1/23 - How to Read Genesis
You will probably never be a true creator, at least not in the ancient sense. Last night we began with a tower building competition. Students attempted to build the tallest tower they could up from a single object. The resulting structures were impressive, but all made from objects found in the closet. No one created a tower, that is, no one brought into reality something that never was. When we say that God created the multiverse (heaven and earth), we mean that he made it all out of nothing. He was not just rearranging energy and matter, He caused it to be.
In fact, the first verse in the Bible says “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” We learn that this primordial earth was formless and chaotic and a lot of what happens next is God ordering the chaos. In what the Bible describes as a week, we see God preparing space and making life to fill it.
On day one, He makes light and separates it from the dark. On day two, He makes sky and separates it from the sea. On day three, he makes the land rise out of the waters and covers it with plants (the first organic life). This first set of days involve sorting out spaces for the life that will fill it.
On day four, He returns to the day and night he made and fills them with Great Lights (the ancients made no distinction between stars and angels). On day five, He returns to the sea and the sky and fills them with sea creatures and birds (and sea monsters, of course). On day six, He returns to the land and fills both the woods and pastures with animals (he also makes humans). Then on day seven he rests. Owen had a great insight: for the Israelites, the Sabbath always included a fellowship feast. Did God sit down and eat with Adam and Eve on the Seventh day? What a cool image!
In all of the Bible, I don’t know of any passage that has so much room for creative reading. For example, there’s the modern science approach: “Let there be light” could well have included a BANG. Separating the waters is a pretty fair description of what happens on a molecular level when liquid water becomes vapor in an atmosphere of sky. Scientists will often tell us that before animal life could exist, photosynthesis had to occur (ie plants came first). Additionally, it is often reported that the earliest life forms seem to be aquatic (creatures of the deep). We did not discuss the fact that “the earth bringing forth animals” is a pretty good way to describe what scientists call evolution; nor that sudden changes in biodiversity (like in our fossil records) looks a lot like a creator suddenly spoke and ushered in rapid change. Point being, there’s some exciting connections to scientific exploration and this story.
There’s also a social justice and environmentalist reading: The Bible is a rare ancient text that presents men and women as equals in their origin. “Adam” is a Hebrew word for huma that can be translated as “Dirtling”. The woman was taken from the Dirtling’s side, she is literally one half of the same whole. Any inequality between the pair is a consequence of the fall and not God’s intent for humanity. In fact, all of humanity is given the same charge in the passage to rule over the Earth. They were given work as livestock farmers and gardeners. If we are leaning into God’s original will for humanity, we will care for this planet and the natural life around us. We will treat each other with dignity and respect, and seek to walk with God together.
Also common is the “what went wrong” approach: it is crucial to understand that God did not make a bad world. Just like a tower that is more impressive if it includes a delicate balance on a single point, our world includes a delicate ecological balance (the circle of life) that involves all things. Still, a tower ;like this can fall more easily than something solid and unmoving. This does not make the balanced creation any less good, but it does explain why there is so much wrong in the world - we call it: The Fall.
And so, the most important way to look at it is the Jesus Reading: When “Dirtling” and “Life-mom” eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (you guys had one job!) two very important things happen: (1)God promises Eve that one of her offspring will crush the Serpent's head but be injured in the process. (2)He kills an animal to clothe Adam and Eve (their homemade fig leaf aprons were not able to truly cover them). We are three chapters into the Bible and already we see clearly communicated two key points: Satan will be defeated by a human. Only God can cover the guilt and sin of Humanity. Jesus’ was truly human and in His resurrection He defeated Satan, but He was also fully God and by His death He is able to cover up the sins of us all.
It is easy to get caught up on questions. What happened to the dinosaurs? Were Adam and Eve kids or adults? How could day and night exist before the sun did? Still, these chapters are not a textbook. They creatively tell a story in a way that shows us who God is, what He is like, where we came from, and why we need a Savior.