And God Said,...

Let there be light; and there was light. Note that light existed before the sun, or any of the heavens. The earth may be present already but is without form and void. There is nothing mentioned that would convey an amount of time which might pass. There are no humans present. There is nothing yet, which we might regard as evening or morning in the modern scientific language of today. Yet, here in Genesis 1:5 we have the first mention of both evening and morning. It is not until the fourth “day” of creation, that God makes lights to give light upon the earth in Genesis 1:15. In Genesis 1:14 God declares that one purpose for these lights is to determine days, which would include our present concept of evenings and mornings.

Here is another example of the futility of reading the Bible from a purely modern scientific perspective. The moon is not a light, but acts as a reflector of light. It does not matter that ancient Hebrews did not understand this. God was not intent on providing man with scientific knowledge of the universe through Scripture, so much as telling us about our relationship with Him and with each other.

Clearly then, the author of Genesis, probably Moses, is not telling us of the amount of time passed with each step of creation. The effect of this first chapter in Genesis is awesome. It is the word of God. Yet, it was written in a time and culture, where the chronological order of events and the passage of time in historical accounts is not the message. This becomes obvious in chapter 2. If this sequence were to be held to rigid standards of scientific accuracy, then why would the author be self-contradictory in so short a literary space as this?

When God inspired humans to write the Scriptures, He allowed them to use poetic devices, parables, symbolism, imagery, setting, language and idiomatic expressions of the ancient world that are unknown to many, or all of us today. This does not make the Bible one molecule less divine. It does tell us that He endows humans with potential for great love and great responsibility. We lose much if we refuse to look at the human aspect of the word of God (Scripture), or the Word of God (Jesus.)

Here is a short list of messages that I take from the Genesis 1-2:3 account.
· God is the Creator of all things
· God’s intentions for us are good
· He viewed His creation as good (with one exception we find later in Genesis 2)
· Life comes from living things Genesis 1:21,24,25
· Humans are made in His image Genesis 1:26
· Other entities already possessed the image of God before we were graced with it. (The eternal Christ and the Holy Spirit?) Genesis 1:26
· Humans are to subdue and replenish the earth Genesis 1:28
· Humans have dominion (authority, responsibility) over the earth Genesis 1:28
· God intended His first humans to be vegetarian Genesis 1:29 (This changes after the flood Genesis 9:2-3)
There is much more to ponder when we look at the whole of Chapter 2 and reflect back on Chapter 1.

Do you seek eternal communion with God? Do you study the Bible? The Bible is insufficient to save you but this is our primary document, our common evidence, the faith of our fathers, the written message from our Creator, and our map to the Christ Who can save us from sin and from the wrath of God that we have surely earned. Scripture also serves as our primary guide on how to lead others to Christ, live a life pleasing to our Creator, and work to make this world a little less broken.

If you aren’t studying the Bible with serious intent and reflection, what reason can you give, that doesn’t include arrogance or indifference? Let’s read our Bible with an open heart and an open mind, ready to receive and follow whatever God intends to teach us. Let’s meet with other Christians in a Bible study so that we can test each other’s interpretations. If you know Scripture well, (for who can know it all?) then help new Christians and seekers to learn what it says. Show them how to study it by leading a Bible study. Where would we be without a common map to Christ like the Bible?

Shalom and Agape,
Nicholas R