Joe Dude's Bible Thoughts: Genesis 1

I got convicted of something the other day. That happens a lot with me. It's a good thing. Change and growth and all that.

What I got convicted about is not really getting into the Word for myself as I should. I like to listen to a lot of teaching and I like to listen to a lot of preaching, but I haven't been reading or listening to the Bible for myself as I ought. After all, we've been given a book that we can read and understand for ourselves.

It's kind of funny because God used a pastor I like to listen to and watch online to point out to me that it is beneficial to do more than listen to what others have to say. As part of getting into the Word myself more, I thought I'd throw out my thoughts as I read/listen to it, starting with the beginning...

In the beginning there was God, and only God. I don't hear anything in here about stuff or spirits existing before God. The whole explanation about creating the heavens and the formless earth, and then manipulating the earth, make it sound like the account doesn't line up too well with the whole big bang or expanding universe theories, even though such theories do point to a universe with a finite beginning that demands a supernatural beginner to kick it off.

The first day is interesting. You've got the light, day, and the darkness, night, created. And then you have evening and morning, the first day. There's no sun going around the earth yet. Maybe evening and morning refer more to time periods than the earth's rotation. After all we're talking about ancient literature here, not a modern day science book.

The "separate the waters from the waters" action is also interesting. It's like there used to be a whole bunch of water above us somewhere -- either surrounding the earth, possibly providing the source of water for the flood and shielding the planet from nasty stuff, or beyond the edges of what we know as the universe -- as later the sun and moon seem to be put in the expanse between the waters.

God has crazy power we just can't understand. He just says things and and they happen. "Let this appear" and it appears. "Let that do this" and that does this. What can we do? Nothing! Go ahead, try to make a blade of grass. Now make life from non-life. Now make atoms from nothing. Good luck.

The phrase "let us make man in our image" is interesting. Looking very far ahead to the idea of the Trinity, this seems to be the first hint that there's more to the nature of God than meets the eye. Though the LORD is one, you still have Father, Spirit, and Son.

Mankind is a special creation. We're created in God's image, which is very different than all the rest of his creation. God is not a man or a woman, but spirit, and man and woman were both created in his image. That means traits, not physical looks.

Mankind was also put in charge of the rest of creation. That brings to mind the idea of stewardship -- this is God's world, but we are to take care of it. That doesn't mean go insane and elevate nature in general and/or animals to the level of false idols or preach the Gospel of Greenpeace. But we shouldn't wreck the place willy nilly either.

The end of the first chapter is also interesting. Apparently men and animals originally were vegetarians. "I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." That reminds me of a verse in Isaiah that says "the wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox." That sounds a little strange, but then again, it's not my creation, is it?