When did it all begin? What’s the origin of our world? As children, we gaze at the stars with a longing curiosity. As we grow older, our questions are more sophisticated and perhaps even skeptical, but our curiosity doesn’t wane. Down through the ages, humans have struggled with questions about the origins of the cosmos. Modern man has literally and figuratively excavated the deep caverns of discovery, looking for the origin of the species. Nearly every ancient society had its own story of the beginning. The Egyptian and Mesopotamian neighbors of the Hebrews had their stories of creation. And so, as the Lord ushered Israel out of her pagan bondage, he told his people what really happened in the beginning.
A cautionary note: When it comes to our cosmic curiosities, we put ourselves in the driver’s seat. We ask the questions, and we insist on answers to our inquiries. The Genesis narrative, and God’s word in general, doesn’t work this way. In our folly, we often fail to ask the right questions, and many of our queries are laden with immaturity and arrogance. The Lord gave us Genesis to inform us of what we need to know, but Genesis 1 doesn’t answer all our questions, nor does it seek to make intelligible those things that are beyond human understanding. Moreover, the Lord told the story of creation within the ancient culture of the Hebrews; it’s decidedly not ‘scientific’ as we moderns define that word. As best as we’re able, we need to stand in the sandals of the Israelites to understand and appreciate all that God has said.
What, then, does Genesis 1 teach us? A first read of the chapter gives the unmistakable impression of structure, and further rereading only heightens and enriches this architecture. This is a well-put-together passage, crafted and honed. In Hebrew, verse 1 is just seven words: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The word for heaven can refer either to the sky (the visible heavens) or to the invisible realm of God and angels. Here, it’s best to understand heavens as the invisible realm with its beings (see Col. 1:16). Verse 1, then, is a statement of absolute beginning, the origin of the invisible and the visible. Yet, at this beginning of all beginnings, there is God, one without beginning or end. There’s no definition of God or mystical speculation of his nature, but merely the statement of his existence, apart and above creation, self-existent and infinite. Before angel or ant, beyond supernova or watery abyss, there was God, who formed and fashioned all things. God is the Sovereign Alpha, over space and time.
This story of creation is a narrative about the kingship of God. This is especially apparent with the climatic formation of humans on day six. From his royal throne room, God declares, “Let us make man in our image.” This language of image and likeness was used in both Egypt and Mesopotamia to honor the monarch’s resemblance to the god of the nations. When God speaks of his “image,” he is using royal terminology and applying it to both male and female. It’s also noteworthy that plants and animals were formed according to their various kinds, but there is only one kind or species of human. God shaped all humans after his royal image.
If man and woman are monarchs under God, this means God is the Supreme King. Hence, the narrative structure doesn’t stop at the sixth day, but there is a crowning day seven, where God registers the final approval of his work by blessing the Sabbath as holy. And this pattern of seven has links with many other parts of Scripture. The configuration of seven emphasizes the ideal of design, completion, and perfection. More specifically, no other creation myth is organized around seven, but the seven-typology is widely found in contexts of ancient temple building and enthronement. For God to create the world in seven days is for him to construct his world-palace and to sit enthroned as the King of Kings.
Dig deeper with this new Bible study from Core Christianity:
- This is an excerpt from our new Bible Study, Genesis, by Zach Keele. The full study is available here: Genesis Bible Study
