By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
How shall we sing the lord's song in a foreign land.
Psalm
137: 1,4
Imagine what 70 years of exile meant for
the families. This time period covers
nearly three generations, long enough for the children and grand children to
have either lost or to have no memory of the temple in Jerusalem, of its
worship, of the land and the promises of
God. Grandparents and parents grieving
not just these losses, but also the loss
of faith in Elohim due to the seduction of their children and grandchildren by
the idols of Babylon. What should they
do? Just how were they to "sing the
Lord's song in a foreign land?"
They turned to their religious leaders
in exile with them pouring out their grief sharing their concern and fear that
their children and grand children were being lost not just to them but to God.
The religious leaders would sit and
listen patiently to the outpouring of grief.
They probably experienced the same grief in their own lives. They saw
how the Babylonian culture as well as the gods of Babylon, the sun and moon,
animals etc. we luring their children away from God. What word was there from
God that would provide perspective, reassurance and comfort?
Here is the word from God they spoke to
these families :
Listen
In
the beginning ...
In the beginning God ...
In the beginning God created ..
Yes, all the gods who have so
seductively lured family members into idolatry, all of them, were created by
God. They are not gods because In the beginning God created them.
God had acted, God was still in control
even though the people may be experiencing their lives as being in chaos. This word "chaos" is the
translation in some other languages and carries a much deeper and more profound
meaning than "the earth was without form
and void." The religious
leaders reassure the people that God is the one who can bring order out of the
chaos of their lives. Look at the methodical and deliberate way God went about
it, day by day. God is the one who
overcomes darkness by bringing in the warmth of light. God is the one who provides a solid base for
chaotic lives; a firmament in the midst of the waters. They can be assured that the God they worship
is still God and acts deliberately to overcome chaos.
On the second last day God creates
humankind in God's image. It is
interesting how this verse has been used to support the ancient Greek idea of
humankind being in some way special.
This has led to an arrogant attitude to the rest of creation by humans. But when read in the context of Babylon as rebutting
the claim that what the people were worshipping were actually gods, then
perhaps this passage may counter any claims by humans to claim that they are
gods. Humans were created on the eighth day indicating that like the rest of
creation they are created. This is
underscored by the statement that humans are only made in the "image"
of God, they are not God. Then perhaps
the word that humankind is to have dominion needs to be understood not in the
absolute terms of humans being God and believing that they can act like God,
but rather as people created only in the image of God and therefore God's
stewards of creation.
Genesis 1 is a poem and was probably
written during the time of the exile in Babylon. The name of God is Elohim, a plural noun
meaning Gods indicating that its structure if not its message was
borrowed. It was written as a comforting
word to soothe the broken hearts of the exiles who did not know how to sing the
Lord's song in a foreign land. It was
not written as a scientific treatise. To
read Genesis one as a document refuting evolution is not only to corrupt the
text, but to miss and negate the reassuring word from God to a people whose
lives were in chaos.
In North American society Christian grandparents
and parents are experiencing a similar chaos as they watch their children and
grandchildren being seduced by the idols of our culture. They too have struggling to sing the Lord's
song in this land. It is not accidental
that some people are referred to by society as idols. An idol is that to which we offer our fear
love and trust. It is that in which is
penultimate in which we seek ultimate worth, ultimate value, ultimate
affirmation, ultimate safety and security and which requires our ultimate trust. An idol is that which detracts us from
offering God our "fear love and trust above everything else. (Luther)"
To all who struggle with chaos in their
lives, who struggle with the seduction of our cultural idols the word of God still
comes as a word of reassurance and comfort
Listen
In the beginning ...
In the beginning God ...
In the beginning God created ...
God created everything that has seduced
us to shift our fear love and trust from God, the Ultimate to that which is
penultimate.
Let us rediscover and hear once again the
wonderful Gospel message in Genesis 1 that we may one day again sing the Lord's
song.
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