A What Did What in the First Two Verses of Genesis?

How would the most intelligent entity in existence communicate with primitive humans? Let me put it another way -- how would you explain the creation of the Heavens and Earth to a bunch of two-year-olds? I guess we could try reciting tons of complex scientific data. That should keep their attention for about three seconds. Their brains haven’t even developed the capacity to process that kind of information. You will have to turn the points you want to make into a story they can understand. That’s what two-year-old brains are genetically hardwired for – hearing stories. Narratives are the default communications mode of humans of all ages and cultures.

The book of Genesis is treasure chest of some of the most powerful stories ever told. When we began digging into the words of the ancient Hebrew text of Genesis, it was like working on an archaeological dig – we discovered layers of stories linked to those ancient words. One of the amazing things we realized was that embedded in some of those ancient stories are ideas that science did not discover until very recently, hence my opening words about “the most intelligent entity.” Don’t start jumping up and down and shouting that this proves that your God exists yet. Wait until you hear a little more of the story.

Each story in the Bible is made up of mini-stories that teach specific lessons. Today we are going to hear the first-mini story in the book of Genesis. If you want to get the most out of this experience make notes when your BS Alarm goes off (belief system alarm). It will go off when you read or hear something that disagrees with your beliefs. You won’t literally hear it, but you will feel it and your brain will try to go in “defense mode.” The goal now is simply to make things that invisible in your brain visible so you will know what they are so you can examine them. Keep a journal or a notebook handy because it will become a very valuable tool.

Now we are ready to heard the story old by the first two-verses in the Bible (Genesis 1:1-2). I will warn you that our translation will probably set off your BS Alarm multiple times.

When a god began creating the Heavens and the Earth,

the Earth did not exists,

darkness was over the surface of deep waters,

and the ruach of the god hovered above the surface of the deep waters.

I bet “a god” set off a few BS Alarms! It did for Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and me the first time we saw it. In our Christian and Jewish belief systems there is only “one God,” however as every knows, they have strong disagreements over who that God is.

This story is about an “unnamed god.” No group can claim that it is their God.” We are told nothing about it – what it is, where it came from, what it has done before, etc. We will have to wait for the story to tell us about that entity.

The first thing it tells us is that this entity “creates things,” in this case “the Heavens and the Earth.” Creating those things definitely puts this entity in a class by itself. But before we can really “hear” the story we must understand that to the original ancient Jewish audience the Hebrew word meant “changing things that exist.”

The unnamed god changed things that existed into the Heavens and the Earth.

The next thing the story tells us that when the unnamed god began changing things that exist – the Earth did not exist. Following that we hear what did exist:

● darkness

● deep waters

● the ruach of the unnamed god

Since “darkness and deep waters” existed, along with the unnamed god, they are the things the god has to work with. This will be a story about how an unnamed god change darkness and deep waters into the Heavens and the Earth.

However, the second verse revealed something new about the unnamed god in the phrase “ruach of god.” What is a ruach? When English thinkers consider meanings of words, we view each option in the dictionary as a stand-alone independent option. But, when ancient Hebrew thinkers viewed options for the meaning of ruach, they searched for a common idea all options share. At this point, we have not been given enough information to identify that common idea so we will translate “ruach of god” as the “breath/wind/spirit/presence of god.” As the story unfolds, every time the word god appears thing of it as the “breath/wind/spirit/presence of god.”  Also make sure you know where it is located. It is now “hovering above the surface of the deep waters.”  

So let’s update our translation – “the “breath/wind/spirit/presence of an unnamed god” is hovering above the surface of deep waters in complete darkness preparing to begin changing darkness and deep waters into the Heavens and the Earth.”

Try to picture an environment without the Heavens and the Earth in which there are only deep waters concealed in total darkness and something hovering. Now imagine that you are suddenly dropped into it! What would your chances of survival be? The answer is 0% unless the god does something. This is one of the most deadly environments a human can imagine. This is the opening scene of the first story of the Bible. Think about it. Talk about it. Check back and follow the story in the next blog!

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