2022 Bible Reading Notes

Genesis 1-3

On Creation

The creation story is one of the most significant stories of the Bible. It has been used to debate a number of modern theories such as evolution, young/ old earth theories, and even the existence of dinosaurs. Yet, none of these theories existed at the time of the actual writing. Therefore, they are irrelevant to the original point intended by the creation story.

So, then, what was the original purpose of the creation story? It was a story to Old Covenant Israel about the creation of the world amidst the other cosmology stories of the Ancient Near Eastern world. Such a story would provide clarity about God that creates with purpose and a unique design for creation. Furthermore, this story would demonstrate a parallel purpose between Adam and the nation of Israel.

Mesopotamian cosmology stories had an idea of a six-tiered universe:

1. The upper heavens. The upper heavens were believed to be the highest level. They were associated with the Babylonian deity Anu (An in Sumerian).

2. The middle heavens. They were believed to be inhabited by a group of seven or eight gods known as the Igigi gods. Marduk, who was probably considered one of the Igigi gods, also had a cella in the middle heavens. The middle heavens were associated with the color blue and the precious blue stone lapis lazuli. Some texts indicate that the blue bottom of the middle heavens could be seen from earth (e.g., Ebeling, KAR, 307; compare Exod 24:10).

3. The lower heavens. The lower heavens were believed to be made of hard, glass-like, translucent jasper upon which stars were fixed.

4. The upper earth. The surface of the earth was considered upper earth. It was believed to be shaped like a flat disk and served as the domain of humanity. Although ghosts might be thought to reside in the underworld, the “spirits of all men” were also found on the upper earth (Ebeling, KAR, 307).

5. The middle earth. The middle earth, or the Apsû, was a body of sweet water believed to be situated directly under the earth. The god Ea (or Enki) ruled over middle earth. Belief in a subterranean body of water goes back to the Sumerians, who believed that there must be such a body under the earth to provide water for the numerous springs throughout Mesopotamia.

6. The lowest earth or the Underworld. The Underworld was believed to be located under the Apsû. It is often portrayed as the dry and dusty realm of the dead and abode of the underworld gods, often including the Anunnaki. (Crouser, W. (2016). Cosmology. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.)

Before we begin to think about redemption, we must first understand that man has not fallen at this point in the narrative. This does not happen until chapter 3. Therefore, we should be focused on the fact that God began the divine story with a story about creation. Again, the Bible does not begin with the fall. It begins with creation. Therefore, the story of the Bible is inevitably a story about God and creation.

Many have sought to begin the story of redemption with the book of Genesis and must do so without any serious consideration to the first two chapters of the Bible, because they have not recognized any significant problem that would warrant redemption. Therefore, we have used Genesis 1-2 as a preliminary exposition that prepares us for the grand finale of Genesis 3.

However, the writer proposes that Genesis 1-2 is the stage by which the entire story of the Bible is built. Since there’s no story of the fall until chapter 3, one must recognize the biblical stage that is the creation story and why it is important to all else found throughout the remainder of the Bible.

Genesis 1:1

The beginning mentioned here is important, because it indicates a plan and process that has begun with the intention of satisfying a goal. Rattray and Milgrom stated “When it means “beginning,” rēʾšîṯ is the opposite of ʾaḥarîṯ, “end,” in the sense of final situation. In this it differs from its synonym teḥillâ. which stands in contrast only to subsequent situations. Thus rēʾšîṯ refers to the beginning of a process with a definite end or goal, or to a specific limited period of time, whereas teḥillâ means simply the first in a series of events without a definite end.” (Rattray, S., & Milgrom, J. (2004). רֵאשִׁית. In G. J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, & H.-J. Fabry (Eds.), & D. E. Green (Trans.), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Revised Edition, Vol. 13, p. 269). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)

This use of רֵאשִׁית shows the nature of the purpose-creating God that Israel would come to know. They were able to identify by use of this word that there was a plan from the origin of creation that did not stop there, but implied its incompletion. At this point in the biblical narrative, creation is in a process.

Yet, the phrase is not specifically referring to the creation’s process. Rather, the beginning refers to God’s process of creating. Again Rattray and Milgrom state, “Usually rēʾšîṯ appears in the construct, denoting the beginning of something. It is normally followed by a noun or pronoun, but in Gen. 1:1 by a finite verb. Therefore we should follow Rashi in understanding Gen. 1:1 to mean: “When God began to create heaven and earth—the earth was a formless void—God said, ‘Let there be light.’ ”” (Rattray, S., & Milgrom, J. (2004). רֵאשִׁית. In G. J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, & H.-J. Fabry (Eds.), & D. E. Green (Trans.), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Revised Edition, Vol. 13, p. 270). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)

So then, the assumption that creation is complete at the end of seven days is a terrible misconception as one will be able to tell. Rather, the the passage is very clear to express that God has begun a process that will end in full completion. The goal of the Bible student should be to recognize when this initiative has reached fulfillment and by what means such fulfillment becomes possible.

The beginning of God’s process involved creating the heaven and the earth. Too many times, this word has been used to justify the idea that God created something out of nothing. This is indeed true. God created things out of nothing.