Genesis 1 - Probably about a WHO and not so much about a HOW.

Genesis 1 is, for most people, the CREATION chapter. It answers the question of where did everything come from and why it was made. The time frame of 7 days of creation has been an area of much debate. Did it take 6 literal 24 hour days? Or is it talking about 6 ages or epochs? A lot of serious attention has been given to resolve this, and I would suspect that this is because of Darwinian evolution theories and its contrast with Biblical creationism. Darwinian evolution is a hopeless belief that gives no point to human existence while Biblical creationism does. So, how we see creation is very important, but perhaps in trying to solve the time issues the real focus of Genesis 1 has been overshadowed which is really more about WHO the Hebrew God is and what he is like.

The ancient near eastern world was fairly united in their creation stories. In the beginning there was a world of darkness and chaos, covered in waters that were inhabited by evil forces and dragons. The sea was greatly feared because of its mystery, danger, and depths of darkness. It was the perfect dwelling place for the forces of evil that continually sought to bring death and chaos to humankind. This dark, watery world, however, was present before humans appeared on the scene. For the Babylonians, the sea was the abode of the evil goddess Tiamat, the great she-dragon. It was the god Marduk who challenged Tiamat and defeated her and took her out of the sea to cut her in half and from her body the heavens and the earth were created. For other societies (Canaanite, Assyrian, etc.) the story was basically the same except the names of the gods and dragons were different. From this new earthly creation the gods and the goddesses were able to obtain food, shelter, and warmth. The deities, however, soon grew tired of having to provide for themselves and so it was decided to create human slaves who would do the menial work. Marduk put it this way, 'From blood and bones I will create a savage who will be called MAN. He shall be charged with serving the gods so that we might be at ease'. Humans were nothing but slaves, fetchers of food, water, and firewood for the gods.

There are some similarities from these stories to the Genesis story, There is nothing but darkness, water, and chaos (nothing is formed or shaped). It is from this dark, watery earth that God orders the world and brings forth life. What if one of the purposes of Genesis 1 is to sabotage the Babylonian, Canaanite stories? What if God used this background of darkness, disorder, and lifelessness to reveal his character and person? Verse 3, 'Let there be light' seems out of place if Genesis 1 is about how creation was made, It does make sense, however, if this is about who or what the Hebrew God and creator is like, What the narrative tells us is that God is a god who brings light into darkened situations. This goes further when God brings forth the land, the sea, and the skies to prepare for life. From the unformed and unfilled earth God begins to bring forth ORDER, which he then fills with LIFE (the land is filled with, 'swarms of living creatures'. God likes life which is indicated by the SWARMS). So the order here is LIGHT, ORDER, and LIFE which shows what the Hebrew God is like and what is central about his character. He is a God who delights to bring light, order, and life into his creation. This not only applies to creation, but to human lives as well. The salvation experience is to really about bringing light, order, and life to humans who live in darkness, chaos, and meaninglessness.

The Genesis narrative doesn't end with this. Remember Marduk and his purpose for creating humans? Rather than being made slaves to serve the whims of the gods, humans are the crown of creation with both Men AND women being made in the image of God that they may reflect his character and  bring his presence into every situation they encounter (any Babylonian or Assyrian reading or hearing this would have been completely amazed that such a God could exist! Gob-smacked! as the British say). As we live as Christians we should be 'living images' where God is seen and experienced through who we are and what we do.

Our evangelistic witness tends to begin with the sacrifice of Christ and this is good and well (and essential!). But perhaps a better place to begin in our day is in Genesis 1. With so many people around us living dark, chaotic, and 'lifeless' meaningless lives, we can share with them about the Hebrew God, the creator, who delights in bringing light and purpose into darkened lives. We can also share his delight to bring order in chaotic lives, and finally fill them with abundant and everlasting life. What good news for so many today who live in hopelessness, chaos, and quiet desperation!