Creation, Idolatry, the Sabbath and the Six Days

 

God seems to have suffered a bit of a battering in the media of late. This article sets out to redress the balance. I was surprised to see instances where science actually seems to corroborate what is recorded in the holy writings. Perhaps not so much with respect to our western interpretation and tradition, but in the interpretation that can be drawn from an understanding of the culture, language and history of the original writers.

 

The book of Genesis was written thousands of years ago in a foreign language and culture. Many of us may struggle even today to understand contemporary chains of thought in these lands and cultures. Not surprising therefore that some of the meaning of Genesis has been lost in the sands of time.

 

The account in Genesis begins with literal statements, specifically that it was God that created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. Whatever you may think scientifically, we have to deduct that according to Genesis even things that appear to have happened by accident are actually as a result of God’s purpose and design. We then read on to see the Earth described as being or becoming "without form and void and darkness upon the face of the deep". It was not, however, God’s purpose for it to stay this way. Scientific insight into the origins of the Earth corroborates the image of a primitive earth without a solid surface and without a Sun, at least not as we know it today.

 

We then see that "the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the deep". Except that he didn’t "move" he "hovered", a figurative statement in contrast to the preceding literal statements. It is clearly figurative in that God’s spirit is seen acting within the confines of his own creation.

 

When we read either the Bible or other ancient writings, we cannot hear the intonation of the voice used in the original spoken language. However, we can still interpret the writings by taking into account the context. If I were to recall hearing that there was a young man from Dungannon, you might completely miss the intonation in my voice and wonder what I’m talking about. But when I add the following context:

 

There was a young man from Dungannon

Who fired himself from a cannon.

In the course of his flight

He managed to fright

Both birds and insects; and Mammon,

 

you know that it is a limerick and you can interpret both the tone and beat of the original intent.

 

Similarly, in the first Chapter of Genesis, we can extract by examination the tone and beat of the original.

 

We have already seen inferred above a shift from the literal to the figurative at the point reached in the passage. It is not surprising therefore to see this figurative chain of thought continued. The "six days" that are next referred to in Genesis are partitioned grammatically in the text by a form of writing known as extended alternation: what happens on days four to six reflects what happens on days one to three respectively. This both draws our attention to the section and also prepares us to give deeper thought as to the meaning.

 

(Information for this table has been extracted from "The Companion Bible" by E.W. Bullinger).

 

Furthermore, each starting thought within the passage is a figure of speech repeating the word "And God ... ". This is a continued thought pattern through from verse one and emphasises God, and God alone as the creator. Then, each section of the alternation concludes with a figure of speech that is allegorical in nature, as we shall consider shortly.

 

Now besides the written context noted above, we must also take into account the historical context of the writing.

 

At the time of writing, there existed cultures and traditions that had been passed on from fathers to sons. The Genesis writings were not introduced into a cultural "vacuum".

 

Two of the primary cultural considerations of the time were, firstly, a conflict between the concept of "many gods" and the concept of a single deity and, secondly, the culture relating to the observance of a day of "Sabbath", or rest. The Sabbath was already being observed prior to the account in Genesis being written, although not by all.

 

The first conflict we have already seen addressed above. The emphasis in the passage is on God, the one creator. Everything that exists today exists by His purpose. Even events that appear to be accidental are by design. There was just one God who was responsible for the whole of creation. Everything is stated in a way to emphasise the creator. It is not a chronological detail of order but rather a rounding up of all of creation under the direction of just One God. The original listener would have understood the emphasis.

 

Now we come to the conflict with respect to the Sabbath. Again, the listener would also have understood the emphasis in the use of the allegorical chain of thought in relation to God’s "working". Observance of the Sabbath was considered a basic necessity for man’s physical and spiritual well being. It is emphasised here by God depicting himself as working for six days and then resting on the Sabbath, not in a literal sense, but in a figurative one. Again, the listener would have understood this.

 

When was the first chapter of Genesis written? Well, when Moses spoke of the Sabbath in relation to the gathering of Manna in the desert, he made no reference to this passage. Subsequently, when he received the Ten Commandments upon Mount Sinai, the reference is included. You might draw your own conclusion from this.

 

Our society has made stunning intellectual strides forward in the realm of scientific discovery, but have we yet to do more than barely scratch the surface of our understanding of the sacred scripts? Have we yet to fully emerge as a culture from the dark ages? I challenge the reader to give due thought to the above and consider whether both ourselves and our children may benefit from a new approach, not just to our understanding, but to the implications of this for our daily living.

 

© Peter Morgan 2010

 

Notes: The interpretation of the Hebrew word in the second verse of Genesis as "hovered" is drawn by implication from the context of other occurrences of the word listed in Strong’s Concordance. For a concise listing of Figures of Speech used in the Bible, reference can be made to Appendix 6 of E. W. Bullinger’s "Companion Bible". Both of these can be found on the World Wide Web.