Daily Questions

Week One: Although this text isn’t a historical or scientific text, it provides a truth about our world and our God that a merely factual account could not provide. From the first verse, it is already revealed that God is a creator. He is creating everything we as people know today and this seems to be his primary role in this reading. Additionally, God is revealed to be more than the average human we are used to: he can create everything from nothing and he assigns their own purpose. He is more than human and therefore a divine because he can do actions that we mere humans cannot. But although he is divine and we are human, it is established in this reading that he created us in his own image and even blessed by him. Not only are they blessed by him, God establishes all his creations as well. This says something about humanity: no matter the bad we do we will always be good because God created us to be so. Because we are created in his own image and blessed, we have special duties and privileges granted to us from him. For example, we have domain over all his creations and therefore a special responsibility to our surroundings and fellow creatures. Additionally, God gave us the privilege of providing everything we need to be sustained through his creations. Although the readings typically interpret this as just meaning God providing the resources we need to live like clean water and food, it also explains his designation of the seventh day as the day of rest. Even though God does not need rest and doesn’t need this day of rest, he creates it for us providing a day necessary for our spiritual and physical well-being. God also connects with us on this day of rest through his solidarity of resting as well.

Week One Reflection Two: In the second creation account, the tree of knowledge is more closely translated to the tree of command. In this account, to be knowledgeable is to follow the command of God. Because we were created in likeness to God, we must complete his task that he gave us. This is why knowledge is so heavily emphasized, because to be knowledgeable is apart of the identity and characteristics God gave us. When were are not knowledgeable or when we are disobedient, there are grave consequences.  Without following command we can have no domain over the creations that we have been given dominion over because we make our own subjective judgments of what is good and bad, like nakedness as a sin. It establishes our juedgment as more important than God’s and then we therefore disobey his will by acting on these own personal judgments. It was important that Adam and Eve break God’s command through eating because eating is an action that establishes him as dependent on the earth and God’s creations.  This hierarchy is the background for God to test Adam and Eve’s obedience to Him. Although the eating of the forbidden fruit is established to be an act of disobedience, it is also a failure in ourselves to trust in God. It establishes our own judgments as faulty and our actions reflect this imperfection. This act fails to make them more God-like, rather it just highlights their humanity because our own desires prevent us from being like God and causes us to act on bad judgement. Although we recognize this disobedience is bad, we often perceive God’s punishment as harsh. But rather, God kicking Adam and Eve out of the garden was a merciful act because they can now be saved in death rather than forever living in sin.

---

Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.