Some of the key Covenants of God are disclosed in Genesis...along with significant historic events such as the Creation, the "Fall", the Flood, and many others.
Chapter 3 – Part 1
Creation, Paradise Lost, and
Other Mysteries of Life
(Genesis 1-3)
“Genesis”…
·
Hebrew: bereshith
bara Elohim = in/at the “beginning” God created (i.e., the opening words
from Genesis 1)
·
Greek: “Genesis” = origin or beginning
·
The book is not only the first book of the
Hebrew and Christian Bible, but also functions
to tell us the beginning of
God’s purpose for Creation – living in relationship with Him.
·
Human Authorship:
o
Some traditional Jewish scholars (followed by
traditional Christian scholars) give credit to Moses
o
However, most scholars hold to the Document
Hypothesis origin, which states that the Torah (first five books of the Hebrew
Scriptures) are the compilation of multiple writers whose information was handed
down through generations via oral tradition, only to be recorded later during
Moses’ life.
·
Uniqueness
o
Judaism is the first monotheistic religion of
recorded time. Thus, the book of Genesis introduces the reader to the existence
and truth of the One, True God of creation.
** The Bible begins and ends with God – Hebrew, El(oah)
·
God has no beginning and no end – he is eternal
·
God is a “plurality” of persons, yet one God
o
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God (i.e.:
Elohim = Plural of El…but not “Gods” since
God is “one”, as we learn later in the Bible – Deuteronomy 6:4)
o
See also Isaiah 6:8 – God speaks of himself as
“Us”
Part 1: The Two Creation Accounts
(Genesis 1 and 2)
** Same message…different Emphasis/Focus
The “First” Creation Account
Genesis 1 – 2:3 – A Focus on Creation
** …for Engineer
types
Day 1: Light
Day 2: Sky and Sea
Day 3: Dry land and plants
Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars (Day and Night)
Day 5: Birds and Fish
Day 6: Animals and Humanity
Day 7: Sabbath
The “Second” Creation Account
Genesis 2:4-25 – A Focus on Humanity
** …for “Feelers”
First: Man
Second: Eden (Garden)
Third: Trees, plants, water
Fourth: Inhabitation (Man goes to Eden)
Fifth: Animals, birds
Sixth: Woman – Hebrew, ishah
= “out of man”
The Key Points Common to Both Accounts:
1.
God Created.
a.
He is All-Powerful and is the sole Creator of
all that is.
b.
He is transcendent from his creation.
c.
He is the Life-giver
2.
Humanity is the Highlight of Creation
a.
Humanity made in the Image of God
i. What
does “Image of God” mean?
1.
Humans are created with a spiritual component
that the rest of creation does not share.
2.
“Image of God” has nothing to do with an innate
capacity to become a god (as in Mormon theology)
ii. Note:
Humanity’s perfect expression is Male/Female. (It’s not about
superiority/inferiority, dominance, rolls, etc.) See -
Galatians 3:28
iii. Note
2: With reference to the physical and spiritual “Image of God” (see p. 37 in
the textbook) remember, God is Spirit (c.f.: John 4:24). So other than Jesus
Christ, we don’t know what “physical” realities or likenesses humanity shares
with Him.
iv. All
Biblical references to the God the Father and even Holy Spirit are
anthropomorphisms = analogies to the human existence/body that help us
understand some truth about God.
b.
Humanity given “dominion” over Creation
i. Dominion
implies and ascribes stewardship responsibilities
ii. Dominion
is not license to abuse or misuse.
Note: See
Romans 8:17
So why the Differences in the Accounts?
The easy answer: It’s all about the emphasis.
·
The “First” account emphasizes the sovereign
role of the Almighty God who is able to create out of nothing (what Theologians
call, Ex Nihilo – Latin for “out of
nothing”) WITHOUT regard to the response of the creation.
o
Again…this emphasizes the transcendence of
God…that he is completely “other” than creation.
·
The “Second” account emphasizes the intimate
nature of the Loving God who cares for his creation, especially for humanity,
by providing sustenance and purpose for his creation (again, especially for humanity)
with TOTAL regard for the hoped-for response from creation…that we would love
God in return
o
It is only through the Ruach (Hebrew for “Breath/Wind of God” or Holy Spirit) that
creation has its life.
o
Note: The Greek (New Testament language) equivalent
Ruach is pneuma. Pneuma means both wind and spirit. This makes John 3:1-10 completely connected to the Genesis story, which is
understandable to the Jewish ear.
Part 2: “He Made Me Do It!” – The
Fall and its Fallout
(Genesis 3)
Eden was the perfect existence for humanity. God was
providing all they needed: physically, emotionally, relationally,
spiritually. So what happened? Why are we not living with God in an uninterrupted
existence? The answer is often called, the “Fall”.
THE TRANSITION:
Genesis 2:15-17
The
LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the
garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (NRSV)
** The Creation Stories revealed the perfect life…what some
call “Paradise.”
Note: Now, since the Fall, these Creation Stories give us a
preview of what God desires for humanity and all of creation when he returns to
make a “new heaven and a new earth.”
THE TEMPTATION:
“Understanding the Two Trees (p. 41 in the textbook)
“Tree of Life” (Hebrew: Ayts
Chayim) – eating it seems to impart a destiny of permanence.
“Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” – eating it…
1.
Is in direct disobedience to the first
prescriptive or command in the Bible.
2.
Imparts a condition of separation from
God…“death”
3.
“Evil” = disobedience to the will of God
THE TEMPTER: The “Snake”
** The Essence of the temptation: “…your eyes will be opened and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
Note: As the textbook says, the interesting thing is, humans
are already like God in that they are made in his image.
Tragic Consequences of the Fall:
1.
All of creation suffers.
2.
Humanity is separated from God and banished from
Eden.
3.
The Snake (personification of Satan) is
condemned.
4.
Humanity is doomed to a life of “labor”
a.
A woman’s labor will be in the “pain” of
childbirth and she will also be “ruled” by her husband (3:16)
b.
A man’s labor will be in the anguish of working
for his food.
Note: This is exacerbated by the impact of the Fall on the ground,
itself, causing the deterioration of the soil from which he must grow food.
Note
2: And as the textbook notes, an additional consequence of the Fall is the
impact on the rest of creation. Specifically, God sacrificed an animal for its
skin so Adam and Eve might cover themselves.
“Young Earth” vs. “Old Earth” Tension
…not in the text book…
** The “Young Earth” adherents are often called “Biblical
Creationists”, and are almost exclusively Jews and Christians. They believe
that God created the world only a few thousand (5,000-10,000) years ago.
·
This is due to their belief that one can count
back in Genesis from the time of Abraham in order to discern the age of the
Earth.
·
It is done by using a very literal
interpretation of the creation story, specifically that the “days” of the
creation story were 24-hour periods.
** The “Old Earth” adherents, both Christian and secular,
who take “data” from observations and experiments to discern that the Earth is
likely 4.5-6 billion years old, with life forms inhabiting the Earth for about
2.5-3 billion years.
Note: Kirk’s personal stance (if you should care)…
·
I believe that the purpose of the Creation story
is to draw us closer to the God who created.
·
The age of creation is irrelevant to me, since
the point of the story is to give testimony to the Sovereign God who created. To say it another way…whether the Earth is
billions or only thousands of years old does not matter! What matters is “WHY” the Earth exists…and
“WHO” created it since it is scientifically “un-proveable” (i.e.: species do
not evolve from one species into another) and mathematically impossible (i.e.:
even given the oldest possible age for the Earth, and even IF humans could have
evolved from primates – for which there is absolutely no scientific evidence or
examples of that possibility, as mentioned above – there has not been enough
time for that sort of evolution to have taken place…see Dr. Hugh Ross, The Fingerprint of God) for humans to
exist via evolution.
·
ALL applications of Genesis (i.e.: trying to
prove the age of the Earth) are subject to speculation and interpretations
since the Bible does not speak directly to that issue, nor do we know with
absolute certainty that the “days” of Genesis are 24-hour periods or eras of
time.
·
The bottom line is: God created the world in order that the world
would serve his purpose. (See Romans 1:18-23)
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