GENESIS
CHAPTER
1
Before meditating on the first verse of the first chapter of the book of Genesis I would like to introduce myself and explain the aims of this analysis of the Bible. From the beginning I wish to clarify that this analysis is my prayer time that I spend in meditating on the Word of God. Therefore the insights that we will be reflecting on are all the fruit of prayer. Secondly the aim of this analysis is not that of challenging any held doctrine or belief by the Roman Catholic Church. Thirdly this is no scientific inquiry that is based on facts or scientific research. The aim of this 'Bible Analysis' is that together we reflect on the Word of God and experience spiritual growth in the process. Now that I have put the cards on the table in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit we open our bibles and refer to the first verse of the book of Genesis.
1. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 1)
According to the first verse of the book of Genesis as found in your Bibles, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Whether we accept it as true or not it is a fact that the earth in some period of time was created. It was the purpose of God to have the world created. On reflecting on a personal level God even created my world, meaning the circumstances of my life for a particular reason. The main reason may be that through our world we can give praise and glory to him. When considering that God has the power and authority to create this means that He is an active God and not a passive one. Moreover on reflecting and considering with absolute conviction that God has created my world, I rest assured that God not only created it but is in control of all the circumstances of my life. Once I know who is the pilot of my world I rest assured that my aircraft will reach its destination as long as I do not attempt to get hold of the controls and steer my life on a different agenda from that which God has planned or designed for me and even you.
2. the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 2)
When going referring to the second verse of the book of Genesis, we find written, that when God created the earth it was formless and empty. This means that our world had no form of life living on it. When comparing this emptiness to our state of spiritual or even psychological being or welfare we could also be living in a world that is empty and or dead. We may be living under the impression that we are leading a happy life. We may also feel that we have reached or are in the process of reaching the fulfillment or apex of our careers, and that when we reach our goal, we will be living the success that we had planned. On the other hand we may have reached the most important goal of our live and may have even started reaping from the positive consequences of our success and become aware that our life is still empty and or dead. This may be due to the fact that we may have placed God on the passenger seat and may have ended up living a life entirely or almost without the presence of God.
At the point of experiencing the first crisis of our lives God makes us aware that our life appears to be full however in reality if God is not present in our lives it is empty. In extreme cases life can end up so depressing and senseless that one may even resort to suicide. However if we really and truly believe in God our father and creator we may experience the same crisis, however our attitude to it may be more positive especially when compared to that of the person who has no concept of God in his or her life.
According to verse two of the first chapter of the book of Genesis, the Holy Spirit of God was already on the earth although it was still dark and empty. Even though our situations appear to be bleak to the point of not being able to see the logic of the given situation, God is still active in the situation and is still there ready to penetrate the darkness of our sins when we give Him the go ahead to intervene in our lives.
3. Then God said, " Let there be light"; and there was light.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 3)
On seeing the darkness of our sins, God intervenes by giving us His light in the given situation. On reasoning it can be concluded that light is stronger than darkness, and where light is present, darkness has no power to exist. At the time of our baptism God blessed us with his grace, and the graceful light of God came upon us. When we receive God's light or blessing the presence of evil has no power over us or even a spiritual presence in us. When the Roman Catholic Church in the name of God gives its its manifold blessings as in the case of baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage, ordination to the priesthood or celibate life, God charges the light of his grace in us. The analogy is that of a rechargeable battery. When it is inserted into the battery charger that has been switched on by the user who has given the command let there be power in the battery charger, the recipient that is the battery in the case of the charger and us in the mentioned circumstances we receive a strong boost of God's blessing. In contrast when a person decides not to go to Church to receive the sacraments, gradually the person loses his charge until one's battery loses its charge completely and becomes totally flat. However even though this may happen God is always ready to switch on the power switch and give us the needed boost of power to put us back on track in the direction of our redemption leading to our salvation.
4. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 4)
And God saw that the light was good. It seems that our God does not intervene in a careless way. God is a God of order and not of chaos or disorder. Since the beginning God decided to separate light from darkness so that one could not coexist with the other. At the beginning of creation the world is enveloped in the darkness of sin, however when God gave his command and blessing of the earth, all evil had been commanded not to be present in the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. In fact this is proved by the fact that God perceived his creation as being very good, that according to God's standards was perfect meaning free from evil. God seems to evaluate his creation and take pride in his work. When God creates our life at the time of our conception he creates us in a perfect spiritual way. Some may argue that some of us have not been born in such a perfect way.
Some of us have been born with a disability and have a harsh cross to bear that is very painful indeed. However when considering that God is a loving father, I would never consider jumping to the conclusion that God with willful intent could ever have commanded that him or her was to be born with this or that disability. However even though it is a harsh reality to experience, if the persons involved accept this reality as being part of their life on earth one can accept the fact that we all have crosses to bear in life, however those of some of us are harsher than those of others. However, along with the challenge God gives particular blessings to each of us in order to help us carry our crosses every day of our lives.
God separated light from darkness. Good and evil can never exist at the same time. Even in one human due to our sinful nature without the grace of God one is not able to live a good life for a long time. Surely after some time as humans we are bound to end up performing some form of sin and become in need of reconciliation with God by means of the Sacrament as initiated by the Roman Catholic Church. A typical example of the presence of the presence of light and darkness in human beings is the case of a possessed person. On being exposed to holy water or light the devil or evil spirit in that person becomes turbulent in the person until it cannot stand the power of praise and blessings any longer so much that it has to leave the person altogether.
5. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 5)
In His infinite wisdom God set up boundaries distinguishing the light that marks the day and that which distinguishes the night. On reflecting this means that in the realm of heaven there was to be no traces of darkness, and in the realm of evil there was to be no traces of God's light and grace, so that those who are in the perils of Hell can never have an experience of God, and those in the presence of God can never experience the perils of evil. Moreover God gave us the two options to chose from since the very beginning of our existence that is the choice of doing good and remaining from that of choosing the doing of evil acts
In order to set up order in our lives God set up the first natural clock that helps us to distinguish day from night and vice versa, so that we can distinguish those actions that are to be done throughout the day and their are actions that are to be done during the night such as sleep and rest. Moreover there are actions such as prayer and meditation that can be done both during the day and even during the night. The angels in heaven before the throne of God never stop giving praise and worship to God so why should we.
On a material level it is important for us in life not to mix up or create conflicts within these boundaries by respecting them and the roles that are attributed to both day and night. Unfortunately when these boundaries are abused there is chaos, stress and utter confusion in the life of the abuser. So in order to live a whole and balanced life both on a spiritual, social and psychological level because we are composed of flesh and spirit and mind, we need to strike the much needed balance between the mentioned boundaries and pray to God to help us respect the ascribed and created roles.
6. And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7. So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 6 and 7)
On reflecting on verse of the first chapter of the book of Genesis, we are given spoon fulls of the cultural beliefs of the time. We are all familiar with the ancient belief that held that the world was flat and whoever sailed to the edge of it would perish forever. Verses six to seven also reflect a previously held belief. The people of these times also believed that the world was flat and that God created a dome that rested on the edges of the world. It was also held as a belief that this dome supported rain water that from which in His great generosity God showered the earth, to help sustain life on earth. Although similar beliefs are supported by other world religions, one can easily challenge the truth content of these verses, however one has to keep in mind that the aim of the author of the book of Genesis was not to propose a new scientific theory or a new form of irrigation. The message was that of portraying God as the creator He really is, therefore the scientific element is irrelevant in the message of this chapter of the book of Genesis.
On reflecting as humans we may also hold beliefs about God and maybe even against other people that when put to the test of reality are proved to be without any reason or grounds to be treated as valid or true. There are people who have held the belief that their parents did not love them and it was almost only at the point of death that they faced their reality and talked about this issue with their parents against which they had held a grudge for almost a life time until God permitted them to be healed from the bondage of these false beliefs and live as whole persons.
8. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 8)
The author of the book of Genesis portrays God as preparing the earth in order to be inhabited by both creatures and humans. God works before hand. He can easily be called proactive. Even before humans were created God was already preparing them a place were to dwell in. This reflects God immense love for us. Even before we face a crisis or a trial in life God is in control of it in order to change the appearing to be negative situation into our favour so that we can learn and experience growth from that situation.
9. And God said, " Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 9)
With one single order the elements of the sky and those of the sea are sent to their respective places, the atmosphere and even oceans obey the will of God so that the process of creation could be continued. It can be observed that all the elements of nature are subject to God and are under his control. This can be said for all the events that take place on earth. God has control of nature, however humans tend to interfere or meddle with the course of nature as planned and controlled by God and we experience world disaster which we then blame on God and label them as being, 'Acts of God'.
When reflecting on verse nine of the book of Genesis I can imagine a volcanic eruption in a location in sea. As a consequence of such an event the surrounding waters would be forced away by the impact of the blast of the eruption. Consequently dry land would appear in the process. However as previously mentioned the way in which it happened is irrelevant to the purpose of this analysis, what is important is that God as a master creator has full control over nature and that as consequence of His love for us he worked on our behalf, and is still at work even today to preserve us and our well being although the process during our times is more challenging due to human sinful intervention. However, nobody or no such means can stop God's intervention on earth in in our lives. God does everything for our good. Even though disasters may happen such as a tsunami, and we might not understand why it has happened, in the background God still loves the injured people, however either for their own good or for the good of humanity, that event had to take place according to the will of God. It sometimes happens that after a period of time, the truth is revealed, and we are astounded by the facts of human meddling or negligence, behind a disaster such as a train crash that might have taken place.
10. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 10)
As in the previous verses God saw that his creation was good, according to me his creation was more than perfect according to a perfect order. Now that He had finished making the basic elements meaning the sky which is the dwelling place of God and his angles and the earth the place where he would dwell with his people in the future, God continued the process of creation. Before creating our dwelling place on earth, God created our dwelling place in heaven which is our only true and secure home in the presence of God the father.
11. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 11)
Verse eleven from the first chapter of the book of Genesis is one of the most important verses in the defense of God as creator (not that He actually needs it) when faced with the challenges and theory put forward by science such as the theory of evolution.
God created every fruit tree and vegetation with the capacity of making seeds to reproduce themselves and not vice versa. This means that the tree and vegetation species did not evolve from each other since God created the prototype original plants and trees. By now vegetation and trees sprouted every where on earth according to God's plan for distribution in both quantity, quality and kind. Since God gave nature the capacity and God ahead to distribute itself the process proceeded thus reflecting the divinity, diversity, beauty, and bounty of the creator. As part of nature humans were also born with the capacity to create and recreate in both beauty, quality, and quantity. Through God we were given the shared quality of divinity in the sense of being created on the form and likeness of God, who is also an agent of creation, beauty, divinity in quantity and quality and has the power of creating but not of being created.
12. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 12)
Verse twelve of the first chapter of the book of Genesis reflects the response of nature to the will of God. In subjection and obedience to God nature began spreading and recreating itself. On reflecting we can also ask ourselves if we are the type of people who take God at his word and obey it by giving a positive response to His Holy Will. On reflecting we can ask, ourselves whether if nature that lacks the power of reasoning and feeling obeys God why do some of us willfully disobey God and decide to enter marriage according to the conditions of Christian marriage that supports the reproduction of offspring and willfully decide not to have children which is not pleasing to God. Once we are given the capacity to have offspring it is a direct sin against the will of God not to participate in God's process of creation and produce offspring. Creation is not only limited to the producing of offspring. God also gave us the capacity to be creative. God gives us a diversity of talents, skills and abilities, that we can use to continue the process of creation that was initiated by God in the beginning. We are agents of God on earth or so called his right hand assisting Him in the process of creation. Remember God has no hands however He has yours and mine, therefore on keeping this in mind we are to commit ourselves to use our body, and soul for the good of humanity and not simply to satisfy our own needs.
13. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 13)
Verse thirteen is a technical device used by the author of the book of Genesis in order to reflect the progression, development and unity of the unfolding of the plan of God in the creation even that I dare not refer to as a story, because in fact it is not a story that happened only once. I believe the that the process of creation is still in a state of continuity, because God never stops being creative.
14. And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. 15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon earth." And it was so.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 and 15)
On observing God's actions in verse fourteen of this chapter it can be noted that God at all costs wanted to shed light even when there was darkness. In order to break the effect of the darkness and not give it absolute dominion God ordered that there would be lights in the sky as in the case of the stars, moon and sun. The stars as mentioned in verse fourteen have the function of giving light in the darkness of the night as does the moon.
Moreover stars have been used by astronomers and even by people who travel on the seas in earlier times in order to find their way about. For instance in the New Testament it was by means of a star that Jesus was found in Bethlehem.
God wants us to lead an ordered life and not be like plants or vegetables who are born in the ground and remain in the ground. Our creative father wants us to advance and move on in life. Therefore in order to advance in a regular and controlled way, God gave us the necessary means. Typical examples are mentioned in verse fourteen. The stars had been given the function of helping to distinguish day from night, seasons from seasons, days and years. On reflecting we are given the image of a natural calendar that gives us the following guidelines. Therefore it can also be said that God wants us to be in touch and aware of our natural, social and spiritual environment and not live and alienated life.
16. God made the two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verses 16 to 19)
Since verses sixteen to nineteen carry the same message I have grouped them together into one citation. As already mentioned God ordered that His eternal light would have dominion over the darkness of evil. We have to keep in mind that were light exists darkness is no more. Therefore on adding the percentage of light even in a state of darkness the strength of darkness is weakened and light would have dominion over darkness.
Moreover from the initial state of chaos, God is gradually creating a state of order. Throughout these nineteen verses, God is constantly setting boundaries. This is applicable to sky and earth, sea and land and day and night and even the stars are given roles and boundaries. Everything is indeed in perfect order.
20. And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 20)
Now that the land and sea mechanisms were fully developed the next process was ready to be accomplished. This is the giving of life in both sea land and sky, God does everything according to a perfect order and gives much weight to detail even in our life circumstances taking care not to let us get hurt for no necessary reason if not by our own doing.
21. So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 21)
As previously mentioned we find more proof that in the process of creation God created all the species of the world, which goes against the teachings of evolution. Moreover again we find the cultural belief inserted in the narrative which reflects the traditions and beliefs of these times, this is referred to by the mentioning of the great sea monsters.
22. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth" 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verses 22 and 23)
On reflecting on this verse we notice that our God is one of life and not of death. According to his design as master creator all the mentioned creatures were to live in peace and harmony with each other and continue to flourish and multiply according to God's Holy Will. The author of this book and chapter continues to weave the narrative by adding the same ending comment showing the continuity of the creation process. This is the verse, 'And there was evening and there was morning...
24. And God said, " Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. 25. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 24 and 25)
On analyzing this biblical verse we cannot fail to notice that in verses, twelve, twenty and twenty-four of the first chapter of the book of Genesis the created product was generated by the earth and were not created directly by God. This means that nature was given the order and authority to create and regenerate itself. This also means that God became a collaborator with nature and did not remain sole creator.
God likes to share the ruling of our lives with us. He gives us all the needed resources to accomplish this as in signs and all the needed support love and care. As human all we need to do is place our complete faith in him.
26. 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."
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 26)
At long last God decided in all his love and generosity to give all that he had created to humans that he also wanted to create. Moreover God not only wanted to make this enormous bounty of a donation but wanted to create humans in His form. This meant He wanted to share even his form and likeness with humanity. Humans were to be created to be like God thus making them share of the qualities of God having the capacity to be created create and recreate and have dominion over all creation.
27. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them: male and female he created them.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 27)
God loves us so much that of all the creatures that He had created, which share of his beauty He decided to create beings in his form. According to verse twenty-seven God has female and male traits as in the nature that He had created. On reflecting on the male and female attributes as familiar to our culture, we can conclude that God is loving and caring, consoling and counselling and also rational and disciplined.
28. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon earth."
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 28)
On reflecting on this verse we can observe that we find ambiguity in the fact to whom actually God is referring by the term 'them'. God could be referring to a male and female species to whom He has given absolute authority over nature. When reflecting on God's command we cannot help to comment on the fact that God gave humanity to dominate the world but not to destroy it, by wars and other forms of destruction and contamination or liquidation of the human kind as in the case of concentration camps such as Auschwitz and many other case of which we may still not be aware.
29. God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 29)
It can be observed that since the beginning God wanted us to be herbivores and not carnivores. On reflecting we may wonder and ask ourselves what may have been God's reasons. It could be that in the consumption of meat one had to kill and shed the blood of the victim or animal to be slaughtered. However up to now we are given no traces of such violence. In his Divine providence God created enough resources to enable and cater for the needs of both humans and animals as in verse thirty of the first chapter of the book of Genesis.
30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was morning, the sixth day.
(Genesis chapter 1 verses 30 and 31)
As previously mentioned God created enough supply to cater for the needs of both humans and creatures of both sea, earth and air. This points out the fact, that we do not need to slaughter fish, mammals such as wales, and other creatures. If we want to be obedient to God, we are to consume all that He has made for us and no more.
God saw that everything He had created was indeed perfect. All the needed systems to create and sustain life had been created and were in perfect working order. The air was clean, the waters were free from contamination. It was heaven on earth, and idyllic setup lacking nothing.
In light of our reflection on the first chapter of the book of Genesis I would really wish to thank God for all his creation, for being a loving and caring and even disciplined parent in his behaviour towards us. Although You knew that as humans we were prone to spoil all that you had created you still gave us the authority and responsibility over all that you had created. Thanks for giving us your attributes and abilities especially that of being creative.
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