanity was created by God to share in His Creation, and live within His temple.
1 Peter 2 v 9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
God does not have slaves, He instead has a family of royal priests, who occupy and carry out priestly functions in the Earth.