Monday 26th December
Read Genesis 1:1-3
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (NIVUK)
Many scholars, Christian and otherwise, have noted the parallels between the opening chapter of Scripture and other ancient near-eastern cosmologies. A cosmology is simply a description of how the cosmos came into existence. Ancient people from Egypt to Mesopotamia, to Greece and Assyria all had a way of understanding how the universe came into being. These were designed to make sense of the world around them and help navigate a path through life. Often they involved many deities, heavenly decisions and battles and usually resulted in an explanation of how humans ended up serving and worshiping those gods.
There is little doubt that the author of Genesis was familiar with many of those tales. This explains why there are so many echoes of the stories found in ancient manuscripts and clay tablets in Genesis 1. What is equally clear is that the way the Hebrew author crafted his creation cosmology was as a critique and corrective to the beliefs of those amongst whom the Israelites lived. For those interested in exploring this further the link below is an excellent way to begin.
https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/ancient-cosmology/
As we begin our exploration of these first things in Scripture it is worth simply pausing and reflecting on the simple yet profound beginning described. In contrast to those who believe in creation arising out of the conflict of deities and their strange desires for power and authority – the author states: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’(v1). One God made all that is seen and unseen. There was no conflict. There were no other gods. All that is, arose from His will and His alone.
Those who would come to this passage with other questions – be they scientific, philosophical, evolutionary or anything else are reminded that at its core it is about the God who created. God is mentioned 35 times (a multiple of seven…) in this introduction to Scripture – it is all about Him. Whilst we will work through the chapter slowly and carefully, those who want an overview are invited to watch the excellent summary pulled together by the Bible Project team below.
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/genesis-1/
But one good response is to pause and wonder at the greatness and power of the one God who created all!
