Readings for today: Genesis 1-3, Psalm 1
The creation story of the Bible is unique among ancient near east creation narratives. Most of the other cultures surrounding ancient Israel described creation as a war between the gods and chaos. Light and darkness. Good and evil. Typically, the gods prevail over chaos and literally dismember it in order to make the heavens and the earth. It’s a gruesome, violent depiction. Furthermore, it’s a battle that never truly ends as the forces of chaos are always looking for opportunities to re-assemble and overthrow the natural order of things. This requires constant vigilance which is why so much of ancient near east worship was geared towards maintaining the order of the universe and appeasing the gods so they will protect and provide for humanity. It’s very transactional and mutually beneficial with both gods and humanity benefiting from the arrangement.
Genesis 1 tells a completely different story. God doesn’t battle the formless, empty depths of the waters at the beginning of time. There is no war in heaven as God struggles to impose His will on creation. No, God simply speaks and creation comes into being. Light (Time). Heavenly expanse (Weather). Dry land and vegetation (Food). The very building blocks of life for the people of the ancient near east. Sun and moon and stars to rule over time. Birds to fill the heavens and fish to fill the sea. Animals on the earth. All of it designed by God with humanity in mind. For we are the crown of His creation. The creatures made in His own image. Given dominion over all He has made. Called not to hold back chaos - that’s already taken care of - but to live in covenant relationship with God and care for all He has made. There is no hint of conflict. No hint of violence. No hint of heartbreak, suffering, or pain. At least, not until Genesis 3.
There are two critical takeaways from today’s reading that set up the rest of what we will read this year. First and foremost, we were made to live in perfect relationship with God. We were made to live with God in paradise. We were made to reflect His image and glory to the world. This was God’s great desire at the beginning and it remains His great desire to this day. Because we are made in God’s own image, we are created with agency. Free will. The ability to make choices and be held responsible for those choices. In relationships, love must be freely given and freely chosen or it is not love at all. Sadly, and here’s the second key takeaway, we chose “self” over God and fractured our relationship with Him with devastating consequences. Conflict entered the world for the first time. We now live in conflict with God, with each other, with the land, and even with ourselves. We’ve become agents of chaos now and all that has gone wrong in the world is the ripple effect of our sinful decision to walk away from God. From this point forward, God will re-enter the picture to fight the forces of chaos we’ve unleashed and yet He will never let go of His original dream. He will continue to work with us and through us to bring order and love and life to this world, entrusting us as people of faith to fulfill His original purposes. This is our call, friends, and the rest of the Bible is the story of God’s mission to restore all that was lost.
How can you join Him today?
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 4-7, Psalm 2