I love nature and one of the things I enjoy about being a teacher is having the opportunity to teach science. By the time this post is published, my first graders will be looking at biology and in particular, animal science. Every now and then I find myself going back to Genesis and going over the creation poem that introduces us to this unique deity. I always found it interesting how the author of Genesis laid out the actions of this powerful deity behind creating the universe. I see the creation account as twofold- an introduction and an invitation.
There is a purpose behind why I repeatedly say “this deity” and not “God.” The opening line of Genesis, written in Hebrew, reads like this, “In the beginning, when elohim created the skies and the land…”. The word elohim is the term “god” but it’s not a specific god; elohim is a general word, so in English it should read, “In the beginning, when a god created the skies and the land…”. Not only is elohim the general word for god, but it’s the plural form of the word, which is why the deity says, “Let us create human beings in our image” (Genesis 1:26). The author of Genesis uses the ambiguous term elohim for a reason. We’re not introduced to the identity of this deity right off the rip—this author believes in a good buildup and suspense. The original author wants the reader to ask, “Who is this god?”
We’re told three crucial things about this deity in the opening of Genesis: 1. this deity has power to create. 2. this deity has an animating presence about it called the Spirit, and 3. this deity can speak. Reading on in the opening of Genesis we learn more about this deity— this deity is intentional, this deity calls creation “good,” or joyous. And this deity has the ability to bless. Whatever this deity speaks, it happens. This deity provides living creatures with resources to survive and blessed them to reproduce, and most importantly, this deity is not selfish; not only does this deity give humans the animating presence called the Spirit, but the animals receive this presence as well. And that’s what gives us life, the Spirit. For this deity to instruct animals and humans to be fruitful and multiply and increase on the earth, this deity is inviting us to be like him. This deity is the Ultimate Producer and we are blessed to be like him by receiving the blessing to reproduce. Genesis 1 is all about getting to know who this mysterious god is and being invited to work alongside him in what he calls good.
This is the same deity that we encounter throughout Scripture and for such an angry deity, as many who do not own him would label him, this deity is introduced by blessing; not once in the creation story does a curse show up. Unlike other deities in ancient times, this god is different. This deity wants to work with humans and animals to do good things on the earth. The command to be fruitful and multiply is unfortunately limited to having babies and making families, it’s heartbreakingly reduced to overpopulation as well. But the charge to be fruitful and multiply is deeper than that, it’s how we should respond to the call on our lives. We are to be fruitful in all that we do, we are to bear good fruit and multiply that fruit. Whatever you are called to do, bear good fruit. Whatever you are called to do, fill the earth with that goodness. Whatever you are called to do, rule in the image of God with goodness and mercy. Our careers may be an inkling of what we’re called to do, but we all have the ability to reproduce goodness because that is the first charge we were given.
To close this post, I wish translators of Scripture did not make the interpretive choice to spoil the big surprise. Anyone who reads an English Bible is unaware of the fact that Genesis 1 is supposed to be like a whodunnit because translators throw this deity’s title in the opening line. (We just know how to take all the fun out of things, don’t we?) The questions we would be asking at the end of Genesis 1 is: who is this god? Does this god have a name? And that is the intent of the original author, to grab us in and allow us to ponder about this deity who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Like any good mystery & suspense author, he wants us to continue reading so we aren’t properly introduced to this god’s name until Genesis 2.
His name is Yahweh.
We find out that it was Yahweh behind all this goodness and blessing. We find out it was Yahweh who is the giver of life. We find out that it’s by Yahweh’s Spirit that we live and move and have our purpose. We know Yahweh to be God. This God, Yahweh, is the God we see throughout Scripture and this is the God who keeps us day by day. Each morning His mercies are new and joyous toward us. Each day is a new opportunity for us to accept God’s charge to us in Genesis 1 to bear good fruit and multiply it, creating a world of good. If your fruit is to help others, do so with a good heart, if your fruit is to serve, serve others diligently, no matter what your purpose is in life, today is a new day to be pet of God’s plan to recreate our broken world into a new world. Today, let your creative juices flow and fulfill the purpose that God have you.
Until next time continue to stay guided by grace,
Tra
Guided by Grace 