IN THE BEGINNING
Chapters 1-2
Key Verses
1:1-5 At the dawn of time God created the entire expansive universe. The earth itself was empty and in utter darkness. Over the surface of the dark and empty seas hovered the Spirit of the Living God. From out of the formless void, God spoke: “Light! Come forth! And the light appeared out of the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness night. Evening came, followed by morning—the very first day of creation.
1:26-31 And God spoke again: “Let us create humankind in our own image, fashioning them to reflect our likeness and nature; and they shall be responsible for all that lives within the sea, upon the earth, and in the air—every living creature upon the earth.” …And he created humans as a complementary duality—male and female. …When he had finished the whole of creation, the Lord God considered all that he had made and he saw that it was wonderfully good.
2:7-17 When the Lord made the first man, he fashioned him out of the earth and blew the breath of life into the man’s lifeless nostrils. With that divine breath, man became a living being. God then led the man he had made to a vibrant garden he had planted - the Garden of Eden. And he gave the man the joy-filled task of tending and caring for it. …Now in the center of the Garden were the tree of life and the tree of moral discernment…And the Lord gave man this strict command: “Of all the trees in the garden, there is but one from which you must not eat. It is the tree of moral discernment. If you eat from that tree, you will most certainly taste of death."
2:18-25 The Lord then said, “It is not good that the man is alone. I will create the perfect partner for him. …And the Lord fashioned the first woman…from out of the man. This is the basis of the sacred bond of marriage and the reason a man will leave his father and mother to embrace his wife. They unite as one flesh, sharing all that is intimate. The first couple, however, felt not the slightest hint of guilt or shame in their state of total nakedness.
Basic Message
God created the universe and all life forms on earth. He created man and woman with a special relationship and mission. They were to tend the Garden together and obey the word of their Creator, whose provision of a wholesome, guilt-free existence in relationship with him made their lives both meaningful and fulfilling. They were at peace with one another, with God, and with the creation from which they had come and of which they were an integral part.
Comments
* Many people stumble over the origins of life and the existence of an original paradise. The issue, however, is surely a distraction from the central message inherent in these first passages of Genesis – a message unequivocally focused on why – not how, when, or where. How, when, and where the earth and humans came to be are certainly legitimate concerns, especially for those who feel they must reconcile a religious with a scientific worldview, but they are most certainly not the concern of the Bible. The scriptures definitively answer the question of why in innumerable passages that refer to love as God’s motivation for giving rise to life on earth and the existence of humankind.
* The passages tell us that the Word of God was the tool God used to bring about creation. God’s Word is not only the creative force by which the worlds were formed, it is also the source of truth, healing, and reality as expressed through various biblical characters – especially the priests, prophets, and disciples of God's Anointed One. The Word of God is more powerful and real than the universe it created, and remains so today. But more importantly, the Word of God is incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, whose active presence is inferred in the plural references God makes to himself in several verses in Genesis. “Let us created humankind in our own image” immediately begs the question who “us” might be. The answer comes in the full revelation of scripture and most notably in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, which states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.”
In both the Gospels of Luke and John, Jesus states that Moses was referring to him in the Pentateuch. In Luke 24:44, he states that everything written about him in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms will be fulfilled, obviously meaning that Moses, whether mindfully or not, was referring to Jesus in his writings. Jesus directly states the same in John 5:46 when he says “Moses…wrote about me” when replying to Jewish leaders who questioned his authority to heal on the Sabbath.
* The fact that mankind is created in God’s image has numerous ramifications. Two of the more important human characteristics that result from formation in the divine image are intentionality and choice, which lead to the possibility of true love as well as rejection and separation between man and God. Moral choice carries with it consequences that impact man’s conscience, his relationship with God, with others, and with Creation. Eternal life, represented by the Tree of Life in the center of God's garden, is accessible through humanity's exercise of free will and moral choice - a matter of utmost importance to God (not what type of fruit mankind eats).
* Creation was declared good because it perfectly reflected the goodness of the Creator. Adam and Eve, as part of the Creation, were to express their free will and moral choices not only in how they interacted with God (e.g. obeying his commands) but also in how they interacted with Creation. To take from it what was not allowed to satisfy their own self-centered ambitions had grave moral consequences for both themselves and the Creation. Things are no different today in how we relate to the created order upon which we are utterly dependent for our livelihood and well-being.
Biblical Themes
1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13
