NOTES ON GENESIS THE CREATION OF MAN: CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO

There is an amazing amount of information to absorb in Genesis 1 and 2. God tells us of creation of the world and man in sparse language. The ancient Hebrew sages to whom the Word was given spent their entire lives mulling over the information given them in these two chapters. They had no scientific knowledge as we have today yet the conclusions to which they came are supportive of science.

The ancient sages read the Word and attempted to allow the Word to interpret itself. As I study their thoughts and conclusions I am amazed at the depth of their thoughts and ideas. I have been learning to meditate and consider what the Word says in a much slower and more thoughtful way. The following notes are based on information contained in the Jewish Study Bible commentary.

As we go through this keep in mind that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, a very picturesque language. It is sometimes difficult to translate into another language in simplicity. Often times a translator may not understand the true Hebrew meaning and attempt to translate what they think it says.

Because of this I find it very helpful to try to understand what the ancient Hebrew writers were saying from a Hebrew perspective. This often enables me to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures. Admittedly, the ancients did not get everything correct but they were extremely sensitive to the Hebrew meanings of the words.

In my opinion, when the Hebrew peoples rejected Yeshua (Jesus) they rejected many truths He was attempting to show them. He had answers to many of the things they did not understand. In rejecting Yeshua they became blind to many spiritual truths they did not understand at the time. This condition still exists and will not be corrected until Yeshua’s second coming and His acceptance by His cherished people. Read on with all that in mind.

Genesis 1:26-28 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

In the ancient Near East the king was often said to be the “image” of the god and thus to act with divine authority. As Christians we understand that Yeshua (Jesus) was God’s first creation before all thing and that all things were created by Him and for Him by God the Father (1 Col 1.15-19; John 1.1-5). Isn’t that interesting in comparison to the ancient Near East thought!

The ancients saw in humanity’s creation in God’s image a commission to rule over the animal kingdom. They also saw man as a steward of the earth accountable to God the owner. We own nothing but have been given all by God Almighty.

These verses are the first to describe the creation of man. Here we begin to see how the Bible interprets itself and how the ancients meditated on the meaning of various scriptures. This account in Genesis 1 seems to speak of groups of men and women created simultaneously. I never saw this before!

Many times in Bible study of Genesis the first question a student asks is, “Where did the other people come from?” These verses may give us the clue. These verses describe the creation of man in general. God created man; male and female, blesses them, tells them to multiply, and fill the earth. Then God gives them stewardship over the earth.

The ancient sages recognized this as a general description separating it from the account we find in Genesis 2.4-24 where the account of human origins speaks of God’s creation of one male from whom one female emerges. The division of humankind into two sexes is closely associated with the divine mandate in Gen 1 to be fertile and increase.

This second account of creation of man is centered on familiar human experiences. Even God is described in more human form and with human attributes. Classical Hebrew tradition tends to harmonize the discrepancies in the two human creation accounts by intertwining the stories, using the details of one to fill in the other.

In Gen 2.7 man has a lowlier origin than in Gen 1.26-28. It does not mention man is created in the image of God but from the dust of the earth. In this account man has a closer and more intimate relationship with his Creator, who blows the breath of life into him, transforming the dust into a living being. In this understanding they see man as a being dependent upon God for life itself.

In Gen 2.18-24 we see that man’s fulfillment requires companionship. The Lord’s creation of woman from man emphasizes the close connection between them laying the groundwork for understanding marriage and its relation with procreation of the species.

The ancients saw this meaning that men are to be different from the males of the animal world, who mate and move on to the next partner. A man “wishes to be with his wife always.” Promiscuity is a degradation of God’s intentions in creating human beings male and female.

It is interesting that the early people of the Bible practiced polygamy, but verse 2.24 indicates that the ideal condition is monogamy. Ref: Malachi 2.14-16; Proverbs 5.15-23. We see in subsequent chapters of Genesis how polygamy created Ismael and the enmity between half-brothers, and later, Jacob’s dysfunctional family.

The best way to approach these verses is to allow the Bible, with the help of the ancients, to interpret itself. The Word is much deeper than we know. These interpretations, if allowed, can answer many perplexing questions the student of the Bible always have.

Where did the other people come from? The reading in Gen 1 answers the question, it just doesn’t give the details.

Why did God let early man have so many wives? It appears this was not God’s original plan at all. He allowed it to happen but it was not as He intended. By the time of Yeshua this practice was no longer the way of marriage. Men only took one wife…it took a couple thousand years for humankind to figure it out!

My experience has been that many “fundamental Christians” get upset with this line of thinking. I think they object too quickly. We all have a tendency to think too much. As a teacher I see it in students all the time. They get stuck on an issue because they don’t have all the details.

God has given us the answers if we dig deep enough. He just doesn’t always give us the details. As we read through the Bible additional information can be gleaned, just as in the references above on the one wife issue. Malachi and Proverbs are additional information that confirm God’s ideal is one wife. Let the Bible interpret itself!

Finally the Bible requires FAITH. God gives what He considers sufficient information. They rest requires study and faith that His word is true. He is not requiring blind faith. He gives us some wiggle room. It is enlightening that the ancients could combine the two separate human creation stories to answer the question of the origin of the “other people.” It is an acceptable answer and is all that God is going to give us…the rest is up to your faith.