Genesis Chapter 1

The first thing that strikes me about Genesis chapter
1 is that it is not a scientific treatise on the
fundamentals of creation. Rather it is formatted in a
story like fashion that gets a general idea across;
that someone or something greater than ourselves (God)
is behind all that we see in the heavens and on earth.
Since there is a greater being responsible for our
existence, I gain a sense of purpose and sacredness to
all life on earth. If God spent a whole day creating
the fish in the sea, he has a purpose for them. The
trees and mountains likewise have a purpose. Man, the
crowning work of God’s creation, has a purpose. In the
study of ecosystems around the earth, it is very
apparent that life in general is dependent upon the
intricate balance of hundreds, or perhaps, thousands
of living and nonliving factors all working together
in harmony. Genesis chapter 1 speaks to me themes of
purpose, sacredness and harmony.

On the other hand, the fact that the biblical account
of creation is not very scientific or sequential may
not necessarily negate a literal interpretation. How
many human minds, for example, are capable of
discerning the invisible atom? Certainly the author of
Genesis had no concept that solid matter is composed
of mostly empty space. Even had the author of Genesis
a special insight into the mysterious workings of a
creator, what words could he have used to accurately
describe it? Can we be realistic when we demand the
Genesis account of creation to jive with modern
science? Modern science hasn’t even come close to
understanding what is involved in the creation of even
the simplest of life forms. God creates in a manner
that is wholly illogical and incomprehensible to the
human mind. He speaks and it is so. It seems that
nothing but faith can grasp the whole truth of
creation.

What then is man’s purpose, what should be considered
sacred, how to achieve harmony, these are the
questions genesis chapter 1 raises in my mind. More on
chapter 1 and 2 later.

mykal