This week restarts the yearly reading through the first five books of the Bible, the Torah. According to Jewish tradition, immediately following the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles we once again begin reading from Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The foundations of life as we know it are recorded in this week’s Torah portion reading.
As much as I enjoy studying the Hebrew text of this week’s selected Scriptures, I always find it challenging to do justice to the volume of wonderful truth that fills the pages of Genesis 1:1 – Genesis 6:8. In this brief commentary I will share a few words regarding one of the many gems found in the creation account.
The Creation Account
Whereas we are given a day by day account of creation in Genesis chapter one, we are given a much more detailed account of the creation of man and woman as they relate to the created order in Genesis chapter two. The verse that sets forth this more detailed account begins in Genesis 2:4: “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.” The creation of the heavens and the earth set the stage for the created order as recorded in Genesis 1:1. The heavens and the earth provide the framework for what we know today as the universe and the world in which we live.
In Genesis 2:4 where it states: “This is the account of the heavens and the earth…” the Hebrew literally reads “אלא תולדות השמים והארץ” – “Elle Toldot Hashamaim Ve Ha’aretz.” The words in Hebrew for “the heavens” and “the earth” are straight forward, however, the word for “account” is a fascinating word in Hebrew that deserves to be looked at further.
The Hebrew word for “account” in the above verse is “תולדות” – “Toldot,” which can mean “the history of,” “the descendants of,” or “the genealogy of.” The word “תולדות” – “Toldot,” comes from the Hebrew root “ילד” – “yalad” which literally means “to give birth to.” Therefore, when we read about “…the account of the heavens and the earth…” we are literally reading about “the record of the birth of the heavens and the earth” or “the account in which the heavens and earth came into being.”
Genesis chapters one and two provide the historical record about the universe as we know it: the creation of the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars along with the creation of all of the animals, birds, fish, and human life. Those who hold to this account as being true and accurate are generally referred to as Creationists while those who oppose this view and believe that the universe sprang forth and developed totally on its own are generally called Evolutionists.
In Genesis chapter two God instructed Adam to eat of any of the fruit of the trees in the Garden of Eden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). God warned Adam that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would surely bring death to the one who partakes. God also created a mate suitable for the man and brought forth the woman who joined Adam in the Garden.
The Great Deception
During those days when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden they enjoyed perfect harmony with the creation and the Creator, however, the day would come when the serpent would deceive the woman into eating the forbidden fruit which she also shared with her husband:
The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. – Gen. 3:4-6
In that fateful day, woman and man chose to disobey the command of God while trying to become like God. In so doing they brought sin and death into the world which continues until today.
God’s Word has endured the millennia and in every generation there are those who choose to either submit to God’s Word and find life or reject God’s Word and choose death. According to our text in Genesis 3, whenever a human being chooses to reject the truth of God’s Word and disobey His commands they are putting themselves in the place of God and attempting to establish a different standard of defining good and evil. Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm in our day and age.
An Attempt to Rewrite History
The humanistic mindset of today constantly seeks to squash the truth of God’s Word while setting up its own standard of good and evil, truth and morality. The Bible is often viewed as archaic and patriarchal while being characterized as outdated and obsolete in our modern society. However, the wise person will see and comprehend that the detailed account of life and relationship with the Creator, as recorded for us in Genesis chapters one to three, is not just an old-time story with a good plot but rather the blueprint for the universe in which we live and a gentle warning to us all to obey the Word of God and to never assume that we know better than the Creator.
God alone is the author of Creation and it is His Story that we are reading in these first few chapters of Genesis. The person who rejects Genesis chapters one to three is putting him or herself in God’s place and is attempting to rewrite history. They are listening to the lie of the serpent while chasing an arrogant farce that a created human being can somehow tell the Creator of the universe how His Story is flawed. This path surely leads to death and separation from the Creator. The person who accepts the creation account for what it is, God’s story, and seeks to walk according to God’s Word, will surely find life.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Torah Portion: Gen. 1:1 – Gen. 6:8
Haftara for Passover: Isaiah 42:5 – Isaiah 43:10
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It was lovely meeting you at the Feast of Tabernacles. I look forward to hearing more from you. Thank you for the commentary.
So wonderful to see that you have started up your Commentaries once again, Daniel. Looking forward to the studies and learning from them.
Bless you,
Carolyn
Thanks Carolyn.