The Well: January 1

January 1: Genesis 1,2

The story of creation marks the beginning of God's revelation of himself even as it opens the pages of our Bible. These chapters have been the subject of years of controversy, especially is discussions about the starting place of our universe. But the first question we have to ask is this: What did Moses (the author) expect his readers (Israel in the wilderness) to understand from his writing? If we only look at these chapters to find evidence against evolutionary theory we will miss the truths Moses wanted to present.

It is obvious from reading these chapters that one giant theme jumps out: God is in charge! Moses gives us 4 important principles that not only flow from this text, but also set the foundation for understanding the entire biblical story.

1) Earth is dependent upon Heaven: It is obvious that God is in charge of all things, and that all creation is dependent upon him for life, and continued existence. God is the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things.

2) God created all things to be orderly and precise:  You can't miss the truth that God was meticulous in his creation work. He began with the building blocks, brought them into a defined order, according to precise natural laws that continue to perform today, and intentionally created mankind to rule over all creation as his image bearer.

3) God loves his creation because it was brought about to accomplish a specific purpose -- the display of his glory: God looked at all he had created and declared that it was "good." Creation in its original condition was an extension of the goodness of God. As the Psalmist reminds us "the heavens are declaring the glory of God" even after sin has come as a virus into the operating system of our world.

4) God has placed mankind in a privileged position: Of all creation only mankind is said to be created "as the image of God." This reading is grammatically preferable to "in" the image of God and is meant to demonstrate that we occupy a position as God's representatives.

God gave Adam and Eve three responsibilities: 1) They were to care for creation; 2) engage God rightly in worship; and 3) populate the world with those who would also live up to these directives. As these chapters end we find the first couple completely at peace with God, with creation, and with one another. Mankind will never again enjoy this peace until the end of the story, told in Revelation, when God will bring about a new creation.

Prayer: Great God and Father, when I think of the power that brought all things into being I am humbled to know that the same power has created new life in me. Help me bring glory to you today, in all I say and do, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.