Genesis 1a: And God Said!

This is the beginning of a series on Genesis 1-11. We will go over the theology and store of what the authors are trying to tell us. Thanks to scholars Ben Stanhope and John Walton for reviewing this video.

Sources:
John Walton - The Lost World of Genesis 1

John Sailhamer - Genesis Unbound

Ben Stanhope video:

Kenneth A. Matthew - The New American Commentary: Genesis 1:1 - Genesis 11:26

T. Desmond Alexander & David W. Baker - The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch

John Walton - Ancient Near Eastern Thought and The Old Testament, Second Edition

David Tsumura - Creation and Destruction

J. Richard Middleton - The Liberating Image

D. J. A. Clines - The Image of God in Man

Richard S. Hess - Israelite Religions

E. Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O'Brien - Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes

[InspiringPhilosophy]

For those who think William Lane Craig has refuted this whole idea, we did a hangout where we went through Craig's critique of John Walton:

[jimmydale]

I’ve always been content that my salvation doesn’t hinge on knowing exactly how and when God created the universe. I still don’t, but this series is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for all your research.

[TheBrunarr]

I have never seen a convincing argument against IP's biblical interpretation, just people quoting bible passages and saying hes "overanalyzing" never actual arguments. How could anyone deny that the old testament should be read in the context and language of which it was written in? Are you really going to tell me that it should be read in English within a 21st century western culture?? Get real.

[kaylacarter]

My brain feels like it's breaking, but I'm all here for it.

[SHADOW-zjjb]

as a non religious person who is interested in just the information and facts in the bible, this is a breath of fresh air. No doctrine or moralizing, just straight facts. Very interested in learning here. Finally a bible study I can watch.

[pseudonym]

Questioning young earth creationist here. Wow. That was amazing. I had never heard this before. I love what Genesis 1 says for our learning (Romans 15:4). God can take chaos and formlessness and turn them into what is good and proper. He does the same when he redeems us through Jesus.

[eddeewhat]

I’m starting to think this might be one of my favorite channels. I really enjoyed this video

[karenmiranda]

Amazing Channel!
The Bible applications are timeless, it’s a book that’s alive, it’s current and forever. 💕

[Siamesemama]

Oh, this blew me away! Treating a reading of Genesis w/the cultural lens of the Hebrew fathers really deepens other chapters in the Bible. Can't wait to go deeper-would have given 100 thumbs up to this video if I could have.

[TheGer]

Dude, youre awesome! You help me clear the confusion and questions i have about the things written in the Bible! God bless you and your work!

[stephenzerbel]

This actually makes perfect sense to me. I am really enjoying this series

[aoiojmnz]

I always wondered about this, how the chaos already existed before the creation account, but never gave it too much thought. Excellent video, it really cleared things up for me! It just makes me wonder when God actually created the chaotic matter and why He decided to bring order to it, and why He decided to bring order to it at the time He did. I can only imagine and suppose God being eternally Holy by Himself in communion with each other as Father, Son, and Spirit, and at a certain point (or perhaps not an initial created point, but a plan that always was) in His eternal wisdom and understanding, decided that sharing His goodness in community and family with heavenly beings and earthly sons and daughters, and all creation–from chaos, to order, to the fall, and to the redemption through Jesus Christ, and furthermore an eternal sharing of holiness with us as redeemed humans–to indeed be good and worthy of being created both materially and functionally. Thinking about God and His holiness and eternal existence hurts my brain, it is truly humbling! Oh, thank you, Father, The Great I AM, Yahweh, KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS, hallowed be your name forever!

[sjappiyah]

The Allusion to Jerimiah and how it was the reverse of Genesis in order to display that it’s meant to be a functional reading is brilliant!

[lloydmunga]

The great thing about dissecting it is that in the end, it doesn't change how I feel .... but it puts it in a new ( and often brighter ) light

[samchoate]

Bro, thank you. During this video I actually said out loud, “that’s dope”. You spark my interest in the Bible when I often feel turned off by the Christians around me. I do want to be friends with them, but you are helping me learn what I believe in by going IN DEPTH into these things instead of swallowing what we are conditioned in the west to think and believe. I cannot thank you enough, seriously.

It would be good to get coffee some time. I think you and I would have good conversations.

[ncedwards]

5 minutes in:
Genesis 1: "In the beginning"
IP: Yes, but actually no.

[chikeokjr]

I love this channel, I pray the quality and genuineness of ur work never dips

[Xhoppr]

Interesting take on the creation. However, I humbly disagree with it. Going by this interpretation then there is no creator of the universe. The earth simply existed in the universe until God decided to shape it and give it a purpose. The explanation is pre staged by another explanation of how the ancient authors in their cultural context, actually wrote "when: God created the heavens and the earth and not "in the beginning" as it has been translated. Therefore making verse 1 dependent of verse 2. This idea is then repeated throughout the video. As some say, repeat something enough and it will become truth. However, after the alteration of "in the beginning" to "when" the explanation focuses entirely on the state of the earth or function of it, and leaves out the creation of the heavens. It completely leaves it out. Towards the end of the video John 1:1-3 is quoted. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  This says clearly that Jesus created everything, and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. In Job 38 God tells Job in rhetorical questions, that God laid earth's foundation, and he measured it. So obviously God takes credit as the architect of the earth. It was not just here and he decided to give it a purpose. Instead, He built with a purpose. So let's assume that "in the begimning" should have been translated as "when". I would read it in the following way: When God created the heavens and the earth, he created the earth formless and empty, or "unproductive". Read in this way, verse 1 is not dependent on verse 2, but rather verse 2 is a continuation of verse 1 to describe the look and feel of the earth at that time when God created. Much like a comet. Just a big rock moving through space. Then he starts to give it life...etc. In much the same way a potter takes dirt, mixes it with water and has a lump of wet clay. Then he spins and shapes it into a vase, or a bowl or whatever he or she envisions at that time. Let us not forget that the heavens and the earth were created at the same time. Without the heavens, earth wouldn't have a place to exist in. So all matter was created by God. He created the heavens or universe, and according to John 1 everything that is in it. This to me is the same small change the serpent made when he twisted God's word to convince Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We must be careful when we make such changes as to not take away from God's grandeur and glory. He is the architect of everything, invisible and visible.

[aliciadupuy]

Man, I have had soooo many trust issues thru my life, and one of them was trusting the translators of the books!! Im so glad you mentioned this playlst in a short!

[leosailor]

Wow I always read the creation story literally and chronologically, now I know that that wasn’t the way it was written or meant to be read. As you said, having night and day without the sun moon and stars would have been thought of as just as silly back then as it would be now