Lesson One- Creation: And It Was Good

Texts:
Genesis 1:1-2:3
Genesis 2:4-25

Create. Rest. Repeat.
The Story of Creation can be found in the first chapter of Genesis.  It was such a good story, it was repeated again in the second chapter of Genesis.

Well, sort of. There are two stories of creation: the first in Genesis One is a longer story. It's an orderly tale, telling what God did on each day. While it's arranged pretty logically, you shouldn't confuse it with modern science. The story reflects how the writer thought the world was put together. For example, the waters are separated into those above the dome and those below. This was reflects common belief in that time, that the heavens were like a dome above the Earth, with holes in the dome allowing rain to fall through. Another example of belief of the time shows up in the telling of light and darkness being created, followed by the
creation of the Sun and Moon.

So, now one to the second story which begins with Genesis 2:4. Unlike the first story which is very orderly, this story is more like...well, a story. In this version, God seems more human, with hands to press the earth into the shape of a person, and lungs to breathe life into that person. In this version, God walks and talks in the garden with his creations. The order of parts of creation is different from the order within the Genesis 1 story.

So, why in the world are there two creation stories? Maybe for the same reason that there are four different books talking about the life of Jesus. Much like the value of having four Gospels that are each different and unique, the two creation stories show different aspects of God. Genesis 1 shows a cosmic creator who speaks and commands things into existence. Genesis 2 shows a personal and intimate
creator who has relationship with what has been made. There are times when we want God to be bigger than everything else is and in control of the universe. Other times, we want God to be right by our side. Together these stories show the power and intimacy of our creator.

In God We Trust

Take a look at quarter, penny or even a dollar bill.  Somewhere on the currency are the words, "In God We Trust." No, we aren't going to get into a debate on church-state separation, but when you are reading the creation stories, you might want to remember that these stories were written to remind the Israelites who to plae their trust in.

Theologian Walter Brueggemann notes that the creation stories reflect stories about how the world began that were found in Egypt and Mesopatmia (where modern-day Iraq is located).  Bureggeman notes that the texts were probably written in the Sixth Century B.C.E. and were written to the people of Israel.  The Israelites were not in a good shape at that time.  Foreign invaders called the Babylonians came and conquered the people.  Many were taken away from their homeland and forced to live in Babylon (again, located in what is today Iraq).

If you were a Jew who had been taken away from their homeland and were told that your people are weak and even your God is weak, how would you feel?  Pretty rotten.  The Babylonians were acting like any invader would and trying to tell their new conquest that mighty Babylon was in charge.  The God of Israel was dead.  Long live the Babylonian gods.

It was in this time of despair that these texts were written.  Their main goal was not scientific, but spiritual. It was to remind the people of Israel that the God they worshipped created the world and was the Lord of all life- even Lord over the mighty Babylonians.

The creation stories were a message of hope to the Israelites.  Even though it looked like God had abandoned them, this God who created the mountains and the seas, was in control.  In God we Trust, indeed.

Dominion

Genesis 1:26 says the following:

 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind^* in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,^* and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’(NRSV)

What does "dominion" mean?  Take a few moments and read the verse and look at the word "dominion." 

Now think about being a kid again with a set of Legos.  Some of your probably played with them as a kid and some of you gave these as a gift to your kids. Anyway, let's  imagine you are at a friend's house building an imaginary city filled with tall skyscrapers.  You spend hours marveling at its intricate beauty. 

After a while, you realize you have to go home.  You look at your creation and hate to let it go.  You ask your friend to look after your city and take care of it while you are gone.  He can even add on to it as he sees fit.

That, is the simplest way to explain dominion in this verse.  Dominion is not about doing whatever you want, but to take care of something, to have responsibility.  In verse 26, we see that God is giving a part of creation, namely humans, the responsibility to take care of the rest of creation.

Questions

1. What does creation mean to you?
2. If God gives us dominion over creation, what is our
   responsibility?
3. Have we done a good job with our responsibility?
4. How could we do better…
   -as a church?
   -as a family?
   -as a community?
   -as myself, individually?