One Hebrew Scripture a Day

Today is t-5 because day one will start Jan 1, 2015

Genesis 1:1

​א בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

It seems to be such a simple statement until you truly think about what it is saying.

At the start of things, not after something else was done but at the first of our known existence, there was a creation. Have you ever thought about the word creation. When you create you make something known out of things you can't see. Our scientific knowledge is finally advanced enough for us to realize that God created things out of atoms, molecules, protons, neurons and we understand that these are things that are unseen. But what about things that are smaller that we don't know about? God created these things first and we don't even know what they are. Maybe in another two thousand years, if the Lord lingers, we might understand a bit more about the unseen things.

It is so easy to lose the more subtle turn of words when we change languages. This shows us that the word for God that is used is Elohim, which helps us to visualize the majesty of our Lord. Elohim is the plurality of majesty. Those of us who don't have royalty in our governing bodies have a hard time understanding this concept. But I just stop and think of my God as my King, that helps.

Then we get the direct object marker et which tells us precisely what it was that God created. The heavens and the earth. When we read the words, the heavens, it does not do justice to the concept that is being brought forth here. Go outside on a star filled night and look up. You can't see all that God has created. You will get a small glimpse of it when you look up, but your eye can not perceive what is beyond.

The earth is a wonder-filled object of its own. From our gravity to the smallest micro organism that lives here, this world is filled with things we are just starting to understand.

A thought for consideration: Are we the only place that God created Man? In the expanse of all the stars did God create others? Scripture doesn't directly address that. Some things we are not meant to know until the time is right. Some things we are never meant to know. God tells us over and over again, in scripture, to trust Him. Would we like to know? Sure. Do we need to know? Not if God doesn't reveal it to us.