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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