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God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). These words form one of the Bible's principal assertions about the material world--that God created it all. The first two chapters of Genesis present two complementary accounts of creation (Psalm 104 and Proverb 8 present two additional accounts). Chapter 1 pictures God in sublime terms--grand and awesome. The Hebrew term used for deity in this section (Elohim) speaks of God's majesty, sovereignty, and awesome power. With a mere word, God spoke the entire universe into existence. When He finished, He called every part of His creation "very good" (1:31). Chapter 2, on the other hand, presents a more personal picture of creation. It focuses on the creation of man and woman--the only beings in creation who reflect the very image of God. In this section, God's personal name (Yahweh, or LORD) is used rather than His title, "God." This is because God personally shaped Adam from the dust of the earth, breathing life into him, and forming Eve from Adam's flesh and bone. Moreover, the section depicts God placing Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden and interacting with them. Of course, these two chapters are not written in terms of modern science. But neither are they written in what would have passed for science in ancient times. If the Bible had been written in the "scientific" language of its day, it would be little more than a relic today. Had it been written in the scientific language of the Middle Ages, it would have been a mystery to its first readers and nonsense to us. Has it been written in the scientific language of our own day, it would have been unintelligible to prior generations--and to be sure, a relic in future years. These first chapters of Genesis reveal God's identify as Creator in language that makes sense to every sort of audience. The chapters spoke first to a people ... at the dawn of Hebrew history. Over the ages, they have spoken to ancient and medieval peoples. And today, they speak to people from all backgrounds. The modern person sometimes wonders why the language is not more precise. Yet these chapters do not aim at precision--their aim is clarity concerning one certain truth: God created the heavens and the earth. ____________ * "God as Creator" is quoted from The Nelson Study Bible, c. 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., p. 8. Used by permission. __________________________________________
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