How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New? 3
Last time, we watched God create the universe and its inhabitants (see Part 2).
Now, we will look at a second description of His creation of Adam and Eve:
- Is there an alternative Creation?
So many people try to ‘nitpick’ the Bible, either trying to negate it, or by trying to twist Scripture into a meaning of their own making. Such shenanigans are flagrant concerning the following Scripture:
This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is of the days of creation] that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens – Gn. 2:4 AMP
First, let us examine the truth of the new information that we can glean here. One: notice it says the ‘day’ that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Here is another use of the Hebrew ‘yom’ for the ‘day,’ where the word’s use does not reflect a 24 -hour period but instead represents the 6 days of God’s creation.
Second, we see for the first time, a conjunction of the words ‘LORD God,’ consisting of the Hebrew Elohim (the all-powerful cosmological Creator of the Universe and its inhabitants), coupled with the Hebrew YHVH, translated as best as we humanly can, as Yahweh or Jehovah, (the personal, all-loving God, who looks after the welfare of His most beloved creation – humankind).
This is also where people have concocted weird variations to push a narrative of an ‘alternative creation.’ We will spend a little time debunking these wild ideas.
First, chapter 2 of Genesis is not an alternative creation that is in opposition to chapter 1 in any way. Chapter 1 is the about the great cosmological creation of the universe, the formation of the elements within it, and the sequential preparation of Earth, creating the ideal environment for the formed inhabitants therein.
Chapter 2 is instead a sharply focused treatise about all things essential to the creation of what it means to be human – and the idyllic conditions in which they first existed. Let’s continue:
…neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up out of the ground and watered all the land. Gn. 2:5, 6. NLT
Thus, God granted water that was necessary to nurture nature, before the coming of rain. Nowhere does this suggest that humanity was created prior to the creation of the plants. The part about ‘no people to cultivate the soil,’ presents the picture that humankind had not yet been created, nor had Adam and Eve fallen, because having to cultivate the soil was a penalty that God levied upon Adam for his transgression against Him.[1]
Next, we see Jehovah complimenting His creation of humankind (already pronounced in Gn. 1:26, 27.), described with far more depth:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gn. 2:7 KJV
What about this ‘soul’ thing? It is so remarkably wondrous and divinely made, that I will call again upon the spiritual acuity of Thomas Aquinas, from his book, Summae Theologica, to help me out.
He begins describing the created characteristics of the human soul, (this God-given image of Himself) – stating that intellectual beings (humankind) are closer to being like God than any of His other creations.
This is further demonstrated by the fact that we have ‘free will,’ as opposed to the ‘innate impulses’ that drive all other animal species. Aquinas further postulates that humans alone possess understandings about universal themes and relationships, which they first begin to understand through their five senses.
The intellect then engages in logistics and conclusions, in a process that occurs outside of the body. Therefore, it exists on a higher plane than our flesh. This Intellect, (soul), is unique to everyone, as each exists in their own exclusive environment – i.e., in a distinct body.
Aquinas explains that the soul is not endowed with the body, yet it may maintain a union with it, as long as the body lives. Moreover, the human soul reaches for loftier planes, independent of its associated flesh, above and beyond whatever expressions it may initiate through the body.
Those capabilities of the soul which are expressed in the flesh, are subject to corruption because of the degradation of the body as it ages; but the intellectual portion remains intact.
Since the soul is incorporeal, it cannot be passed generationally through biological conception. It must be created; and only God creates. It is the highest part of us, made in the image of God:
So it is written [in Scripture], “The first man, Adam, became a living soul (an individual) …” 1 Cor. 15:45 AMP
And yes, God Himself has a soul:
I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject nor separate itself from you. Lv. 26:11 AMP
We are called by Jehovah to look to seek Him with our souls:
…you will search for the LORD your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul. Dt. 4:29 CSB
In the same way, we should love Him.[2]
Finally, according to Christ Himself, it is imperative that we preserve this portion of our God-connection: (the other portion being our spirit, which we shall discuss later).
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Mt. 16:26 NLT
Okay. What does this discussion of the soul stimulate in a bigger question? How about ‘Why were we created this way?’ Yes? One last time, let us examine Aquinas’ deductions.
‘…everything that is made by God necessarily exists for an end.’
What he is saying is that everything will ultimately be perfected at times’ end – regardless of which ‘end’ you have steered yourself into, (i.e., brought to a consummate state for heaven or hell):
For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]. 1 Cor. 13:12. AMP
This revelation is further strengthened by the Scriptures that promise a new immortal body[3] and new heavens and a new earth.[4]
And for our last dip into Aquinas to put a period on his final conclusions, he says: ‘This then, is the reason all things were made: that they might be assimilated to the divine goodness. To be assimilated by God, we must be perfected by Him through the power of His glory – His divine light…
Much food for thought.
Let us return to our examination of the second chapter of Genesis:
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and he placed the man he had made. The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground – trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gn. 2:8, 9. NLT
A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah…The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates. Gn. 2:10 – 14. NLT
According to the Moody Bible Commentary, ‘Eden’ means delight. It is where the garden was planted. It is the first time that ‘directions’ (e.g., east vs. west) is introduced in the Bible. Notice too that there are two trees separated from the fruit trees: the tree of life, (the source of Adam’s and Eve’s immortality), and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (God’s complete compendium of morality – meant for Him only).
In addition, it says that the ancient whereabouts of the Pishon and Gihon rivers are unknown. Yet what we do know, is that the land of Cush was in Africa, south of Egypt. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are very well known, located in Mesopotamia – placing the garden of Eden between Mesopotamia and Egypt, and suggested by some scholars to be the future site of Israel. See also the book of Revelation, which presents an analogous description of ‘New Jerusalem – which also contains the Tree of Life.’[5]
It is this garden where we learn of Adam’s placement there, and the purpose of it, and bear witness to an exceptionally important admonition:
The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Gn. 2:15 – 17. NLT
We see that if Adam eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will be stripped of his immortality. The Hebrew states that ‘on the day you eat from it, you will die.’ Again, using the Hebrew yom, not as a 24-hour period, but as a period within which his mortality would end.
Jehovah then continues along in this greater creation supplement to the first chapter of Genesis, as He addresses Adam’s present state:
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But there was no helper just right for him. Gn. 2:18 – 20. NLT
There is a lot that we can learn here. God is not creating animals anew; this is putting the 5th and 6th days of creation in the backdrop. Some scoffers claim that Adam could not name all the animals in one day. This passage does not concern naming all the animals. It is purely to instill upon Adam his need for a mate of like kind.man and
It is God pointing out that loneliness is detrimental to humans. This is the first time in the Bible that He has said that something was ‘not good.’ In the Hebrew, it says that God will make him ‘a helper who is ‘his equal.’ Consider too that despite Jehovah’s relationship with Adam, it is obvious that we still require people around us in relationship as well.
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’ Gn. 2:21 – 23. NLT
So, Eve is made equally from the same stuff as Adam.[6] And Jehovah brought her to him, similarly as a Father brings his daughter to the bride groom – as is borne out in the close of chapter 2:
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Gn. 2:24, 25. NLT
We see that a man must divest himself from the dependency upon his parents to prepare himself for the responsibilities of marriage – the highest form of a godly man / woman relationship, more so, in a monogamous one.
They are ‘joined together’ in a life-long commitment to each other’s well-being. They ‘are united into one,’ both in sexual union and in a mutually beneficial unification in purpose.
Lastly, both Adam and Eve were married in innocence, unaware of their nakedness, and thus, not ashamed by it.
All this chapter is devoted to what God had in mind for His children…
[1] Gn. 3:23
[2] Dt. 6:5
[3] 1 Cor. 15:35 – 55.
[4] Rv. 21:1-6 & 10 – 22; Rv. 22: 1- 5.
[5] Rv. 21:1, 2.
[6] Gn. 2:7 & 3:19.
Building Better Americans 119
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New? 2
We began this series with a look at (to the best of our finite ability), Who and What, is God – through the lenses of the Hebrew and Christian points of view. (See Part 1).
Today, we will explore God’s creation of the universe.
- Creation
If the Bible addressed all that God created, we’d probably be left with a book as voluminous as the Bible itself. Instead, God’s word focuses on the aspects of creation that specifically led to creating the perfect environment for the good of humankind – a reflection of His ultimate love.
To reiterate the first chapter, per God’s word, there was an absolute vacuum of nothingness. God spoke, turning the invisible creative thoughts of His Spirit into things material. In that same chapter, we cited Heb. 11:3, which tells us that faith is necessary to grasp the veracity of God’s process.
Scientists would say, and rightly so, that if time, matter, and energy just came into being, without any creative force behind it, all our universal laws would have to be violated. We know that in present time they cannot be broken.
Thus, all the laws of existence must have been set into place when the universe was created.
To cope with this phenomenon, scientists offer up the ‘Big Bang theory’, (not realizing that God is the Big Banger, who started it all). In this theory are elements of truth, e.g., the Law of Physics tells us that the universe is expanding at a constant rate. For this to hold true for their theory, there must have been a single point in time where the universe was totally contracted – which would infer that the universe has a finite volume and age.
However, the scientists, still flummoxed over the possibility of something created from nothing, offered other ‘hypotheses’ to explain it away – such as multiple universes or a pre-existing ‘super universe’ that had to spew its ‘creative force’ into nothing, to create a new one.
None of this is provable and must be taken on faith. Hmmm… (You see, hard corroborative scientific data is reliable, some scientists, not so much, as they allow their ideological biases to cloud their conclusions).
On the other hand, we have some on the religious side, that believe because God said that He created the universe within 6 days, (which some take literally), or even cite this very popular and misinterpreted Scripture: A Day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Pt. 3:8 NLT, to deduce that the universe is only 6000 years old.
(It is best to interpret the Bible literally wherever possible. However, other times, it speaks in broad metaphors, e.g., when Jesus told his disciple to forgive others 490 times, when it was clear that He was speaking of forgiveness as an ongoing action.) [1]
Like ‘flat earthers,’ the ‘6000-year believers’ are sadly misinformed. We have Carbon-14 degradation assays that are good for determining ancient artifacts’ ages to 60,000 years, with an accuracy of + / – decades. We have Uranium 235, good for 704 million years, Potassium 40 for 1.3 billion, Uranium 238 for 4.5 billion, Thorium 232 for 14 billion, and Rubidium, able to determine ages up to 49 billion years.
In addition, we now have the extraordinary James Webb telescope that proves that the oldest galaxies are 14 billion years old. Nowhere does the Bible refute that!
And so, let us now begin our journey into God’s 6-day creative process:
Day 1: The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Gn. 1:2 NLT
We are thrust into an expectant creation, by none other than God Himself, ready to take the young ‘Earth’ (notice that God is shifting His focus from the universe to Earth itself), which is yet incomplete as far as being able to sustain humanity, and He is readying Himself to bring order out of chaos.
Note too, that we see a scientific fact, that Earth was first covered with water, eons before humanity deduces that fact.
See also that we are informed that God is s Spirit being. This was verified by Christ Himself.[2] Given that, God is boundless, infinite, perfect, and eternal.
Now, the Creator of the universe begins to act:
And God said, “Let there be light; and there was light. God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness. Gn. 1:3, 4. AMP
It is to be noted that this Scripture is not a grammatical imperative, but an expression of God’s will – period. Some scientists believe that light was able to be perceived on earth, but indiscriminate because of the Earth’s early dense atmosphere. Others have suggested that light was created, distinguishing it from the dark matter of space. Either or both is highly probable.
Look to where the Scripture says that God says the light was ‘good.’ This can be understood in the context of being good for humankind, an expression of His love.
Next, God names the result of His first creation, his first steps in creating order in the universe:
God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. Gn. 1:5 NLT
Okay. Here, God is designating a 24-hour period. But keep in mind, the Hebrew word yom, for ‘day,’ is not always a 24-hour descriptive. [3]
Day 2: Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. Gn. 1:6 – 8. NLT
‘Space’ can also be translated from the Hebrew rakiay, meaning ‘expanse;’ and it’s only found here out of the entire Bible. We see it is also referred to as ‘heavens,’ and ultimately as the ‘sky.’ It was created to divide the waters in the ocean from the water vapors (e.g., clouds) of the sky.
Again, God is making the earth more livable.
Day 3: Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.’ And this is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation – every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.
The land produced vegetation – all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Gn. 1:9 – 12. NLT
The ‘dry ground’ was already there. God redistributed the seas, (think tectonic plate shifting), to lower the sea level. Also note the genetic purity with which our Creator seeded the earth. All the plants grew the same plants. Rutabagas did not grow watermelons, etc.
God is getting ready to feed His people.
Day 4: Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded].
God made the two great lights – the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].
God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed it and sustained it. Gn. 1:14 – 18. AMP
All of these ‘lights’ were also already there – products of the early expansion of the universe. They became visible to earth at this stage because God cleared its atmosphere. Again, God created these to aid humanity, and is letting them know, so that they won’t worship the sky as some mystic focus, as the pagans did.
Day 5: Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird – each producing offspring of the same kind.
And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” Gn. 1:20 – 22. NLT
Our Creator is increasing our dinner menu, but at the same time, God is also letting us know that He created the great sea creatures – again, so that we do not fall into the trap of worshiping them.
Day 6: Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind – livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Gn. 1:24, 25. NLT
Well, that rounds out our future dinner plate. (We were first commanded to be vegetarians.[4]Also note the retention of genetic purity in the animals as well as the plants. Like creates like.
Let’s step back for a moment and get a greater appreciation for what God is doing for us:
What was God doing here? He was creating a universe for you. Then, He began fine-tuning it, to give you an optimum environment. God stabilized the orbit of the earth, making it unusually circular, so the climate would be moderate.
He isolated the earth in a relatively remote part of our galaxy, so that we would not suffer catastrophic harm from comets, asteroids, black holes, etc.
God also tilted the axis of the earth with respect to the sun, so that we would have seasons; and placed the sun and the earth at an optimum distance from each other, so that we would not burn or freeze. He gave us a moon to slow the earth’s rotation, so that we would not suffer from continual hurricane winds. Jehovah also shrouded our planet with the Van Allen Radiation Belt, to shield us from harmful gamma rays.
Our Creator then altered plant and animal life until it suited you perfectly for sustenance. Why? Because He loves you – even before you took your first breath.[5] What is the chance that all this happened in this order by random events? Infinitely small.
Day 6: (cont.) Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and a moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.
So God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to all the animals on the earth…I have given every green plant for food… Gn. 1:26 – 30. AMP
No other creature on earth, except for humankind, are charged with ruling and caring for the entire earth, and to propagate it with life. Humans are to take care of nature; it was made for them, but they are outside of nature. God holds human life sacred; nature He does not.
Everything was gifted to Adam and Eve. God also endowed them (and us) with free will. He did that so that they / we might choose to love Him, because conscripted love is not love.
Also of import, we see that male and female, is God’s prescribed order of human beings.
But the most important thing I wanted to speak to, is why I chose the Amplified translation for this section. The Hebrew Bible considers that one of the words for God’s name, Elohim, suggests that there are many facets of His majesty.
Christians, however, diverge at this point because we must adhere to what Christ reveals to us. Jesus told His disciples that He was sending them the Holy Spirit, so that they would know all truth – that same Spirit that has emanated from God since before the beginning of time.[6]
Moreover, Jesus said Himself that He was also with God before time began, and that God created all things through His Son. [7] Thus, we have a different take on what the Scripture meant
by ‘made in Our image.’
Day 7: So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants). And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done. Gn. 2:1 – 3. AMP
This is the first time ‘holy’ was applied to a day, (i.e., connected with a portion of time), which was the Sabbath day – celebrated by Jews from Friday night to Saturday night, even to this day.
God gave the command to the Hebrews[8] to commemorate the Sabbath, whereby one may meditate upon the fact that he or she has an inherent value to God that transcends their efforts in their daily labors. This is facilitated through entering this Sabbath ‘rest’ by setting work aside on this day.
Here too, we can examine another analogous ‘Christian diversion,’ by examining where they also are invited to enter Jehovah’s ‘spiritual rest,’ that He offers through Christ:
God’s promise of entering his rest still stands…For this good news – that God has prepared for this rest…For only we who believe can enter his rest. Heb. 4:1 – 3. NLT
So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news (Hebrews) failed to enter because they disobeyed God (the original refugees in the exodus from Egypt).
So God set another time for entering his rest and that time is today…a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. Heb. 4:6, 7, 9 & 10. NLT
This ‘rest’ is celebrated by Christians on Sundays.
To be continued…
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Mt. 18:22
[2] Jn. 4:24
[3] Gn. 2:1-4.
[4] Gn. 1:29
[5] 1 Jn. 4:19
[6] Jn. 15:26
[7] Jn. 1:2, 3.
[8] Ex. 20:8 – 11.