Thoughts on Genesis 1

I've been trying something new as I've been reading through Genesis and as I continue to read through the rest of the Torah. I've been trying to read it as an old Jewish man who is telling the story of the Torah to his children or grandchildren. I even have a particular accent that pops in my head from time to time. It's entertaining and it helps me realize that the words that I'm reading were passed on in such a manner for generations. It also serves to remind me of the heritage that I share in. It has been particularly helpful for passages which I've read time and time again. It puts the slightest angle on them so that I can hear them in a fresh way.

One such passage is the creation account in Genesis 1. Every time I try to read through the Bible I start at Genesis 1 and I rarely get much farther. I begin and before I finish verse two, I find myself having to start over and reread what I've read over a hundred times. It's because I feel like I didn't get it. It's like I've read it so many times that it just goes in one ear (eye) and out the other. Then when I finally get to the beginning of the creation story in verse three, I find that I have to keep doing the same thing over and over again – reading two verses and then rereading them, then reading three verses and rereading two, slowly making my way through the chapter. It became very frustrating.

At first I thought it was just because I needed to ask the Holy Spirit to help me as I read, to open my eyes and ears and heart to the text so that it could truly get in. This was really a guilty feeling because it seemed like I was having this problem as a result of having a closed heart. Then, after that didn't seem to help out too much I started considering other reasons why I was having trouble reading through this story. Maybe it really was just that I had read it so many times that I already knew what was there and my mind just kind of skipped over the information that it already had. So I began to ask God to help me read the text with new eyes, I tried reading it from different translations that I'd never read before . . . still nothing. Eventually I realized it probably isn't so much a heart problem as a mind problem. The problem was focus. And I'm sure it did have a lot to do with how many times I've read it, but I just needed to find a way to really focus on what I was reading.

That's when I started coming up with things like the Jewish narrator. I my mind had to focus on what I was reading because I was telling it to someone, so I had to pay attention. It's helped a lot. A couple other things that have also helped were reading background materials and other people's insights on Genesis 1. I've also began reading Genesis 1 as a prologue to the book, as a separate account of creation from chapter two. I've been reading Genesis 1 now as a poem. It's an introduction to the book of Genesis showing that the God who Genesis introduces is the Almighty Lord of all creation, coming from nothing and creating out of nothing. When you think about it, it's a doxology. But it's a clever one. When I think of a doxology, I think of humans vocalizing the glory of God by describing his attributes. But the first chapter of Genesis doesn't just give us a list of reasons why our God is so glorious and holy. Genesis describes for us the glory and greatness and kindness and mercy of our God by telling us a story.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Gen. 1:1

Genesis 1 will show us a picture of God's greatness in this story of creation. As the author recites his poem, he goes into great detail showing the power of God to bring forth a world in such order from such chaos. There is extra significance in creation taking place over six days. Of course the Almighty Lord of all creation could have created the entire world with everything that fills it instantaneously by simply speaking the word. But it is significance that this Almighty God spends time creating. He works. He doesn't just snap his fingers. He calls creation step by step. Then, when his work is finished, he rests. It is all very good. It is perfect – because it is the work of God, how could it be anything less than perfect? Then, Almighty God takes his perfect creation and . . . gives . . . it.

He gives it.

He gives it to mankind. After all, this is why he created mankind.

"Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Gen. 1:26

And if the reason why he created mankind was to give us this gift of creation, then is it too much to propose that perhaps the whole reason why he created was to give the creation to us?

Everything that we see, all that exists, all that is on the earth and all that fills the heavens – could it be that it was all created for us?

It's ironic that we have to be careful when we speak of God giving us a gift, especially one like this, but we must.

Our Creator does not give like we give. When God gives, it is not because he needs our favor, our praise, or even our recognition. When God gives it is because he loves us. It is because his love says it is good to share his creation with us.

Because I am a sinful person in a sinful world full of sinful people, I have gotten used to the idea of people giving gifts to earn favor. Someone will do something for me so that I will either like them more or so that I will return the favor. It would be an incredible error to fall into this kind of insincere appreciation with God. Before we pay him the lip service of gratitude, we are well advised to take time to consider the greatness of this gift, and then attempt to realize the greatness of the giver. Then, only in utter humility and unworthiness can we even begin to thank God for what he has given us.

Father, thank you for your gift of creation.
Thank you for providing for us everything that we will ever need.
Help us to see that all that we need is in you.
Help us not to esteem the gift over the giver,
But help us also not to take the gift for granted.
Help us not to abuse, ignore, or disregard what you've given us.
Help us to use what you've given us to glorify you.