Daily Question: January 14, 2020

Genesis 1:1-2:4 gives us a widely known account of creation. In it, God lovingly and carefully crafts each individual component of creation and each in turn is recognized by him as “good”. After this, he created man and places him in charge of all of these things he just created as the steward of creation. Finally, it says that God rested on the final, seventh day.

Everything that God does in this passage is with distinct purpose and care, and I think that this account is meant to show that although God formed the world from Chaos by bringing Order, it was not an accident. I think this reading establishes that all that we know did not come into being by some random accident or chance. It was the result of the commands of God that these things came to be, although not in short six days as Genesis describes. So, if the six days were not meant to be an accurate account of the time it took, why is it written that way? My guess would be that the six day structure relates creation to how humans already experience the world and it allows for a template of comparison between sets of days — specifically the first and fourth, the second and fifth, and the third and sixth. When taken as pairs we can see more about how God created the world from chaos, by creating form and then filling it.

This reading also imparts the meaning of being human by defining man as being created in “the image of God” as “male and female” and giving them “dominion” over the earth, thus setting them in a higher position than the other animals. It explains why we as humans are special, but how we are still dependent upon God as just images of him. I also think that our Creation in God’s image explains why this account says that God rested on the seventh day. God is our example, and in taking time to “rest” he shows that we too must take time to rest from daily labours to spend time in worship.

It is clear that this account is not meant to be scientific or historic, but is rather meant to convey to readers the fundamental importance of our existence as created beings tasked by our Creator to protect all things which he created with love and care.