Creation, Maybe We Got It Wrong

Do you believe in the accuracy of Genesis One? In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth." God revealed to Moses how the earth was formed. Lots of Study Bibles call this the "Creation Account" or the "Creation Story." But what if that is not really the point? What if God had something else in mind and the purpose of  Genesis Chapter One has a different focus entirely?

From my early days as a believer I was confronted with the question of creation and the authenticity of Genesis Chapter One. Way back when I was in high school the topic found its way into our biology class. Our teacher's main focus was on the theory of evolution. We spent weeks reviewing the logic and science of Darwin's postulation. She gave about ten minutes to the religious theory that this was an act of God. Most of us believed in God and that He had something to do with the stuff that allowed for evolution, however, the science and reason for an evolutionary process seemed overwhelming. That the creation account received ten minutes is more than most public schools would allow today. As time passed and I came to accept the truth of Jesus, Messiah, as my Savior and Lord I was introduced to other avenues of the creation story. Books by Henry Morris and Duane Gish found their way into my library and a few "Creation Research" conferences gave the Bible's account greater authenticity and authority. There was scientific evidence for a young earth and evolution became more of an act of faith than recognizing an intelligent designer. Obviously Genesis One was there to tell us of have God created the earth and the universe around us. You know, the creation story.

But what if that is not really the point. It is "a" point, but what is "the" primary point and purpose for this message from Moses? To understand my point you must put on your "way-back" sandals and travel back to somewhere around Exodus 19. Israel, God's people, have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 years in Egypt, most of it as slaves to various Pharaohs. One of their jobs was to build. They built memorials to Pharaoh, cities, walls and many temples to honor the Egyptian gods and goddesses. No formal worship of their God. Elohim or Yahweh were known and practiced, however, all the worship celebrations surrounded the Egyptian deities. The Lord God takes on the main gods and goddesses of Egypt when He sends the plagues that would eventually free His people. Ra was the sun god so God took away the sun, Nut was the goddess of the sky which would rain fire and hail. Osiris was the goddess of vegetation, which was eaten by the locust. Hapi the god of the Nile's origin, the Nile is turned to blood. Horus is the protector of Pharaoh, not very effective. There is Anubis, the God of the dead, yet even Pharaoh's son dies. Isis the goddess of life and healing and Hathor, the goddess of  love and music. All proven to be impotent against the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A visual lesson put on display for all of the children of Israel to see. Even in the end the mighty Ra and Horus, the god assigned to protect Pharaoh, are helpless while Pharaoh and his armies are drowned in the sea.

Now God's people are a strong nation of free people rather than slaves. They have not been free for a long time. They honestly have no idea how to function as a nation. God in His mercy and grace takes them to Mount Sinai and gives Moses the instructions and directions they need to properly worship and serve Him and the necessary guidelines to live together as His people. The first thing God tells them is that He is the maker of heaven and earth. Not Atam the Egyptian god of creation, not Ra or Isis or Nut or any of the gods and goddesses whose temples they built and whose festivals surrounded them. Perhaps, Genesis one is more about the Creator than the creation. Perhaps it is a beginning point for a new nation of God's people. He, Yahweh, is the maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them. He made the sun, not Ra, He brought vegetation, not Osiris. It is a significant claim. It goes in opposition of all they had been immersed in for generation after generation. This truth is not impressed upon Israel alone.

Here are a few examples. Genesis 14:22, “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth” Joshua 2:11, Rahab is speaking, “And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” 2 Kings 19:15, “Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” 2 Chronicles 2:12, Hiram also said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son.“ Jonah 1:9, So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” (emphasis mine) Even the pagan nations recognized this truth about the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,is the God of creation. With all the gods and goddesses that all the nations honored, the events of Egypt forever brand Him as the Maker of heaven and earth. 

Unfortunately, it is a reality Israel would struggle to keep in focus. However, it is the foundation for all that follows Genesis One. He is creator. The details simply put that on display. Genesis One is much more about the Creator than the creation. Israel needed to be reminded of this from the very beginning. Perhaps we need to spend less time defending the creation story and more time worshiping the Lord God, maker of heaven and earth.

The Power of Words

Have you considered the power of words? Language is a remarkable thing. The ability to communicate, both in the spoken and written word is pretty amazing. I sit here with my laptop striking keys in an order that will produce words and you sit where ever you might be and read them. With some measure of cognitive ability, assuming I write in a coherent fashion, you will grasp what I intended to communicate. With our growing technology this is something that can happen almost instantly around the globe. Even with the multiple kinds of language we still find ways to communicate. It is a gift from God that we should not take lightly. We are warned of the power of words by James. Words may do great good or be the source of profound evil. We will touch on that truth and then make just a little comparison with the word's of power that God spoke. Something I am sure we all know, however, it is good to be reminded now and then just what the Scriptures have to tell us about those words.

James is concerned with how believers treat one another. He is not alone. Our Lord and Messiah came to the Father with the simple request that we might be one as He and the Father were one. See John 17 for the context and details. Words can either help that prayer become a reality or greatly damage its possibility. James writes, "Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell" (James 3:5-6). With the same mouth we bless God and curse men who are made in His likeness. James says these things ought not to be.Undisciplined words disqualify leaders, damage reputations and divide fellowships. However, they also bring healing and encouragement. Solomon writes, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver"(Proverbs 25:11). Actually, Proverbs offer much counsel on the use of words. There are few of us who have escaped occasional words that fillet the soul and rend the heart. Rather, we are to be those who bring a healing balm to the lives of the wounded and broken hearted.

As remarkable and powerful as our words might be, they are not much compared to the words spoken by God. I have spent a bit of time in Genesis chapter one and it occurred to me that Isaiah was more than right when he said, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). It is a powerful statement, however if you want to add some real strength to it look out your window. God spoke and everything you see came into being. Our words do not come close to that kind of creative power. John 1:1 elaborates and lets us know it was Messiah, God's Son who was the creative agent. Colossians 1:16-17 agrees and goes on to say Messiah holds it all together, " all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Hebrews explains that it is by His word that this is so, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). God spoke and everything came into being and continues by His powerful word.

There was a time when my "prosperity" brothers tried to claim that we as believers have the same power, the power to speak health, wealth, and prosperity into our own personal existence. They found a remarkable difference between the Greek word, logos, and another Greek word, rhēma, logos is the far more common word and is most know in John 1 where the Word is a reference to Messiah, God's Son. rhema is said to be the relational word and the spoken word while logos was the written word, sort of. The problem is that the New Testament writers used them interchangeably as does other Greek literature. They are synonyms. My point is not to discuss the merits of these theological positions but to point out that no one has ever spoken a giant redwood into assistance or even and a dandelion for that matter. God's spoken words are beyond comparison just as the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us has no comparison either.

The next time you feel a bit out of control and overwhelmed take a look around yourself and remember all that is, even the dirt you stand on, came into being by God simply speaking and it was so. He also is holding it all together. As the old song goes, "He's got the whole world in His hands." Then it might help to get the focus off of yourself and go deliver some encouraging and uplifting words to someone else. I would not be surprised if it did you both.

Understanding the Real Word of God

How would you describe the Bible to someone who had never seen it before? A number of possibilities might come to mind. It is the Word of God. Which may not be all that helpful to the inquisitive yet ignorant mind of the seeker. It is a Theology book, or maybe something about ethics or an ideology. That may be true, but it would be unhelpful to the uninformed. You could go with history, however, the history that is there is rather spotty. It also contains some pretty unsettling stories of immoral behavior, murder and a touch of the supernatural. There are times when this history isn't even chronological and bounces from one genre to another. Stories, poetry, letters, some rather apocalyptic stuff, with both gaps and redundancy. It doesn't even seem to hold a very consistent order of things. Moving from expression of literature to another. And what of some of those strange literary images of beasts and wheel inside wheels. None of the Christmas tree topper angels looked like these descriptions. As believers, we can take for granted that all this makes some sort of sense.

Yet, even for us, we tend to gravitate from one Biblical category to another. There is a bit of truth in all of our labels, however, none are really all that satisfying. We struggle, in part, because we are bound to our culture. If you come from a western mindset, Europe or America for example, you view things from a certain perspective. Even those at a greater arms distance have been affected by the influence that western, American, culture wields. With the internet, music and the American film culture few have escaped the western influence. For whatever reason God has determined to reveal Himself through a record of encounters with humanity. For the most part, through His relationship with Israel. The events recorded are relational and experiential, giving information as to who God is, what He has done and what He requires of His creation. We learn of Him through the recorded accounts of His people over an extended time. The accounts are not sanitized or edited to make them more palatable. They carry the wonder of grace and kindness and the horror of depravity and unspeakable cruelty. They do so because that is the reality of humanity either in concert with God's instructions and directions for life or the abject rejection of His authority. These are placed on display in various degrees of agreement or rebellion for us to review, consider and apply.

Western culture prefers order, neat timelines and crisp structure to our stories. We want logic and the right answers. While at the same time we are sold out to situation ethics and flexible morality that changes with the times. The good guys should win, in the end. Directions should be evident and relatively easy to follow. How you feel is important and as long as nobody gets hurt, your actions should not be judged. As the revelation God has chosen to share does not follow those guidelines we pursue ways to make God's accounts more acceptable. Thus, theologians may spend a lifetime writing a systematic theology to gather all the fragments of delineated concepts into one discernible package. We spend vast amounts of time categorizing and cataloguing our findings. We tag them with impressive titles like, pneumatology, hamartiology, Christology and eschatology. We endeavor to create timelines and chronologies so the stories of the Bible can be followed easily and grouped together in handy flow charts. We also spend generations debating topics like "free will vs predestination" "faith and works" and whether you are pre-, post, or a-millennial, struggling to convince the rest of Christendom that we have the right answer.

None of these are particularly wrong. However, I fear we miss much of the real revelation of God in our vain attempt to organize and codify what has been graciously given to us. God integrates everything He chooses to reveal to us. What we desire to divide, the Lord reveals as an integrated whole. As we strive to know the right answer, God desires a right relationship. He gives us a book of examples as to how to achieve that and how to see relationships fall apart. We argue over the future while God reveals how we should live now. We develop charts and timelines while God reveals that He works in cycles. He lets us know if we fail this time there will be another opportunity to get it right. Our timelines tend to imprison us in failure while God reveals that He gives second chances.

Perhaps we need to step back and let the Word of God just be what it is. A remarkable gathering of profoundly messy relationships and experiences with the God of Israel and among the humans that have inhabited this planet. That is where we learn what we need to know. We learn of compassion from the story of Ruth. How to deal with unjust accusations as we follow David while he flees from Saul. Justice and mercy in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. God's sovereign control in the story of Esther. A bit about the consequences of deceit and the God of second chances from the life of Jacob. How God redeems a murderer in the life of the Apostle Paul. The hope of the resurrection from the women at the tomb. Real people, real relationships, real life experiences with the God of creation. Has our effort to "rightly divide the Word of truth" left us with a cold academics that denies the real Word of God? A message from a God who loved us so much He recorded a book filled with experiences we can relate to just to show us who He is and how we can best live life in the here and now. Maybe this is the real revelation God has given us after all.