Genesis 2:4-7: Creation (Shane Mosby)
In Christian circles particularly, Genesis is often debated regarding its level of literalness and congruence with modern thought. To have a honest discussion surrounding it, we must acknowledge that it is not a textbook of science nor history. The creation account in Genesis does not provide inherent structures or principles to govern ourselves by, but reads closer to a story, which when read in the cultural context of its writer (Moses), is made absolutely clear.
Among different schools of thought arise the question whether God created all of this from nothing (Greek) or from water (Jewish). We don’t understand the true answer, but either school of thought agree that God is the Creator and the Father of the universe. In fact, in the ancient world they were largely unconcerned with how things came to be and were far more concerned with what was.
Another way we view the created world through God’s hands is the establishment to order amongst chaos. In Genesis 1 there is a depiction of God establishing light over dark, watery depths that would have been paralleled in the language of the Near East as establishing order to chaos. The creation account of Genesis stood in stark opposition to commonly held ideals at the time of how the created world came into being. It was common amongst religions at the time that the created world was born out of chaos, but the Jewish people posited that God simply spoke to create the world, and that this simple spoken word was an evidence of his power and worthiness of praise.
In Genesis 2 the language that is used to describe God’s creation of man shows that it was very intentional and particular. God set man into his creation with intent, purpose and with care. We also see his love on display because he created man in his own image. This was a display of love because at the time this was written, image bearing was done by kings to declare their presence and dominion over their kingdom in its remote areas as an evidence of their reign. What does it say that the God who created the universe cared enough to create man and put his own image into man such that we declare his presence with our very beings? God sought to remind us of his presence with every image bearer he places among us.
The groundwork that is laid in Genesis is essential for the redeeming purposes of God coming to fruition throughout the bible, both in the Old and New Testament. For the Jewish people, this book served as a reminder of their origin and God’s purpose for their lives, and that they were loved. Even when they were exiled, they could recall and remember their beginnings and know that they were loved. This of course remains true for us today. Echoes of God’s care and design are declared by Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 where he shows, citing creation as an example, how God cares for his loved ones and as a reason not to worry or be anxious.
We were created with a purpose, with intent, care and love. If we stumble over the specifics of Genesis and focus on those non-eternal factors as truth, and cling to those rather than the truths which we really can draw from the account, then we are missing the point and missing the opportunity to be encouraged by and amazed at the God who created us. Contemplating the reality that we were created by a God who loves us, and created us with a purpose should inspire us to marvel and worship. More than any specific details regarding the exact nature or means by which the created world came to be, may we be enamored by that truth that the one who did the creating cared enough to create us.
