When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was Seven in One Blow, the story of a tailor who strikes at a swarm of flies who are interrupting his lunch. He kills seven of them. Impressed by his accomplishment, he sews the words, “Seven in One Blow,” on his shirt and then goes out to seek his fortune. However, everyone who reads his shirt believes he killed seven men. You could say that misreading changes their perception of him. As a result, he vanquishes the giants, saves the day, finds his fortune, and wins the girl. But you would think that anyone who could get seven in one blow would clean up appropriately.

Today, we begin looking at Christopher J.H. Wright’s short introduction to the Old Testament which is aptly named, The Old Testament in Seven Sentences (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL, 2019). It’s a fun little book, and I love the challenge–The whole Old Testament in a mere SEVEN sentences? If he gets all seven right, he can have it printed on a shirt. If we agree with all seven, well, that would be a great story, too. Let’s begin.


The first Verse: Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Let’s get a quick feel for the chapter by looking at the top three quotes.

“Our first word, translated ‘In the beginning,’ reminds us that the Bible as a whole is a story, or rather the story–the true story of the universe. The whole Bible begins with creation in Genesis 1-2, and it ends (or begins again) with the new creation in Revelation 21-22. And in between it narrates the vast, sprawling narrative of how God has reconciled all things in heaven and earth to himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.” (p. 11).

     “Repeatedly in Leviticus, it is said that the task of the priests and Levites is to serve God in the tabernacle/temple and keep all that God has entrusted to them there. We have [as God’s created people], then, a priestly role, as well as a kingly role within creation. We have authority to rule, and we have responsibility to serve.
     Thus, the language of God placing his image (human beings) within creation has temple overtones, as well, for that is where the images of the gods were indeed placed–in their temples. Within the cosmos functioning as the macrotemple of its Creator, God places his own image–the living human being–in his temple to dwell with him there. Creation functions as the dwelling place of God, and human beings function as the image of God, ruling and serving creation on his behalf.” (p. 21)

“We live in God’s creation, but we have spoiled it with our sin. We are made in God’s image, but we fail to reflect the character of God. We live as a multitude of nations and cultures, but we have used ethnic diversity as a cause of hatred, violence and injustice among nations. We are individually sinful and disobedient to the God who created us, provides for us, and loves us.  We are, as Paul says, slaves to the dominion of sin. In all these dimensions, the whole earth stands under the judgment of God.” (p. 29)

 

Three Reasons Why I Like Genesis 1:1 as One of the Top Seven Verses

I think if you asked a hundred Old Testament scholars to write down their top seven verses of the Old Testament, all of them would have Genesis 1:1 on this list. You can’t escape its importance. After all, it starts the whole story. 

I also think this is a good choice because the rest of the Bible repeatedly comes back to the idea of this verse, but for all sorts of different and wonderful reasons. For instance, 

It does so to promote worship:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Revelation 4:11

It does so to remind us who and whose we are: 

“For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”
Psalm 95:3-7

It does so to strengthen our faith in trying and difficult times: 

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth
by your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you.”
Jeremiah 32:17 

And it does so to remind us of how glorious and powerful God really is: 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
Psalm 19:1-4

And I think this verse is a good choice because it sets us out on a wild adventure. The many answers in this verse are great, but it is the questions that make this verse spectacular. Why did God create all of this? Where is this God now?  What does this God want from us? Who is this God? And how can we know this God? Why were we created and where are we going?  It’s a great verse because it includes some of the great existential questions of life.

 

Why I’m Not Wild About Genesis 1:1’s Inclusion as One of the Top Seven Verses

It is not that Genesis 1:1 is an unworthy verse. It is very worthy. It is THE verse that starts the story and that counts for a lot! And I do not think there is any question that we need a creation verse.  But let’s be contrarian here. See, including it in our list of seven means we have to eliminate other verses on the same theme. And emotionally, Genesis 1:1 is a little lacking. Think of all those times you received a card to encourage you. What verses were scribbled on the bottom of that card? Philippians 4:19? Yes. Colossians 1:9? Certainly. 1 Peter 5:7? Absolutely. Philippians 1:6? Without a doubt. Genesis 1:1? Not a chance (although I throw it in there every now and then just for fun). If I can only have seven verses, I want my creation verse to have a punch. And Isaiah 40 gives us creation with a punch. Facing an impossible situation, facing all that is dark and despairing, facing utter powerlessness, God comes to the prophet with a word of creation, hope and joy. Isaiah 40: 28 says  

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.”

Never doubt. God will never forget his promises or abandon his people, nor will he ever be too tired or overwhelmed to come to their rescue. And we know these words are true because God is not just any old god. He is the creator of all that there is. He is our everlasting God, and he is good. And he is coming for his people to carry them home. Therefore, we should not lose hope. God is coming to redeem his people.

Another verse next time, but in the meantime, what do you think?  Does Genesis 1:1 make the cut or should we relegate it to the second squad? Let me know.