In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Genesis 1:1
SUGGESTED READINGS: Psalm 33, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17, Revelation 4:11
The story starts with One who is, for now, simply called “Elohim.”
It’s the plural of a very ordinary Hebrew noun for an ordinary god, a divine ruler or judge. But the writer makes an extraordinary statement about this “ordinary” supernatural being: In the beginning, Elohim created the skies and the land.
Of course, such a claim would be far less extraordinary to its contemporaries than it is to us. Every ancient culture had an explanation for the origins of the world they inhabited, and all of them were linked to the activities of the supernatural. But unlike the stories told by the ancient Egyptians, Elohim didn’t Himself evolve from the preexisting chaos state of the uncreated space, nor did He achieve creation by reproducing Himself into an order of multiple other gods. And in contrast with the cosmology of the ancient Babylonians, who believed the world had come into form as the byproduct of cosmic wars between supernatural rivals, the Biblical creation narrative begins simple, peaceful, and authoritative.
There is no rival to Elohim.
There is no origin of Elohim.
From the first words of the Scriptures, He is set apart and supreme, eternal and ever-present. And He creates.
Heavens, or skies: The space belonging to the divine.
Earth, or land: The space governed by His human representatives, the ones He makes in His likeness.
In the beginning of human history, Elohim formed divine space and human space, and married them into one indivisible unit of sky and land, atmosphere and earth. From the outset of time, He intended to dwell within His creation and among His creatures, sharing all His goodness, His glory, and, yes, even His power with His image-bearers.
The God who has neither origin nor rival has no cause to be stingy with His abundance.
