What do we learn about God’s Nature and Character from the Old Testament?
The Creation Story—Genesis 1-2, and Genesis 5:1-2 God is a creator, existed before Creation 1. The scriptures don’t say God created the “Universe”, rather “Heaven” and “Earth”. That may be in regard to the intended audience (earthlings). See also https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-1.htm 2. The “Spirit of God” moved. It is an entity that is capable of motion, not necessarily the same entity as God Himself. Other scriptures speak of His Spirit inhabiting and influencing people. But this idea needs to be on hold at this point. 3. God spoke, and what He said happened. Maybe this seems amazing, but so would remote controls seem to people of the past. 4. God was pleased with what with He did/accomplished. He pronounced it "good" again and again. Good work, good job, looks good. 5. God proceeded in an orderly succession of actions that seem logical. In fact, the theory of evolution follows essentially the same succession. The one exception seems the creation of the sun, moon, and stars described on the 4th day. My opinion about that is that their creation was introduced in a topical way—that they were already created, but this point is when they became visible from the earth, due to the diffusion of the atmosphere (separating the water/moisture above from the seas below). 6. God uses language/words. He labels and names things, which humans also do; in that we are like Him (in His likeness). We are also able to understand things in a logical way (as in logos). The caution is to leave to God only what we do not understand. Thus, many have developed the idea that we don’t need God as an explanation, because that gradually/continually shrinks His sphere of operation. Likewise, it changes our understanding of what constitutes a miracle. Psalm 139:14 implies that the more we understand about ourselves and the works of God, the more we are in awe of Him and find reason to praise Him. 7. “Let there be . . .” implies that God plans or thinks ahead of doing things. Genesis 2 speaks of things being created before they were in the earth. That also indicates planning. 8. The issue of the time words in the story of Creation might be best discussed separately, but it is difficult to just leave it unspoken here. Whether the Creation took seven 24-hour periods, or 7000 years (as many pose with regard to what I think they misunderstand from verses in the New Testament), or millions of years, does say something about God, I suppose. But who is to say that the Creation is any less miraculous whether it took millions of years or 7 x 24 hours? Time as we know it doesn’t make God less or more powerful. It may create more awe in us, but that’s a limitation of our understanding. The idea of Creation taking millions of years may expand our conception of God’s millennia or infinite existence, but it really does speak more to our understanding of His existence than to the reality of it. Nevertheless, in chapter 1 of Genesis there are 7 “days” of Creation, while chapter 2 of Genesis speaks of “the day” of Creation. “Day” is used as an indefinite span of time, such as “in my day . . .”, “in the old days . . .”, wherein it is not referencing a 24-hour period. 9. The bodies of light in the sky intended as signs, seasons, the counting of time in days and years indicates that when God was creating them, He was planning them for sentient beings who could and would be able to recognize and use them. Again, God had a plan or plans, plans ahead, prepares for an intentional future. 10. God blessed His creations. He not only pronounced them good, He intended good for them. Note the difference between God’s speaking directly to creatures (“Be fruitful . . .”), and his commands spoken “Let there be . . .” without speaking directly to the inanimate and the plant life. But all life was given power to replicate according to their kind/species: what we understand as DNA/RNA. A brief note about grass, herbs, and trees, and other full-blown species. People of old didn’t know about all the microscopic forms of life, so I think that these verses are written to speak representationally of plants and animals. I think this shows God’s genius and understanding that people of all time/eras and understanding would be studying and learning from the scriptures. There is enough detail to be instructive to those without a scientific degree, without the intent to be used as a modern scientific treatise, or group of treatises. 11. “Let us”, “our image” . . . indicate that someone was there with God. The New Testament says that Christ was there and participated in the Creation. Without the New Testament we might speculate on a female prototype for the woman that was created. An image in our day can be a mirrored image, a photographic, or an artistic image. Gen 5:3 indicates an image shared by father and son. Later in the scriptures God calls people His children, calls us to consider Him our Father. There is nothing blasphemous in believing that we look like God. Moses is said to have seen God face to face. See also Gen 9:6, and https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-26.htm 12. Gen 1:16 provides the term “he” in italics (meaning it is an implied rather than literal translation), but verse 27 does not use italics for the male pronouns “his” and “he”. Of course, I am reading from an English translation rather than Hebrew, but that’s what I get from the words. It says the man was created in the image of God, and it says that He created both male and female without saying that the female was created in His likeness or image. Compare https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-27.htm 13. God requires something of mankind. He gave humans the responsibility/calling/stewardship over all life on earth. Instructions for the management of earth life yet to come. He speaks to these humans as if they have both understanding and choice. To dominate now has a connotation of being self-centered and aggressive, but I don’t believe a good God would mean that, and I believe that a God that recognizes good (like His creations), requires good/righteous behavior, knows how to give good to those that ask, and is Good personified. But we must continue to discover such as we search the scriptures for the character of God. Gen 2:15 says that humans were to work in the garden, “to dress it and to keep it.” He also brings the animals to man to name (giving him a vested interest as well as showing that he is trusted). 14. It seems at this point that humans and creatures were herbivorous. 15. God rested, took a break. We can speculate as to whether He needed a break or whether He was merely setting up an example for humans to do so. In either case He is showing that He knows humans need to take breaks (and later we will see in the Mosaic Law that the earth also needs to take breaks). 16. What does it mean to “bless” something? It can be to invoke good things for some one or thing, or to praise (later persons “blessed” the Lord), to consecrate (set aside as holy) something/someone . . . 17. God sets two seemingly opposing trees in the Garden of Eden. One a tree of Life, the other a tree of Knowledge. One represents living forever, the other the loss of innocence. He gives the man clear warning of the consequences of eating from the tree of Knowledge. Was this an accident? That hardly seems to fit what we have learned about God. I think we have seen sufficiently that God understands His creations, His creatures. He surely must have known that eventually these innocents would fall prey to temptation. More about this later. 18. God prepared a way for the Garden to be watered. Gen 2:5 says that previously there was no rain. Verse 6 says the earth was watered by mists. Once the atmosphere was differentiated enough for rain, there could be rivers and humans could till (and eventually irrigate dry land). Note the difference between the creation of plant species in general and that of plants “of the field” (cultivars). 19. Gen 1 & 2 are different tellings of the story of Creation, with different emphasis and purposes. Gen 1 is essentially a poetic telling. That they are not told alike doesn’t mean either is not true. Stories often have different versions for different intentions and tellings. Gen 2 seems to fill in some of the details. 20. God cares about His creations/creatures, and humans in particular. He doesn’t want man to be alone/lonely. He wants him to have a suitable companion. The story makes clear the point that animals are not the same kind of “mates” (fellow sojourners, if you will) as a woman. 21. Man and the other creatures are made from the dust/ground (elements) of the earth. Woman is created from man’s DNA. The process described sounds like a modern surgery. God has a purpose in showing the man that he is to care for and protect the woman as he would his own body. A little commentary reminds us that couples are not to let other family ties come between them. 22. The man and woman were innocent as children. Little kids run around naked without being ashamed/embarrassed. Obviously God was not embarrassed for them either.
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