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Matthew’s Exegetical Series: Genesis 1

Matthew’s Exegetical Series: Genesis 1

Last updated on: September 4, 2015 at 3:19 am by Matthew Distefano

Matthew’s Exegetical Series: Genesis 1 2015-09-04T03:19:23-06:00 Matthew Distefano

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Genesis is a fascinating story of creation. No, I do not believe the book is trying to compete with modern science. No, I do not believe it is telling us how God’s “marriage laws” work. And no, I do not believe in talking snakes. What I do find fascinating about Genesis is that it is a story of creation that does not include violence. This is contrary to other tales from the surrounding area.

One such tale is the Babylonian myth, Enuma Elish. I sum that story up in the following way in my forthcoming book, All Set Free:

Two primordial gods, Apsu and Tiamet, engage in a sexual union and give birth to multiple generations of gods who begin to torment Tiamet with their incessant noise. Apsu and Tiamet plan to kill their sons but Ea (the water god) foils their plan and kills Apsu. Ea hires a hero named Marduk, who is given divine powers in order to defeat Tiamet. He defeats Tiamet and uses half of her body to create the heavens and half to create the earth. The blood of Tiamet’s commander, Kingu, is used to create mankind.

Violence structured society so it only made sense that the gods were violent too. Pre-Socratic Heraclitus would later go on to say violence was the “logos,” or “structuring principle of reality.” However, the Hebrew writers thought otherwise about attributing violence to God. In my notes throughout, I will point specifically where we see this.

Some of my notes will be new to people but feel free to ask questions. I am always available on Facebook to answer anything that may be confusing or that I need correction on.

Chapter 1

Contrasting the gods of Enuma Elish, the God of Genesis speaks things into existence:

· Verse 3: Light

· Verse 6: Sky

· Verses 9 – 10: Earth

· Verses 12 – 13: Vegetation

· Verses 14 – 15: Stars

· Verses 16 – 18: Sun and Moon

· Verse 20: Sea creatures and birds

· Verse 24: Land animals

· Verse 26: Humankind in God’s image—this would contrast with how humans are treated in the Babylonian myths

An important note is that in Genesis, there are two creation stories. The first is from 1:1 – 2:3. The second is from 2:4 – 4:26.

In the first narrative, (written by the priestly class exiled in Babylon (Hardin, Jesus Driven Life, 170)), in addition to being non-violent, God also gives to humankind freely (this will be contrasted however in the second). Genesis 1:28 – 31 reads:

“God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon 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 air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (All emphasis mine)

Even though humankind was violent, the writer of the first narrative does not attribute any violence to God. Everything created is called “very good.” Humankind then, as image bearers of God, is to be non-violent. We are to take care of that which is “very good.” We are to also “give freely,” as he has.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2…

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