(Reading the Creation Story in Genesis 1-2)

Bible Talk | Hortensius F. Mandaru, SSL

The creation story in Genesis 1-2 is always enthralling to contemplate. In this narrative, God judged His creation "good" at each stage of the creation process. The question is, what is meant by "good"? Does "good" mean that the creation was complete, perfect, and risk-free from the beginning? Bp. Hortensius F. Mandaru, SSL, emphasised that the reading of Genesis should be seen as a theological narrative of creation, not merely a doctrine of origins or creation ex nihilo. According to him, judging “good” in this context has more to do with the function, purpose, and orderliness of creation.

Two Creation Narratives

The Book of Genesis presents two creation narratives that are often the focus of study: Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Genesis 2:4b–25. The two versions differ in style and emphasis.

In Genesis 1, God is described as a transcendent entity who speaks, and by His word, all things come to pass. The repetitive pattern of “Let there be… and it was so” emphasises the power and orderliness of God's word, as well as a liturgical reflection of the Jewish priestly milieu. Whereas Genesis 2 presents God in a more anthropomorphised manner: God forms humans from the ground, interacts directly, and appears to be a craftsman involved in the creation process. Scholars consider the second version to be older in tradition, and emphasises God's direct involvement in the creation of man, accentuating his evaluative and creative aspects.

Concept“Good” and Function in Ancient Cosmology

To understand the meaning of “good” in the creation story, we need to first enter into the mindset of the ancient Middle Eastern society behind the Genesis 1-2 narrative. In contrast to modern perspectives that often emphasise the material aspect, what the elements are and how they came to be, the ancient world saw things in terms of their function. Something was understood to “exist” and be meaningful insofar as it had a role to play in life.

In this perspective, the sun and moon are not primarily understood by their nature, but by their function: giving light and regulating the rhythm of day and night. Similarly, water, land, plants and animals are seen in relation to their role as space and life support. Thus, the creation story is not intended as a scientific explanation of the origin of matter, but rather as a testimony of faith to the order and meaning of creation in life.

This perspective also relates to the tripartite cosmology common at the time. The universe was conceived in three layers: the upper realm (the sky; šāmayim), which was bounded by raqiaʿ — a dome of the firmament; the middle realm (the earth; ’eretz ḥayyim), where humans and creatures live; and the lower realm (’eretz taḥtiyyot), which is the deepest part or underworld. In this framework, each part of creation has its own place and role in the overall organised order. This judgement first points to the inherent value of the creation itself. Every creation is already valued as good even before it is utilised. In other words, creation is valuable not because of its usefulness to human beings, but because it exists according to God's will and design.

However, the story does not stop at the “good” judgement of each creation. In the end, after the whole creation is organised, it is said that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This expression invites us to see things more fully. Firstly, all of creation is complete and in its place, each performing its appropriate function in a complementary order.

Secondly, this judgement of “very good” comes after God's final act of distributing food to all living things (Genesis 1:29-30). Here, it appears that the life of the entire creation comes from God, and at the same time, each creature receives a sufficient portion to live on. In this picture, an order is reflected that is not only theological, but also touches the very concrete dimensions of life. Thus, "very good" describes a complete and harmonious order of creation: every creature is in its place, fulfils its role, lives in an interdependent and mutually sustaining relationship. There is no need to usurp or dispossess, for all have received their share.

Through this perspective, we can see that the “goodness” in the creation story is not static perfection.

Creation as a Dynamic Process.

The verbs used in the Bible for creation vary widely: bara (create), asah (make), yatzar (mould), banah (build), and others. This shows that creation is understood as a complex process with many nuances and aspects. Genesis 1 emphasises God's power through His word, while Genesis 2 emphasises God's involvement in direct interaction with creation, especially human beings.

Genesis 1.

Interestingly, the Genesis narrative shows an ‘evaluation’ of creation. Each stage is judged to be “good”, but only after the creation of man and the distribution of food to all creatures is it declared “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This shows that perfection is achieved in the integration, cohesion, and balance of the entire creation.

Perfect vs. Good: Limitations and the Process of Refinement

The word "perfect" in Indonesian means whole, complete, and complete. In Genesis, creation is not described as perfect from the beginning. God evaluated His creation and added helpers for man (Genesis 2:18-24) after man himself existed, showing a process of improvement and refinement. God tried several solutions before finding the right one, reflecting both creative and evaluative processes.

The concept of the seventh day, when God stopped working, also emphasises an appreciation of the process and rhythm of time. God followed a gradual process rather than an instantaneous one, showing that creation is a dynamic activity that respects time and space.

Creation and Material Engagement

Hortensius emphasises that God used the materials already present in His creation. Water, soil, and other materials were utilised to form land, plants, animals, and humans. Creation is thus not a static one-off act, but rather an open-ended creative process, involving risks, limitations, and interactions with pre-existing elements.

God even empowers creation itself: the soil grows plants (Gen 1:11), the water reveals living creatures (Gen 1:20), the earth brings forth animals (Gen 1:24). This confirms that creation is interconnected, dependent, and ever-evolving.

Suffering, Limitations, and the Laws of Nature

The limitations of creation pose risks and potential suffering. Even before human sin, the laws of nature were already in place: people could fall from trees, wild animals could prey on people, natural disasters could occur. Adam and Eve's sin added to the burden, but did not create new risks; it only intensified them (Gen 3:16 & 19). Thus, creation is good yet open to development and refinement.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 confirms that the world is in process and has an element of randomness: human success and fate are not always predictable. It affirms that the lives of humans and the rest of creation occur within the limitations, risks, and dynamics that God allows to develop creation towards definitive perfection in the future.

Closer

The creation story of Genesis 1-2 shows that God created everything with good intentions and purposes. However, "good" does not mean perfect or risk-free. Creation is a dynamic process, involving evaluation, limitations, interaction with other materials and creations, and open to refinement. Humans are invited to participate in this process, assessing, developing, and safeguarding creation in order to achieve definitive perfection.

In other words, the whole creation is “good”, but not yet perfect. It is this creative, evaluative, and open-ended process that leads creation, including human beings, to its eventual completion. The Genesis narrative invites us to understand the world as a valuable, dynamic, and meaningful creation, which challenges us to appreciate the process, limitations, and responsibility in maintaining the balance of God's creation.