Hebraic Perspective of Gen 1.1-2.3

Gen 1.1-2.3 A Hebraic Perspective:

Read and encourage class to jot down questions they may have wondered about but were afraid to voice them.

Gen.1.1-2.3

Ask: What are some questions or even statements stuck out to you?

Explain: Biblical Scholars almost unanimously agree what was just read is Biblical Poetry in the Middle Eastern Style.

Let’s Discuss some terms:

בָּרָא‎ bārāʾ 48× [Q] to create11 William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 908.

“This” God is a Creator:

תֹּ֫הוּ‎ tōhû 20× formless, waste, empty11 William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1062.

בֹּ֫הוּ‎ bōhû 3× emptiness, desolation, a void associated with chaos;11 William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 902.

Put together it is “tohu va (and) bohu” meaning chaotic nothingness. Picture putting “nothing” in a blender; then hit “whip” you end up w/”tohu va bohu”.

Our (Western) thinking says “nothing in a blender?” and the ancient Hebraic thought (Eastern) says “Exactly! It’s even chaotic nothingness!”.

(Pause to allow them to ask questions and to ponder a few seconds).

“Hovering”: רָחַף merahepet.

Going back we see “this” God is a

A Creator

A Spirit

Now thirdly, “This” God Speaks making Him “Word”.

מְאֹד‎ meʾōd 300× a marker of great degree or quanity: very, greatly, exceedingly, much [3966] 11 William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 965.

“Very”

טוֹב‎ ṭôb 28× [Q] to be good, well, pleasing; [H] to do well, do good, prosper; this can refer to quality as well as to moral goodness11 William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 944.

“Good”

Breaking it down:

The repeated refrains:

Evening and Morning. What are your thoughts on that?

And it was good.

Major themes of this poem:

Creating for majority of the poem.

Resting: Ending of Poem w/God resting.

Discuss the handouts depicting the creation account:

-Where do the fish go? Where do the birds go?

-What do the sun, moon and stars provide?

-What is the habitation of the animals and the humans?

How much does God create? Technically not much b/c He separates during 1st 3 days (point this out on the handout).

Next God fills in the same order that He separates.

-Point out the line that if folded would fold these events upon themselves because of how they line up: 1-4; 2-5; 3-6.

This format/lineup is called a “chiasm”. a chiasm is a literary tool that Easterners liked to use when teaching.

This leads to pointing out the difference in how we (Westerners) and ancient Hebrews (Mid-Easterners) teach/taught:

-Westerners like to teach by making a point and then giving the supporting evidences of that particular point.

-Easterners have a teaching philosophy if you will of DISCOVERING which to them is TRUE learning. The art of discovery is EVERYTHING to the Easterner. The “point” is not going to stick out but has to be discovered as if on a treasure hunt. It’s going to be buried to lead one through the process of discovery. A chiasma approach was just one literary tool they use to accomplish this.

ASK: What are your thoughts on that? How is that sitting w/you? Anyone feeling uneasy about that?

What is a chiasm?

-It’s where the 1st part of the story mirrors the last part of the story.

-Can be mirrored in 2 different ways:

ABCD | DCBA which is an ACTUAL mirror

ABCD | ABCD parallel (has various forms)

Can also be a visual such as an hourglass or a diamond (see handout).

Gen 1 is unique in that it has both of the Chiasmic structures. NIV translation is a perfect example:

-Shows the paragraphs. Day one is a “baby paragraph; Day two is a “Mommy” paragraph; and day three is a “Daddy” paragraph. Followed by another “Daddy” paragraph; then a “Mommy” paragraph; followed by what would be a baby paragraph but except for the creation of man. This can make it a bit confusion but it is obvious that the creation of man is very important b/c it really sticks out.

-The expectation is that day 6 would be a baby paragraph but instead the focus is to point out the creation of man.

Chasmic literary structure:

ABC|CBA (baby, Mommy, Daddy|Daddy, Mommy, baby paragraph size).

Content of paragraphs are ABC|ABC: day 1-4; 2-5; 3-6.

-This is a very-well put together document!

-It’s showing the nature of God; the nature of the world He created; and the nature of Man.

I will admit when a former pastor would point this out in other parts of Scripture when teac, my eyes would glaze over. Maybe because I’m older now I’m more receptive to wanting to grasp this concept. Am I making sense?

QUESTIONS?

Ask: Do you think there are other evidences of this part of Scripture being a poem? If so what would you look for?

Answer: cadence, rhythm, patterns; numbers that jump out at us; and as already discussed refrains such as “it was evening; then it was morning” It was good; it was good.

Other examples:

patterns of 3’s. We’ve already seen 2 sets of 3’s in the mirroring of the days.

there is a “threeness” about this Creator: Spirit; bara; Word.

Bara appears 3 times: once in the beginning, once in the middle and the end. The end when it appears it does 3 times in is in rapid fire in the last few verses (vs 27).

There are 7 days so there should be patterns of 7’s. 1st verse in Hebrew is 7 words (7x1). 2nd verse has 14 (7x2). The word “earth” occurs 21 times (7x3). 35 words in the 7th verse of the poem (7x5); “God” is mentioned 35 times (7x5); the phrase “it was so” occurs 7 x’s in the poem; “and God saw” is 7x’s.

Patterns of 10: “to make” appears 10 times in the poem; “according to its kind” appears 10x’s; “and God said” appears 10 times in the poem and 3x’s in ref to people and 7x’s in ref to creatures. “Let there be” 10 times w/3 referencing to things in the heavens and 7 referencing things in the earth.

-This poem is full of patterns: 3, 7, 10. This is a chiastic structure that leads to pointing to the center.

-The key is looking for the bookends which are the outer-most/furthest-reaching at the top and the bottom that will lead to the treasure in the center.

So the example of the Genesis account:

A. In the beginning the earth was formless and empty (tohu va bohu). Chaotic nothingness.

Z. God Rests meaning He does NOTHING.

-So the story starts w/ “nothing” and ends w/”nothing”.

-The center of the poem (after counting the Hebrew words only) is the Hebrew word “moad”. The old translations would translate this word to mean “seasons”. The center should logically fall around day four. Lets read vss 14-19.

QUESTION: And what word do you think many of our modern translations use instead to mean “seasons”?

ANSWER: sacred times.

-Moad ends up being one of four words that we translate “sabbaths” or the idea of sabbaths such as festivals and parties which are times of RESTS.

-This is of course EXACTLY what God does at the end and continuously calls His people back to doing. The idea of sabbaths and resting are vital to the Hebrew people

QUESTION: From what has been said so far, why do you think the Sabbath is so important to the Hebrew people?

ANSWER: Because the Scriptures BEGIN with a massive poem about the idea of Shabbat (Sabbath)!

QUESTION: Why is “moad” the center of this first poem? Why is the idea of resting at the beginning of the whole of the Scriptures?

QUESTION: Who will be the first group of people hearing this poem for the first time

ANSWER: The Israelites.

QUESTION: Where will they be when they hear it the first time?

ANSWER: Mt Sinai.

QUESTION: Where have they just come from?

ANSWER: Egypt.

Discuss the slavery that occurred in Egypt (hard labor of making bricks for 430 years; no rest; value and worth was measured by what you could produce. if unable to produce the bricks then they would be removed from the equation).

QUESTION: What’s going to happen to your family that has depended on your ability to meet the quota of making the bricks? Your wife? Your daughter?

-The very first lesson the Israelites have to learn from God is the need to REST.

QUESTION: how many days per week were they required to work when slaves in Egypt?

ANSWER: 7

-Taking a break was to remind them that their value and worth does not come from what they could produce but because of WHO THEY WERE.

-In the creation of mankind God for first time says “VERY GOOD” pointing out how important their being created was. The literary structure BOLDLY points this out.

QUESTION: Why does God Rest?

ANSWER: God had done all and provided all that creation needs to flourish. Nothing more can be done to creation. It was EXACTLY as God wanted and He steps back admiring His work and to enjoy His creation.

TRIGGER WARNING: the ancient Hebrew did not see the beginning creation status as being PERFECT but as being GOOD. Now I know that goes against what we have been traditionally taught but look at what the texts ACTUALLY says and it’s NEVER perfect but again GOOD.

-Here’s what’s good: creation has the ability to reproduce on its own! It’s self sustaining in a way b/c God DESIGNED it that way! He doesn’t have to keep on creating every time something needs replacing b/c He designed for it to replace itself! Isn’t that cool!

-Evening and Morning is repeated for each day EXCEPT the Sabbath as if the Sabbath is go “hang out” forever-NEVER ENDS.

QUESTION: Are we wrapped up in the Egyptian mindset of “am I producing enough?”; “am I pretty enough?”;”am I small enough?”; “am I...enough?”. Are we slaves to “brickmaking” in trying to impress others so we can be accepted?

DISCUSS IT.

SOLUTION: stop and enjoy what God has done and who He created us to be. Trust that God has made a good creation. Trust that he has done ENOUGH-nothing else needs to be done. TRUST THE STORY. We are the CROWNING MOMENTS of God’s creation.

-ONE MORE THING: Evening and morning: In the Hebrew mindset the day does not begin w/production but begins w/REST. The first thing done in the Jewish culture is REST!!!

-SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT-ME INCLUDED- THE IMPORTANCE OF SHABBAT. I am not suggesting anything that would lead to legalism but just the concept of RESTING once a wk: REST; PLAY, NO WORK, GOD LOVES US. Jesus said “man is not for Sabbath; Sabbath is for man” God gave us Sabbath idea as a gift. We are not designed for Sabbath Sabbath is designed for us. It is a reminder we are loved, valued, accepted by God just b/c of who we are and not because of what we do. USE MARTY’S ILLUSTRATION OF NOT SHAVING HIS HEAD OR NOT MAKING HIS BED B/C IT REMINDS HIM GOD LOVES HIM EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE IN SEEMINGLY CHAOS.