FACTS AND THOUGHTS

 
RAMBLINGS IN GENESIS

Second Ramble - Earth Primeval

(Genesis 1:2-3)

 
 
Windy, - wet, - and: - dark.
 
There was no spot of ground on which to stand.
 
Now the earth had come to be a mess, useless and uninhabitable, its surface a  vast primordial sea, enshrouded by the blackness of a steamy impenetrable fog, a fog not dissipated even by the sweeping hurricane roiling up the heaving billows of the deep.
 
**
 
"And the earth was (or became) without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and a very powerful wind blowing (or: the Spirit of God moved) upon the face of the waters.
 
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
"In the beginning there was no land, no light, only darkness and the vast ocean where Earth-maker and Great-Grandfather were afloat in their canoe." - Old Creation Myth.
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
 
FIRST, let us review the setting for this verse.
 
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
A feather was seen floating in the sky. Amid its wind-blown gyrations, it suddenly descended, and began circling several rather tall buildings. It gyrated more, and gradually descended to a park-bench. After a few more swoops and swirls, the feather settled at the feet of a man sitting on the bench. Forrest Gump reached down, picked up the feather, and placed it carefully in his notebook. Then he began to reminisce his life story.
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
 
Like the feather in the Forrest Gump movie, Genesis began in space, as Verse One gave us the broad picture of creation, involving the whole universe: the heavens and the earth.
 
With Verse Two, the story became specific as to the earth. The created heavens have further significance only as they are related to our planet. The remainder of the First Chapter of Genesis deals entirely with the development of the earth.
 
The feather has started to descend....
 
(w'ha-aretz hayitha tohu wabohu) -- and-the-earth came-to-be without-form and-void.
 
***
 
Three preliminary notes:
The word for "earth," coming first in the verse (before the verb) is thereby given the place of emphasis. -- Why?
It seems to the writer that the emphasis is to distinguish the earth from the heavens, thereby narrowing the discussion by eliminating the heavens.
The verb is in the Perfect Tense, the tense of completed action. It is not "was continuing to be," which would have used the Imperfect Tense. Instead, the verb of existence, instead of being simply "was," can well be rendered "came to be" or "became."
The writer well remembers studying Hebrew under Dr. E. Leslie Carlson, more than fifty years ago. Whenever a student would come across the Hebrew word "hayitha" and translate it as "was," Dr. Carlson would interrupt to say, "was or became."
 
Does this mean that something happened to the earth during a time between Verses One and Two? There are those who think so; and Dr. Carlson quoted Isaiah 45:18 in support: "he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited." The word translated "in vain" ("tohu") is the same word translated "without form" in Genesis 1:2.
 
However, to allege a catastrophe affecting the earth in that interval would seem to overlook the second quoted clause in Isaiah: "He formed it to be inhabited." God did not intend to leave the earth in the void it had become, but had plans for it.
 
It may have been the condition of the earth when the Solar System was broken up and the earth became a separate body in space. The statement in Genesis may simply mean that the earth at that point had reached a state of "formless mass." Someone called it "a primordial swamp." It was just fluid.
When considering the status of the earth, we are inclined to place ourselves "in space," looking down on the earth. This probably gives us a wrong perspective. Rather, we should place ourselves on the surface of the earth, as it were, and looking out about us. This will probably enable us better to visualize mentally both the condition of the earth and also the changes which took place by divine activity.
 
***
 
God was about to reconstitute the earth to His liking. But first we must examine the condition of the planet just before He began to work.
 
We have already looked at the first clause of this second verse. It may help us to think of the earth at this point as perhaps a sort of muddy "soup" - a mixture of water and swamp.
 
***
 
The second statement about the Earth is that it was enveloped in absolute darkness.
 
(w'choshek al-p'nayht'hom) -- and-darkness upon-the-face-of (the) abyss.
 
The writer visualizes a dense fog, rising like steam (maybe it was steam) from the surface of the Earth. A fog so dense that no light, from either sun, moon, or stars, could penetrate. A state comprising both solid, liquid, and gas in its formlessness.
 
Impenetrable darkness!
 
***
 
And then the third statement:
 
(w'ruach elohim m'rachephethal-p'nayh ha-mayim) -- and the Spirit of God (according to the King James Version) moved upon the face-of the waters.
 
What can this statement possibly mean?
 
Let us analyze certain of these words. First of all, there is the word transliterated "ruach." This is an onomatopoetic word (that is, a word the pronunciation of which suggests its meaning.) It means, primarily, "breath" or "wind." Pronounce it, and you will realize that it sounds like a sudden rush of wind. -- Secondarily, it means "spirit."
 
The next word, transliterated "elohim," was rather thoroughly analyzed in Chapter One of this essay. There it was suggested that it may be an adjective, in the superlative mode. Accordingly, let us translate the two words, "ruach elohim," as "a very powerful wind."
 
Suddenly we seem to have a very understandable statement. It describes the status of the earth in purely physical terms, in consonance with the two previous statements of Earth's condition.
 
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
Shortly after privately reaching this interpretation, the writer was introduced to the book, "Chaos," by James Gleick. (Published by Penguin Books, in 1988.) On pages 53ff, Mr. Gleick described the condition of the planet Jupiter as reported back by radio from the space probe Voyager II. The surface of Jupiter was found to be not solid but liquid (others have said it was gas - in any case, fluid), and the famous "red spot" of Jupiter was found to be the cloud of a tremendous 200-mile-per-hour hurricane, blowing counter to the rotation of the planet. -- When the writer read this description, his immediate reaction was: "Wow! Then Jupiter today is like Earth was in the time of Genesis 1:2." (Further exploration of Jupiter took place in 1995, including a parachuted probe down to near the surface of the planet. Among other phenomena, a wind was found in excess of 300 mph.)
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
 
Subsequently, the writer came into possession of "The New English Bible" for the first time (the Old Testament.) Lo and behold, the NEB translated the statement as "a mighty wind." -- The NEB has since been revised, and the new version has gone back to the original translation. But at least the "mighty wind" has been retained in the margin. Also the so-called "Good News Bible" gives a similar marginal reading.
 
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
In the ongoing debate between evolutionists and creationists, wherein the former refuse to acknowledge the Bible, saying it is not "scientific," this alternate translation: "Mighty wind," would seem to blunt the argument of the evolutionists. Of course, it would not convince them, because they do not want to be convinced.
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
 
***
 
Does this mean that we must reject the translation "the Spirit of God hovering"? No, not necessarily.
 
Several months before writing this chapter, the writer was looking out the window on a very, very hot summer day. Not a breath of air was stirring, and the heat was completely oppressive. Suddenly, a little breeze sprang up -- hardly a zephyr -- but almost immediately both nature and the writer seemed to "come to life."
 
We know oh! so little about God, and that only what He has revealed to us about Himself, and we do not seem properly to understand even that. Perhaps -- just perhaps -- the very wind may be a physical manifestation of the life-giving Spirit of God. Of course, we think we know all about air masses, high pressures, low pressures, and jet streams, but they are only the means by which God acts. Perhaps the "mighty wind" was the Holy Spirit in action.
 
***
 
So we have the Earth primeval: a formless mass of soupy liquid-gas, enveloped in complete darkness, and with a wind of the Spirit blowing with hurricane force across the liquid surface.
 
What do we make of all this? How does it fit into the creation story? -- Perhaps an illustration, a very homely illustration, may help.
 
When a cook, be he man or woman, undertakes to make a cake, it is first necessary to assemble the ingredients. Then they must be placed in the mixing bowl: the flour, the sugar, the salt, the eggs, the milk, the chocolate or other flavouring, and whatever other items are deemed needed. These are stirred together, and the shapeless mass is called "batter."
 
Earth was the mixing bowl; the fluid mass was the batter; and the wind of the Spirit was vigorously stirring the mass. All was being made ready for the next step.
 
What will the Omnipotent One do about this? He seems to delight in performing the impossible. The situation seems just right for His intervention.
 
And meanwhile, Earth's bowl of batter was being stirred, and stirred, and stirred. The time was ripe for the Omnipotent One to act.
 
*****
 
And God said, ---
 
What is that -- ?
 
The Omnipotent One spoke.
 
Spoke -- ?
 
Yes, The Omnipotent One said-- .
 
You mean He didn't do anything: he just talked?
 
What more did He need to do? He said --.
 
This doesn't make sense. With all that needed to be done: the Earth a chaos, nothing solid, thick black darkness, and everything in upheaval, and He just "said" -- !
 
You don't understand the power of the Word of God.
 
***
 
More than four thousand years later, the Apostle John understood. Writing in the Fourth Gospel, he declared:
 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1).
 
And John went on to say:
 
All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3).
 
And John added more:
 
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:4-5).
 
*
 
How mighty and all-powerful is the Word of God !
 
But the real emphasis by John is that this Word is Jesus. (And the Word was made flesh." -- John 1:14.)
 
*
 
Therefore we must draw the conclusion that when it is written, in Genesis 1:3, that "and God said," we need understand that it was Jesus -- the pre-incarnate Jesus -- in action.
 
In fact, whenever we read in Scripture that "God said," we should be prepared to interpret: "there was Jesus in action."
 
***
 
At this point may we use a wee bit of imagination? It is written that: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19.)
 
The Omnipotent One had created the universe. And as He worked, His Son was busy, working right alongside Him. (Colossians 1:16: "all things have been created through him {i.e., Jesus}, and unto him.")
 
Now listen (in our imagination,) as the Son speaks: "Daddy, let me try -- all by myself." And the reply came: "All right, Son, let's see what you can do." And so the pre-incarnate Jesus, The Word of God, acted.
 
"Let light become!" And light came to be. (Genesis 1:3.)
 
And the Omnipotent One congratulated the Son, for he "saw the light, that it was good." (Genesis 1:4.)
 
***
 
Ten times in the lines of the First Chapter of Genesis do we find the statement "he said." Ten times, therefore, we can observe the Word of God, Jesus, at work in the process of conditioning and filling the Earth. Ten times was the Word in action. Ten times!
 
How truly was it written, "All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3.)
 
***
 
Finally, consider the stupendousness of the statement. "Let there be light, and light came to be."
 
No human words were these. No man was present to hear the words. No evidence that anyone could hear. Yet it was spoken; and yes, the response was positive.
 
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
In his book entitled, "He Called Himself The Son of Man," (Old Rugged Cross Press, Alpharetta, Georgia, 1993,) this writer expressed the matter thusly: "When, at the time of construction of our world, God said, 'Let there be light,' (Genesis 1:3), in what language did He speak? There was no man present to hear the Divine words. But when the creative fiat went forth, it was in such form that the elements of darkness heard, and responding they trembled with vibration so intense it reached even to the wave-lengths of light. Yes, there is speech which is not verbal, and the Word is not always expressed in words." (Page. XIII-6.)
* -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *
 
A tremendous act. Truly a Divine deed.
A tremendous way of performing the act. Truly a Divine method of action.
And a tremendously succinct method of expressing the act. Truly a Divinely inspired report and recitation of the matter.
 
The word was uttered: the light was turned on!
 
And God said, let there be light; and there was light. ! ! !
 
 
--- Norman L. MacLeod , Jr.
 
 

FACTS AND THOUGHTS

 

INDEX