New Beginnings - Part V. Genesis 1:29-2:1

May the mumbling commence!

It’s a time of beginning.  Today, we will finish up the sixth day of creation from Genesis chapter one and verse one of chapter two.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

Then God said, “I’ve given you

            every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth

And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,

            given them to you for food.

To all animals and all birds,

            everything that moves and breaths,

I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”

            And there it was.

God looked over everything he had made;

            it was so good, so very good!

It was evening; it was morning –

Day Six.

Heaven and Earth were finished,

            down to the last detail.  (Genesis 1:29-2:1)

Now read from the NIV translation:

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. 

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. (Genesis 1:29-2:1)

In this particular passage, there is much agreement in Peterson’s The Message and the NIV translation.  But there are several differences.  Peterson continues to emphasize the poetic nature of the passage – more so than the NIV.  While the NIV emphasizes the vast array of creation, Peterson emphasizes the intricate details of creations.  And Peterson adds repetition and underscores the very good with “so good, so very good”.

God does spectacular things in creating the universe and calls them good.  Humanity creates something and we talk in greater superlatives… like awesome.  The greatest comment God made about creation is that it’s very good.

And there’s something that I never consciously noticed before in this passage.  The fruit of the ground was given to eat for all humanity and all animals and all birds.  Yet the sea creatures were excluded from this list.  Though they could not come unto dry land, they would have had seed bearing plants that grew under the water.  But no mention was made of these things.

Perhaps in the chaos of the sea (which often represented chaos for the Hebrew people) meant that the sea creatures would hunt and eat one another.  Who knows?  It’s interesting to think about, though.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out