Understanding Genesis 1: A Theologically Revolutionary Text

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Table Of Contents

Understanding Genesis 1: A Theologically Revolutionary Text
- Snapshot
Introduction: A New Way to Read Genesis 1
God’s Revolutionary Revelation
Day 1: Separating Light and Darkness
Day 2: God Separates the Waters
Day 3: God Separates Land from Sea
Day 4: Creating the Sun, Moon, and Stars
Conclusion
What Now?

Snapshot

We must read Genesis 1 from the perspective of its original ancient audience, rather than a modern scientific one. This post highlights that the creation account is a theological statement contrasting Israel’s God with other ancient Near Eastern deities. God creates the cosmos as a cosmic temple, his creation by speaking, and his subordination of the sun, moon, and stars all serve to establish his sovereignty and uniqueness. By looking at each day, we can get insights into how the ancients would have understood these events. Genesis 1 is a powerful polemic against polytheism, proclaiming the singular God of Israel as the true creator of all things.

Introduction: A New Way to Read Genesis 1

It is important to look at Genesis 1 through its structure and what happens each day. Reading Genesis 1 through the lens of the ancients is difficult, as they thought differently from the modern scientific mind. Yet, one should strive to read Genesis 1 through the lens of the ancients. Here is a simple explanation of each day, trying to be concise in what the ancients would hear when they heard or read Genesis 1.

A breathtaking lightning strike over the ocean at night, capturing nature

God’s Revolutionary Revelation

The author of Genesis is writing in a culture vastly different from ours. The Spirit of God hovering over the waters is already addressing their context. The Hebrew word translated “Spirit”, in other passages, is translated as “wind”. In the Enuma Elish, which is a Babylonian writing, the god Anu creates four winds to stir up Tiamat, the goddess of the deep. Early on, readers would hear a difference between Israel’s God and that of the other nations.

Not only is this “Spirit of God” addressing their context, so is verse 1:1, which says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This runs contrary to other creation accounts in which many gods battle or have conflict and slowly bring chaos to order. Israel has a revolutionary revelation of God in that he created everything. God is at the beginning, not some conflict between gods at the beginning of time. Many other cultures also believed that matter itself is eternal, which Genesis 1 corrects and points to a proper worldview.

Day 1: Separating Light and Darkness

Day 1: God created the heavens and the earth. He separated the light and the dark. Notice that in these events, God is giving alternating periods between light and darkness, which is a major basis for time. At this point in the story, there is no reference to stars, the sun, or the moon. The focus is not on the physical property of time but rather on light as the regulator of time. This could have major implications for some of the debates on whether God is inside or outside of time.

Powerful lightning illuminates a dark ocean scene under dramatic storm clouds.

Day 2: God Separates the Waters

This description is not necessarily a scientific explanation but rather addresses the way in which they thought. The ancients thought there was a sea in the sky. This is very interesting because many scholars have made the connection that Genesis 1 describes all of creation as if it were a temple. What dwells in a temple? A God does. Many scholars have made the connection that creation being described as a cosmic temple then helps support God’s omnipresence in that God is present everywhere. This temple is described as the first three days having it formed and then days 4-6 are the filling of the temple. Here is a picture to help give a brief visual of how the ancients thought and the image being presented.

Day 3: God Separates Land from Sea

It is important at this point to address how God has created. Up to this point, God has created through speaking things into existence. This could be addressing, indirectly, the Memphite Theology, which is an ancient Egyptian creation text that claims the god Ptah brings things into existence through his words. Here we find that Israel’s God is the true God and that he brings things into existence, not the Egyptian god Ptah.

A breathtaking view of the Milky Way galaxy sparkling in the night sky over Punta Ballena, Uruguay.

Day 4: Creating the Sun, Moon, and Stars

Notice that there is already light and dark, but no sun, moon, or stars until day 4. This makes scientific readings of Genesis 1 challenging, and genre should be consulted (prior post here to read on that). The ancients would have heard that God made the sun, moon, and stars, and this would have run contrary to other worldviews, as many ancient cultures worship the sun and the moon. Israel, instead of worshiping these heavenly bodies, knows that they are merely part of the created order and that there is only one God.

Conclusion

Genesis 1 is a revolutionary text in ancient times. Israelites proclaim that their God is the true God and that the world is not run by many gods or created from many gods. Rather, Israel’s God created all things, and he is ultimately in control. He is the true God who spoke things into existence, and he created mankind with a purpose to partner with them, not as some afterthought to serve the gods. This is not a scientific writing but a deep theological text in which the God of the universe shows what kind of God he is and that he created all things.

What Now?

The Uniqueness of God: The contrast with other ancient creation myths reinforces the revolutionary and singular nature of the God of Israel. In a world full of competing worldviews and spiritualities, Genesis 1’s declaration of a single, all-powerful creator who brings order from chaos by his word alone is a powerful and stabilizing truth.
Identify Idols: Use the critique of ancient sun and moon worship to examine what we place our ultimate trust in today. Where do you place your trust, and how can you change that this week?
Broaden the Idea of “Truth”: Recognize that truth can be conveyed through narrative and theology, not just scientific facts.