Genesis 1:1-2:3 - in the beginning: order out of chaos

Photo credit: Terranaut | Pixabay

Genesis 1:1-2:3

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).  We know this story so well - God spoke creation into existence, in all its majesty and magnificence; God made order out of chaos, God saw that it was good.  Sometimes when things are familiar, it is difficult to know what to say about them without going into much greater depth than I will allow myself here, as what we do know, we take for granted.  So, reading the creation account, what strikes me afresh today?

There is a God-given order and purpose to the world.  We'll learn in just a few chapter's time how that order gets distorted and broken, but for now, we see how God gives each thing meaning and purpose.  Some commentators go as far as to say that this account has nothing at all to do with the material origins of the world (although they would not deny that God did 'make' the world), but regardless of whether that is the case, it is clear that God's work in defining the universe - what things were for, what they meant - is fundamental here.

In the first three days, we see a pattern of separation, definition, and value.  God separates light from darkness, sky from earth, and land from sea.  He gives these domains names: day, night, sky and land and seas.  And then, most important of all, he declares them to be good.   From verse 11 onwards, we see a theme of filling up with life start to emerge: vegetation on the third day, sea creatures and birds (day 5) and land animals and people (day 6).  But we still see a continuation of the ordering theme: God doesn't just set the sun. moon and stars in the sky, but each has meaning in the way we understand the world.  The changing of the seasons, accompanied by the changing positions of the stars in the sky, would be something upon which to build not only agriculture, but society and and worship.  The living things God creates behave according to their kinds - each has a distinct value and role to play.  And again, it is good.  

When God creates human beings, he creates them male and female in his image - the complimentary relationship and dependence on each other (particularly as a society - if nothing else, we cannot procreate without both sexes, and thus continue God's creation mandate), is God's way of showing us himself - relational and defined by love.  Humans are given the mandate to cultivate the earth - to bring meaning to it and continue to make it fit for habitation.  There is no direct mention of worshipping God, because the whole account is an invitation to worship him, and the whole of human experience is one of living in God's 'temple' and serving there, doing his work.  (In the following chapter, the word abad is used when describing Adam being put in the garden to 'work' it (Genesis 2:15), but this Hebrew word is also used to mean 'worship' and is used to describe the work of priests in the temple.  They are one and the same.)

Finally, God assigns meanings to days.  Physically, the 24-hour period designated as 'Sabbath' is no physically different to any other day.  The sun still shines, the rain still falls, the crops still grow.  But in Exodus 22 God confirmed to his people that this day was to be set apart for rest: and it starts here - with God resting on the seventh day.  Creation is meant to be enjoyed, appreciated, and work is meant to have rest.

It becomes more and more apparent as the Bible goes on how all creation reflects who God is. Psalm 19:1 says: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 104:27 says: All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.  In the time I've been writing this blog I have reflected on how the dawning of each day, the coming of spring, and the way in which God has assigned us times to rest.  

What we call things, how we classify then (and by extension, how we value them), is fundamentally important.   We can all be described as a selection of cells.  If we were to look under a microscope we would see the intricate 'stuff' that makes us.  But we are also people, an identity, a value and a purpose.  The identity - made in the image of God - is something that transcends our physical make-up, and yet is reflected in it when we see the beauty of God's design.

This ordering of the world also enables us to be able to see that things are not as they should be.  If there is no good as declared by God, we would not be able to do so.  Genesis 3, which I'll get to in due course, describes how the natural order was disrupted.  There are many people who try to reject the idea of there being a 'right' way.  If there is no right way, then there is no wrong way - just infinite variety.  It's one way of dealing with life when things don't 'fit'.   Of course, there are many rules and conventions that are made up by society.  Pink for girls and blue for boys, for example, is just a relatively recent societal norm - there's nothing about those colour wavelengths that are inherently masculine or feminine.  If that were the case for everything, then those who reject objective truths would have a point.  We would be free to define things with our own labels, placing our own value on things as we see fit.  If we take this view to an extreme, there would be no need to see any kind of sickness as something gone 'wrong' - just something 'different'.

The Bible gives us a better solution to this chaos.  The world of Genesis 1 is not the one that will stay forever. John writes in Revelation 21:1: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. God will make everything new - the order and meaning and purpose will be fully restored.  And something that makes this new creation great?  Like a piece of Japanese kinsugi pottery, I think the brokenness that makes no sense, that just look like things 'not working' in the current creation, will be given meaning in the new creation.  I believe this because of the way the risen Jesus is depicted - when he appears to his disciples, the marks of the crucifixion in his hands, feet and sides are still visible (John 2:27).  We get a glimpse of that now, but when God brings order out of chaos for a second time, we will see fully.

Next: Genesis 2 - why are we here?