Bible Stories: Creation (Genesis 1: 1-8; 26-31; 2:1-3)
Bible
Stories: Creation (Genesis 1: 1-8; 26-31; 2:1-3)
During Sunday School, a young boy was
listening to his priest teach about creation. He heard how God created
everything that we see, the entire universe in all of its vast wonders. The
little boy raised his hand and asked, “If God created everything, then what was
God doing before that?” The old priest sat for a moment pondering and then
said, “God was making hell for little boys who ask such questions!”
Today we begin an exploration of Bible
Stories that have captivated our imaginations for centuries. They are the
subject of children’s illustrated books and of Sunday School. The Bible begins with
stories that challenge our understanding of the world we live in. These stories read more like fairy tales,
than history. To believe these stories, the way they are often taught to
children, can feel embarrassing to the adult reader. I hope to free us of
embarrassment as we reintroduce ourselves to these stories. In the following
weeks, I will lead you on an exploration of Bible Stories about Creation, the
Fall of Humanity, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel and the Call of Abraham.
Most biblical scholars think of Genesis
Chapters 1-11 as prehistory. They are not like the history books of today. When
we ask “Is this story true?” we expect the story to provide historical facts.
When we do that we impose an empirical demand that is unfair to these ancient
stories. That’s not why these stories were written. The better question to ask
is “What truth is in the story?” The
stories of Genesis 1-11 are mythological in nature. Myth is often thought of as
fantastic tales of adventure, but not necessarily so. Myth carries truth. A
fairy tales often come with a moral to the story. The parables of Jesus are not
to be read as historical fact, but rather as relatable stories that bear truth.
Israel chose this form of storytelling
as a way to convey some very important ideas about their identity before God.
I like to think of the early chapters in
Genesis as an overture in a symphony. An overture announces musical themes that
will later be more fully heard in the body of the symphony. In the same way the early chapters of Genesis
introduce important theological themes that will be more fully explored
throughout the whole of the Bible.
Let’s listen again to the first five
verse of the Bible…
In the beginning when God created the
heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the
deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there
be light”; and there was light. 4
And God saw that the light was good;
and God separated the light from the
darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And
there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Gen 1:1-5)
We learn something of the character and
ability of God in opening verses of Genesis chapter one. God is established as
the sovereign creator. A wind from God, which is also translated as the Spirit
of God, moves over the surface of a primordial ocean, which is called the deep
or the waters. The deep is pure chaos, a formless waste where no life exists…
and darkness covers it. The Hebrew word translated as “the deep” is related to
the Babylonian word for the great sea monster Tiamat, which, in their creation
myth, the demigod Marduk slew in battle. From the monster’s carcass he
fashioned the heavens and the earth. But no battle is occurring in the Bible’s
version of creation. Just the opposite is occurring. In the Hebrew imagery of
the movement of God’s Spirit over the waters, we are given the image of a
tender mother eagle hovering near with her sheltering wings outstretched to
provide for and protect her young. God is completely sovereign over this sea of
chaos. There’s no battle. God speaks and creation moves in obedience. Over this
formless waste, God commands light and life to come forth.
You might think of God living in a realm
of pure potentiality, where every conceivable possibility is considered before
the physical world comes to reality. Genesis 1 is a heavenly blueprint, if you
will. If you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe you will know that Dr.
Strange used the time stone to consider 14,000,605 different possible strategies
to fight against the titan Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet. Only one of those
strategies led to a win by the Avengers. If you have no idea what I’m talking
about, just know Dr. Strange had a God-like experience. We might think of the
primordial ocean as a realm of pure possibility, but not actuality. No life can
exist in this disordered mess of primordial potentiality. Only the presence of
God brings order so that life can exist. God reviews the immeasurable
possibilities for life and speaks the first command, “Let there be light!”
Notice that light exists apart from the
sun, moon, and stars in this story. These are not created until the 4th
day. The creation of light on the first day is saying something about God. God
brings illumination to the soul. God enlightens us and guides us. Light
represents divine wisdom and goodness. Life cannot exist apart from the light
of God.
And God separated the light from the
darkness. The Hebrew word translated as darkness, can also mean hidden, secret,
ignorance, death, destruction or wickedness. The good is separated from the
wicked, the wise from the ignorant. This act of separation is another important
theological idea. To be separate is to be set apart as holy. Holiness is the vocational call of Israel as
God’s chosen nation. God chose Israel to be holy, as God is holy, and through
them to reveal God’s glory to the world. The idea of holiness plays out in
stories about the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the temple. The priests keep
the holy things of God separated from common things. In this sanctuary we have
a baptismal. We use it for the sole purpose of holy baptism. We would never
think to fill the baptismal with hooch and have a drunken party, because this
space is holy to the Lord and the baptismal is holy.
On the second day of creation, God makes
a protective dome for the earth. That dome or firmament is what we call
sky. Our sky is the result of
atmospheric gases drawn around the surface of the globe by the earth’s
gravitational pull. But the ancient Hebrew thought of the earth as flat,
standing upon pillars that hold it up. Above and below the flat earth are the
dark waters of chaos. God created a safety zone, if you will, where life could
flourish. God holds back the dark waters above the dome. On the third day, God made
dry land appear and called into being plants and trees. On the fourth day God placed the sun, moon,
and stars above the earth. On the fifth day, God populated the air with birds
and the seas with fish. And on the sixth day God made mammals, insects,
reptiles and finally human beings.
Humans are said to be made in God’s
image, which has more to do with our inner qualities, rather than gender or
ethnicity.
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
Of all God’s creatures only humans are
said to be made in the image of God. We are given a special purpose, which is
to care for the earth and its many creatures as good stewards of God. While it might be helpful to talk about our
vocation as caretakers of the earth, the real meaning of the story of creation
has yet to be explored.
On the seventh day God took delight in
the completion of the very good creation and rested. God blessed the 7th
day as holy above all other days.
The Sabbath Day has three purposes:
Rest, Rejoice, and Renew.
God saw everything that he had made, and
indeed, it was very good… (Rejoice) And on the seventh day God finished the
work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day... (Rest) So God
blessed the seventh day and hallowed it… (Renew) (Gen 1:31-2:3)
On the Sabbath Day we emulate God’s
activity by resting, rejoicing, and renewal in holy community with God and each
other.
The Jews celebrate the Sabbath with
family and friends as they rejoice in the goodness of God’s creation. They
rejoice with good food, laughter, music, and dance. They rejoice in who they
are and to whom they belong. They rest and enjoy peaceful solitude with God in
prayer and meditation. They do no work on the Sabbath, but only the activity
related to the celebration of this special day with God. God blessed the 7th
day as holy. When God blesses, living things grow. God’s blessing brings life,
fertility and fruitfulness. Spending this holy time with God brings renewal to
your life, for the fountain of Life is found in your relationship with God. Rest,
Rejoice and Renew!
Many interpret the Genesis creation
story differently. I think the creation story is an invitation: Enter into
God’s rest. Entering into God’ rest begins with submitting to God’s order. God
established order in the face of darkness and lifeless chaos. God created a
safe place for life to flourish. You are invited to enter into Sabbath keeping
and, as a result, have life. In the same way that God made a safe place for
life to flourish amidst chaos, God also establishes safe places for holy
community to exist in the midst of social disorder and violence. The church is
such a place where holy life is nurtured. Living according to God’s order leads
to blessing and life.
So today as you rejoice in God’s good
creation, enter into God’s rest. Enter into God’s way of being, where life is
complete and satisfied. Christ came that we might have life, and have it abundantly.
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