An interactive story of creation

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).  What a simple statement that this Old Testament writer wrote concerning the act of creation.  I am one of those people who agree that this simple verse, and even the whole creation narrative (Gen. 1:1- 2:4).  Yet, I do not wish to state some out of the world finding that comes from the Hebrew text.  I wish to bring this text to a greater depth of meaning that awakens our eyes and ears to hear what the story is saying and what the passage may say about God in our world today.

To state simply that God creates, shows an absolute beginning of the universe from one source, God.  God "was hovering over the waters" (v. 2) witnessing this dark emptiness that covers the world.  It very well seems that God has an special relationship with creation. 

What God creates ex nihilo (out of nothing) becomes the foundation for light, sky, ground, and living things to begin to appear.  By this, God becomes the sole purpose that there is anything.  The world began by the very speaking of God that then created the universe.

God simply says, "Let there be..." (vv. 3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26) and there was.  This has such an important impact on what happens after creation comes about.  Within this first chapter, whether you are a progressive creationist or evolutionist, creation comes to be by a process.  The land does not suddenly appear.  Trees do not reach their highest point of growth, nor should we expect that Adam and Eve were created as full grown adults. 

All of that is not the point, the point that this story of creation seeks to proclaim is that God, the ultimate Creator, invites and "lets there be" the growth of everything.  God does not take control of everything, but makes possible the growth of animals, the growth of trees, and the expansion of land.

The story of creation becomes more of a dynamic relationship between the very God of the universe, and His creation.  God speaks to man and says, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen. 1:28).  This does not mean that all of creation was made for us humans.  But, all of creation was made that we may have a relationship with God.

Again, I do not suggest a new way of reading the story of Genesis.  In this blog I suggest that the creation story be read in the way it was meant to be read.  God creates the world for a purpose. 

If we say that God creates for the purpose to make us happy, then what becomes of our view of heaven?  Does not heaven then become everything that we want?  We may want all the money we want, or we may just want to be with a family member again.  Yet, what if we go to heaven and just find Jesus?  Would we be satisfied? 

I think creation has such an influence of our view on life.  Read this story of creation carefully.  God creates to be with us.  God hovers over the surface of the world from the beginning and He does still today.