Study Focus: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Ps. 100:1–3, Exod. 20:8–11, Matt. 19:7–9, John 1:1–5.
Part I: Overview
Introduction: It is significant that the Bible begins with Creation. In fact, many biblical books begin with an evocation to Creation. The book of Chronicles begins with Creation in order to testify that we all belong to the same human race, coming from the same Father (1 Chron. 1:1). Isaiah begins with Genesis 1:1, which is the first line in the Creation account, to remind us that God is our Provider and that we should listen to Him (Isa. 1:2). Daniel’s first testimony to the Gentile chief of the eunuchs is a quotation of the Creation account. Daniel’s words testify to the eunuch that God is the Creator who gives them food (Dan. 1:12). Solomon introduces his reflection with a meditation on Creation (Eccles. 1:1–11), in which he laments the vanity of life, realizing that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9, NKJV). The Gospel of John opens with a poem on Creation (John 1:1–14) to emphasize the wonder of the Incarnation: that Jesus Christ, who was God “in the beginning,” created the world and then became flesh in order to save the world. Following the model of these biblical authors, we will study the biblical text of Creation in order to learn vital lessons about God, about ourselves as humans, and about the nature and significance of the Creation itself.
Part II: Commentary
The Beauty of Creation
The message we receive from the biblical text about Creation is a message of beauty. Plays on words, plays on sounds, parallelisms, and well-balanced structures contribute to producing a powerful poetic expression. The rhythm of seven dominates the passage. Not only does the Creation narrative cover a literal period of seven days, but we also see multiple instances of the repetition of sounds, words, or even specific phrases seven times. This rhythm of seven is not just esthetically motivated. This stylistic feature has a profound significance; it testifies to the perfection of God’s Creation.
The History of Creation
The literary beauty of the text does not imply, though, that the text of the Creation account should be understood merely as a poetic rendering of the imagination. The verbal forms that are the same as those that are used in narrative texts, the style of genealogy that characterizes the form of this text, and its literary structure that connects the first two chapters of Genesis—all are grammatical and literary testaments to the historical intention of the text. The text of the first Creation account is explicitly identified as a genealogy by its author (Gen. 2:4). Moreover, the text also truly displays all the literary features of the genealogy form. The reason the biblical text of Creation has been written in the form of a genealogy is to connect it with the other genealogies of the book of Genesis and to alert the reader that this report about the event of Creation belongs to human history to the same degree as the lives of the patriarchs.
In addition, linguistic and thematic correspondences between the first Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4) and the second Creation account that follows (Gen. 2:4–25) indicate a parallelism between the two texts: the same structure in seven steps in the first Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4) also is found in the second Creation account (Gen. 2:4–25). The fact that the Creation account in Genesis 1:1–2:4 is connected to the historical narrative in Genesis 2:4–25 suggests the author’s intention to communicate his report on the Creation of the heavens and earth as an event belonging to the same historical narrative as the formation of human beings.
By connecting the two Creation accounts, the author also suggests that the same “time” factor, which operated in the creation of humans, also was at work in the creation of the heavens and the earth. The world and everything in it did not require millions of years to reach a stage of maturity that allowed everything to function correctly. On the other hand, the Genesis Creation account does not present itself as a scientific analysis of the event of Creation. If such were the case, the Creation account should have been written as a very complicated and infinitely long formula that would be inaccessible to humans. The biblical author writes, under inspiration, the report of the event of Creation as a historical event. All that he says about the Creation event is true and should not be in conflict with science.
It has often been suggested, however, that the intention of the Creation account was not historical but essentially theological or philosophical. Furthermore, it was argued that the text of Genesis 1 was intended only to edify spiritually, not to inform historically. This method of reading the Scriptures derives, in fact, from a critical presupposition based on the study of classical Greek literature. Indeed, in this tradition, the spiritual message has primacy, and the historical event is both secondary and irrelevant to the philosophical message. When applied to the Scriptures, this method of reading has led many Bible students to dismiss the historical intention of the biblical text. So, in the event of the resurrection of Jesus, for instance, its historicity was ignored, and even questioned, while students focused solely on the spiritual message of His life. But the true biblical view works in reverse. The theological message proceeds from the historical event. Because the resurrection of Jesus is a historical event, we can believe in God and hold our theology. Because the Genesis account of Creation is historical, it contains important spiritual and theological lessons about God and about humans.
The First Line of Creation
In the Beginning. The Hebrew expression bere’shit, “in the beginning,” is emphasized. This expression is placed at the beginning of the opening sentence of Genesis. Additionally, this expression also receives an emphatic accent that singles it out and separates it from the rest of the sentence. According to this accentuation, the sentence should be punctuated and read thus: “In the beginning; God created heavens and earth.” The phrase bere’shit is, in fact, a technical expression specifically associated with the Creation account. It is indeed significant that this expression is very rarely used in the Hebrew Bible. Outside of Genesis 1:1, bere’shit occurs only four times, and only in Jeremiah. In Jeremiah, bere’shit belongs to a regular stylistic formula, alluding to the introductory words of the Creation account (Jer. 26:1; Jer. 27:1; Jer. 28:1; Jer. 49:34, 35), although the messages themselves have no direct reference to the Creation account.
God. The emphasis on this “beginning” is reinforced by the emphasis on the Hebrew name ’Elohim, “God,” to designate God in the Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4). This name is derived from the root ’alah, which conveys the idea of strength and preeminence. The plural form confirms this emphasis, since it is a literary expression of intensity and majesty, rather than an indication of a numerical plural “gods.” Such a plural form would imply a non-Israelite polytheistic belief in several gods. ’Elohim refers to the great God who transcends the universe. The rhythm of Genesis 1:1 resonates with the message of the preeminence of ’Elohim. The word ’Elohim appears in the middle of the verse. In addition, the accent (disjunctive atnach) that separates the verse into two equal parts is attached to the word ’Elohim, “God,” which, in the traditional chanting in the synagogue, marks the pause and the climax of the verse. “God” is the most important word of the verse, not only because He is the subject of the sentence but also because of the rhythm of the phrase.
Created. The word bara’, “create,” occurs five times in the Creation account (Gen. 1:1, 21, 27 [three times]; Gen. 2:3; Gen. 2:4), thus indicating its inherent belonging to that particular event of “Creation.” Moreover, in the Hebrew Bible, this verb is always and exclusively used in connection with God as its subject.
The Heavens and the Earth. The first sentence of the Bible, “God created heavens and earth,” establishes from the very beginning that God and His creation are two distinct things that do not derive from each other. The phrase “heavens and earth” is a merism (two contrasting parts that refer to the whole) in which the combination of the two contrasting elements of the phrase refers to the totality of the universe, implying that all has been created by God. The use of the same phrase at the end of the Creation account, referring to the Creation week (Gen. 2:1, 4), suggests that the Creation of “heavens and earth” refers specifically to the human world that was created during that week. At the same time, this phrase does not exclude the possibility of other creations outside of the Creation week.
Part III: Life Application
In the Beginning God. The event of Creation is the primary foundation for human faith in God. To believe in Creation, to believe that I owe my existence and the reality of the world to Someone whom I do not see and who was before I was, is the first act of faith. It is noteworthy that the only biblical definition of faith is related to Creation; as Paul, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, puts it: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Creation is one event in history that took place when humans were not yet present to see it and attest to it. Creation is, therefore, the event par excellence that requires faith and, by implication, is a revelation from above. It also is significant that Paul begins his list of faithful acts with Creation: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3, NKJV). Theological thinking, like faith, must first begin with the acknowledgment of Creation.
How does the fact that faith begins with the belief in Creation affect my life and my choices?
What lesson do we learn from God’s creating when we were not around to witness the event and from our resting on Sabbath to celebrate His work for us?
Notes
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Key Text: Genesis 1:1
Study Focus: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Ps. 100:1–3, Exod. 20:8–11, Matt. 19:7–9, John 1:1–5.
Part I: Overview
Introduction: It is significant that the Bible begins with Creation. In fact, many biblical books begin with an evocation to Creation. The book of Chronicles begins with Creation in order to testify that we all belong to the same human race, coming from the same Father (1 Chron. 1:1). Isaiah begins with Genesis 1:1, which is the first line in the Creation account, to remind us that God is our Provider and that we should listen to Him (Isa. 1:2). Daniel’s first testimony to the Gentile chief of the eunuchs is a quotation of the Creation account. Daniel’s words testify to the eunuch that God is the Creator who gives them food (Dan. 1:12). Solomon introduces his reflection with a meditation on Creation (Eccles. 1:1–11), in which he laments the vanity of life, realizing that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9, NKJV). The Gospel of John opens with a poem on Creation (John 1:1–14) to emphasize the wonder of the Incarnation: that Jesus Christ, who was God “in the beginning,” created the world and then became flesh in order to save the world. Following the model of these biblical authors, we will study the biblical text of Creation in order to learn vital lessons about God, about ourselves as humans, and about the nature and significance of the Creation itself.
Part II: Commentary
The Beauty of Creation
The message we receive from the biblical text about Creation is a message of beauty. Plays on words, plays on sounds, parallelisms, and well-balanced structures contribute to producing a powerful poetic expression. The rhythm of seven dominates the passage. Not only does the Creation narrative cover a literal period of seven days, but we also see multiple instances of the repetition of sounds, words, or even specific phrases seven times. This rhythm of seven is not just esthetically motivated. This stylistic feature has a profound significance; it testifies to the perfection of God’s Creation.
The History of Creation
The literary beauty of the text does not imply, though, that the text of the Creation account should be understood merely as a poetic rendering of the imagination. The verbal forms that are the same as those that are used in narrative texts, the style of genealogy that characterizes the form of this text, and its literary structure that connects the first two chapters of Genesis—all are grammatical and literary testaments to the historical intention of the text. The text of the first Creation account is explicitly identified as a genealogy by its author (Gen. 2:4). Moreover, the text also truly displays all the literary features of the genealogy form. The reason the biblical text of Creation has been written in the form of a genealogy is to connect it with the other genealogies of the book of Genesis and to alert the reader that this report about the event of Creation belongs to human history to the same degree as the lives of the patriarchs.
In addition, linguistic and thematic correspondences between the first Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4) and the second Creation account that follows (Gen. 2:4–25) indicate a parallelism between the two texts: the same structure in seven steps in the first Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4) also is found in the second Creation account (Gen. 2:4–25). The fact that the Creation account in Genesis 1:1–2:4 is connected to the historical narrative in Genesis 2:4–25 suggests the author’s intention to communicate his report on the Creation of the heavens and earth as an event belonging to the same historical narrative as the formation of human beings.
By connecting the two Creation accounts, the author also suggests that the same “time” factor, which operated in the creation of humans, also was at work in the creation of the heavens and the earth. The world and everything in it did not require millions of years to reach a stage of maturity that allowed everything to function correctly. On the other hand, the Genesis Creation account does not present itself as a scientific analysis of the event of Creation. If such were the case, the Creation account should have been written as a very complicated and infinitely long formula that would be inaccessible to humans. The biblical author writes, under inspiration, the report of the event of Creation as a historical event. All that he says about the Creation event is true and should not be in conflict with science.
It has often been suggested, however, that the intention of the Creation account was not historical but essentially theological or philosophical. Furthermore, it was argued that the text of Genesis 1 was intended only to edify spiritually, not to inform historically. This method of reading the Scriptures derives, in fact, from a critical presupposition based on the study of classical Greek literature. Indeed, in this tradition, the spiritual message has primacy, and the historical event is both secondary and irrelevant to the philosophical message. When applied to the Scriptures, this method of reading has led many Bible students to dismiss the historical intention of the biblical text. So, in the event of the resurrection of Jesus, for instance, its historicity was ignored, and even questioned, while students focused solely on the spiritual message of His life. But the true biblical view works in reverse. The theological message proceeds from the historical event. Because the resurrection of Jesus is a historical event, we can believe in God and hold our theology. Because the Genesis account of Creation is historical, it contains important spiritual and theological lessons about God and about humans.
The First Line of Creation
In the Beginning. The Hebrew expression bere’shit, “in the beginning,” is emphasized. This expression is placed at the beginning of the opening sentence of Genesis. Additionally, this expression also receives an emphatic accent that singles it out and separates it from the rest of the sentence. According to this accentuation, the sentence should be punctuated and read thus: “In the beginning; God created heavens and earth.” The phrase bere’shit is, in fact, a technical expression specifically associated with the Creation account. It is indeed significant that this expression is very rarely used in the Hebrew Bible. Outside of Genesis 1:1, bere’shit occurs only four times, and only in Jeremiah. In Jeremiah, bere’shit belongs to a regular stylistic formula, alluding to the introductory words of the Creation account (Jer. 26:1; Jer. 27:1; Jer. 28:1; Jer. 49:34, 35), although the messages themselves have no direct reference to the Creation account.
God. The emphasis on this “beginning” is reinforced by the emphasis on the Hebrew name ’Elohim, “God,” to designate God in the Creation account (Gen. 1:1–2:4). This name is derived from the root ’alah, which conveys the idea of strength and preeminence. The plural form confirms this emphasis, since it is a literary expression of intensity and majesty, rather than an indication of a numerical plural “gods.” Such a plural form would imply a non-Israelite polytheistic belief in several gods. ’Elohim refers to the great God who transcends the universe. The rhythm of Genesis 1:1 resonates with the message of the preeminence of ’Elohim. The word ’Elohim appears in the middle of the verse. In addition, the accent (disjunctive atnach) that separates the verse into two equal parts is attached to the word ’Elohim, “God,” which, in the traditional chanting in the synagogue, marks the pause and the climax of the verse. “God” is the most important word of the verse, not only because He is the subject of the sentence but also because of the rhythm of the phrase.
Created. The word bara’, “create,” occurs five times in the Creation account (Gen. 1:1, 21, 27 [three times]; Gen. 2:3; Gen. 2:4), thus indicating its inherent belonging to that particular event of “Creation.” Moreover, in the Hebrew Bible, this verb is always and exclusively used in connection with God as its subject.
The Heavens and the Earth. The first sentence of the Bible, “God created heavens and earth,” establishes from the very beginning that God and His creation are two distinct things that do not derive from each other. The phrase “heavens and earth” is a merism (two contrasting parts that refer to the whole) in which the combination of the two contrasting elements of the phrase refers to the totality of the universe, implying that all has been created by God. The use of the same phrase at the end of the Creation account, referring to the Creation week (Gen. 2:1, 4), suggests that the Creation of “heavens and earth” refers specifically to the human world that was created during that week. At the same time, this phrase does not exclude the possibility of other creations outside of the Creation week.
Part III: Life Application
In the Beginning God. The event of Creation is the primary foundation for human faith in God. To believe in Creation, to believe that I owe my existence and the reality of the world to Someone whom I do not see and who was before I was, is the first act of faith. It is noteworthy that the only biblical definition of faith is related to Creation; as Paul, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, puts it: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Creation is one event in history that took place when humans were not yet present to see it and attest to it. Creation is, therefore, the event par excellence that requires faith and, by implication, is a revelation from above. It also is significant that Paul begins his list of faithful acts with Creation: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3, NKJV). Theological thinking, like faith, must first begin with the acknowledgment of Creation.
How does the fact that faith begins with the belief in Creation affect my life and my choices?
What lesson do we learn from God’s creating when we were not around to witness the event and from our resting on Sabbath to celebrate His work for us?
Notes