God and Creation John Stevenson 2015 Babylonian Creation

God and Creation © John Stevenson, 2015

Babylonian Creation Account • Enuma Elish • Seven Tablets • World begins in chaos • Marduk fights Tiamat • Heavens and earth created from her body

Ennuma Elish Genesis Account Tiamat engulfs world in The world was a primal chaos. unformed and unfilled. Light comes from the gods. Marduk makes the stars of the zodiac and ordains the year. Marduk makes man from the blood of Kingu. God brings light into existence. God sets sun and moon for signs, seasons, days, and years. God creates man in His own image and likeness.

Ennuma Elish Genesis Account Moses is giving to us a refutation of the accepted mythos that was held in antiquity as he goes point by point to show that God is the true Creator of heaven and earth.

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. bara • An initial act of creation. • A summary statement of the entire chapter.

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. shamayim aretz

Theories of Creation • Supernatural versus Evolutionary. • A Superficial Appearance of History. • The Gap Theory.

Genesis 1: 2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Original Creation Formless & Void 6 Days of Re-creation

Support Objections The verb hayeta in The normal rendering Genesis 1: 2 can be of hayeta is “was” and translated “became” so indicates a state of that we could read that being. “the earth became without form and void. ” Tohu wabohu (“formless and void”) are a destruction which can just as easily took place after God’s describe an original creation (Jer. unconstructed state. 4: 23, Isa. 34: 11).

Support Objections Isaiah 45: 18 says that God did not create the earth void (tohu) while Genesis 1: 2 says that the earth was now void. It is reasoned that the earth must have come to be in this manner after its original creation. Isaiah 45: 18 simply tells us that God’s intention for the earth in its completed form was that it would not be tohu, but rather that it might be inhabited. The prophet is simply stating the purpose of creation.

Support Objections Darkness does not The darkness which always indicate evil. characterized the Both light and formless and void darkness existed upon condition is indicative the finished earth and of evil. it was still said to be good.

Theories of Creation • • Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory.

Support Objections The word “day” does The word “day” is sometimes used in the not normally refer to an extended period of Scriptures to describe time when it appears a period of time longer with a modifier (1 st than a 24 hour period day, 2 nd day, etc). (“the day of the Lord”). 2 Peter 3: 8 states that These days are clearly with the Lord one day defined in Genesis 1: 5 is as a thousand years. when God calls the light day and the darkness night.

Support Objections The sun and the moon The very purpose of the sun was to rule are not created until over the day while the 4 th day. This moon was to rule over indicates that the night. previous days are not literal.

Theories of Creation • • • Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory. The Non-Sequential Theory / Framework Theory.

I personally take the view that Genesis 1 and 2 relate to each other the way Judges 4 and 5 and Exodus 14 and 15 do. In each couplet one chapter describes a historical event and the other is a song or poem about theological meaning of the event.

When reading Judges 4 it is obvious that it is a sober recounting of what happened in the battle, but when we read Judges 5, Deborah’s Song about the battle, the language is poetic and metaphorical.

When Deborah sings that the stars in the heavens came down to fight for the Israelites, we understand that she means that metaphorically.

I think Genesis 1 has the earmarks of poetry and is therefore a “song” about the wonder and meaning of God’s creation. Genesis 2 is an account of how it happened (The Reason for God, pg 93 -94).

Theories of Creation • • • Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory. The Non-Sequential Theory / Framework Theory. • The Literal Interpretation.

Unformed Unfilled Day 1: Light Day 4: Light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) Day 2: Water & sky divided Day 5: Fish & birds to fill water & sky Day 3: Dry land & vegetation Day 6: Land animals & man Day 7: Sabbath Rest

Created Kingdoms Created Kings Day 1: Light & Darkness Day 4: Light-bearers to rule day & night Day 2: Division of waters into sky & sea Day 5: Birds to rule the sky and fish to rule the sea Day 3: Dry land & vegetation Day 6: Land animals & man as ruler Creator King Day 7: The King takes His Rest

…general revelation in creation, as well as the special revelation of Scripture, is also the voice of God. We live in a “universe, ” and all truth speaks with one voice (2001: 77).

Genesis 1: 26 -27 The God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping that creeps on the earth. ” And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1: 26 -27).

Genesis 1: 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living that moves on the earth. ” – In the Image of God – Federal Headship – Stewardship and a basis for Ecology

Genesis 1: 29 -30 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

Genesis 1 The Israelite Experience Light and darkness They had seen God are made by God on bring light and darkness Day 1 over Egypt A division of the waters on Day 2 They had passed through the Red Sea The sun and moon Egyptians worshiped and stars created on the sun and moon and Day 4 stars and had seen the sun darkened in Egypt.

Genesis 1 The Israelite Experience Man is created in the image of God Only the Pharaoh was thought to be in the image of God Man is told to rule over the earth Only the Pharaoh had the right of rulership Man is placed into a Israelites are tempted to beautiful garden return to the meats of Egypt, but Canaan is the new promised Eden.

Why are there two separate accounts of creation?

Genesis 2: 1 -3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The Sabbath • Given as a memorial to the work of God in creation. • Served as a memorial of God’s redemption. “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. ” (Deuteronomy 5: 15)

The Sabbath • Given as a memorial to the work of God in creation. • Served as a memorial of God’s redemption. • The Sabbath was designed to be a shadow of things to come and not as an end unto itself.

Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2: 16 -17).

Genesis 1 Genesis 2 The heavens and the earth are created in six days. Man in his cosmic setting Creation of the man and woman (no time elementioned). Man as central to God’s purpose Panorama of creation Detailed focus on one as a whole aspect of creation Centers on God Centers on man as the creating the heavens crowning act of God’s and the earth creation

Genesis 2: 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> (Yahweh Elohim)

Genesis 2: 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

Genesis 2: 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground. • No rain (corrected in verse 6). • No man (corrected in verse 7).

Genesis 2: 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Genesis 2: 7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Adam ~d'a' Adamah hm'd'a]

Genesis 2: 7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Literally: “breath of lives”

Genesis 2: 8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. The word edenu in Akkadian means “garden” or “paradise. ”

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1 -3) Man created: Formed from dust (4 -9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9 -14)

Genesis 2: 9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers (Genesis 2: 10). • Pishon (around the whole land of Havilah) • Gihon (around the whole land of Cush) • Tigris (east of Assyria) • Euphrates

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. (Psalm 46: 4).

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die. “ (Genesis 2: 16 -17)

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1 -3) Man created: Formed from dust (4 -9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9 -14) Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15) Forbidden fruit (16 -17)

Genesis 2: 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. ”

Verse 18 Verses 19 -20 Verses 21 -22 It is not good that man should be alone Creation and naming of the animals Creation of the woman The need for The inadequacy The providing a companion of the animals of the woman for the man for this as a companionship for the man

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1 -3) Man created: Formed from dust (4 -9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9 -14) Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15) Forbidden fruit (16 -17) Man in need of a helper: not good to be alone (18) Animals in garden are given names (19 -20) Woman created: Formed from rib (21 -24) Creation complete: Man & woman naked & unashamed in presence of God (25)

Formulate and discuss the idea of a “theology of clothes” from the following passages: • • • Genesis 2: 25 Genesis 3: 7, 21 2 Corinthians 5: 1 -5 1 Timothy 2: 9 -10 Revelation 3: 17 -18