Facing Chaos?

I have two small children. For my house this means lots of chaos. It feels like a never ending battle bringing order to the house. It feels like after 5 minutes of the children being awake or coming home the house is in complete chaos.

The Bible starts with a picture of utter chaos. For the early Israelites, the picture painted in Gen 1:2 is one of fear coming out of chaos. The first thing is the darkness. Today it is hard to be outside and in complete darkness. There are lights everywhere but for the early Israelite, the darkness represented danger. There were also sorts of animals or people that could attack you from the dark without being seen.

The second thing is deep waters. The Israelites weren’t comfortable with deep water. Think about Jesus’ disciples. Some of them were fishermen, brought up with the water, but when a storm comes, they suddenly fear for their lives (Lk 8:22-24). And this is the ones who were the most comfortable with water. In fact, for this reason, in Rev 21:1 the picture of the new earth is one without sea!

To go with this darkness and deep waters is the fact that the earth is without form. There is nothing firm to which you can stand or even hold. How terrifying is that picture?

I wonder, if you were going to start a religious book, is this the first picture you would paint? Why does God start with this story?

By the end of this first story in Gen 1, God has turned this frightening chaos into a beautiful picture of order. From the midst of terrifying disorder, God creates a safe environment in which people can live. The chaos isn’t just removed, it is brought into order. The big picture message of this story is that the God of this book (the bible) can bring order from any mess that we might find ourselves in. He may not do it instantly or in the way we want, but he has the ability and the desire to help us bring order into our lives - especially when the disorder is caused by sin.

Whenever I see the chaos created by my children, it always makes me think of the God who can bring order to Chaos. It makes me wonder, what other chaos has been created in my life? Have I invited God into that Chaos? Have I looked to find his way to bring some order into the chaos?
 
I have two small children. For my house this means lots of chaos. It feels like a never ending battle bringing order to the house. It feels like after 5 minutes of the children being awake or coming home the house is in complete chaos.

The Bible starts with a picture of utter chaos. For the early Israelites, the picture painted in Gen 1:2 is one of fear coming out of chaos. The first thing is the darkness. Today it is hard to be outside and in complete darkness. There are lights everywhere but for the early Israelite, the darkness represented danger. There were also sorts of animals or people that could attack you from the dark without being seen.

The second thing is deep waters. The Israelites weren’t comfortable with deep water. Think about Jesus’ disciples. Some of them were fishermen, brought up with the water, but when a storm comes, they suddenly fear for their lives (Lk 8:22-24). And this is the ones who were the most comfortable with water. In fact, for this reason, in Rev 21:1 the picture of the new earth is one without sea!

To go with this darkness and deep waters is the fact that the earth is without form. There is nothing firm to which you can stand or even hold. How terrifying is that picture?

I wonder, if you were going to start a religious book, is this the first picture you would paint? Why does God start with this story?

By the end of this first story in Gen 1, God has turned this frightening chaos into a beautiful picture of order. From the midst of terrifying disorder, God creates a safe environment in which people can live. The chaos isn’t just removed, it is brought into order. The big picture message of this story is that the God of this book (the bible) can bring order from any mess that we might find ourselves in. He may not do it instantly or in the way we want, but he has the ability and the desire to help us bring order into our lives - especially when the disorder is caused by sin.

Whenever I see the chaos created by my children, it always makes me think of the God who can bring order to Chaos. It makes me wonder, what other chaos has been created in my life? Have I invited God into that Chaos? Have I looked to find his way to bring some order into the chaos?

My friend.......God starts with the Genesis account because it is the beginning of everything we know to be true. I believe that the Creation account is the doorway through which we have to walk into the Bible with. To believe the Bible you must first believe that God is.
 
My friend.......God starts with the Genesis account because it is the beginning of everything we know to be true. I believe that the Creation account is the doorway through which we have to walk into the Bible with. To believe the Bible you must first believe that God is.

When do you think Genesis was written? Do you think there were many at that time that didn't believe in god/s?
My feeling is that at that time all people believed in gods. The purpose of Genesis is to show the true God. But don't you find it interesting the way God starts his story? Have you ever thought why he starts it with the image he starts it?
 
When do you think Genesis was written? Do you think there were many at that time that didn't believe in god/s?
My feeling is that at that time all people believed in gods. The purpose of Genesis is to show the true God. But don't you find it interesting the way God starts his story? Have you ever thought why he starts it with the image he starts it?

1. "When do you think Genesis was written?"

Tradition credits Moses as the author of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, NUmbers & Deuteronomy. Modern scholars who are a lot smarter than me see them as a product of the 6th and 5th centuries BC.

2. "Do you think there were many at that time that didn't believe in god/s?"

IMHO, would be that all the world did not believe in God. I base that assumption on the fact that Noah preached for 120 years with the Ark as his witness, and only 8 people were saved.

3. The purpose of Genesis is to show the true God.

It seems to me that the purpose of the book is to show man's relationship to God. IMO, God is more interested in YOU and attaches more value to YOU than He does to the entire physical universe. Therefore, Genesis is the "seed pot" of the Bible and it is where we find the beginning, the source, and the birth of everything.

4. Have you ever thought why he starts it with the image he starts it?

No. I always thought that it is His book and He has the right to start it anyway He wanted to. My only job is to believe what He says.
 
What relevance is the time of Noah for the time of Moses?
Don't the Egyptians worship other gods at the time of Moses? And what about the golden calf? From where did they get that idea?
Of course the world did not believe in the true God, but do you really think that at the time of Moses, the world did not believe in any god/s?

Believing what the Bible teaches is important, but don't you think you learn about God by understanding why he put certain things in his book in the order he did?
 
I have two small children. For my house this means lots of chaos. It feels like a never ending battle bringing order to the house. It feels like after 5 minutes of the children being awake or coming home the house is in complete chaos.

Whenever I see the chaos created by my children, it always makes me think of the God who can bring order to Chaos. It makes me wonder, what other chaos has been created in my life? Have I invited God into that Chaos? Have I looked to find his way to bring some order into the chaos?

A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
(Pro 18:20-21)

Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Israel was in Chaos. God did bring order to that chaos. Solved all of it.

Here is what God did.

How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
(Num 14:27-28)

They all died according to what they said and believed. Solved.

This is what you said:
It feels like a never ending battle bringing order to the house. It feels like after 5 minutes of the children being awake or coming home the house is in complete chaos.

This is what God said:
Isa 54:13
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

I suggest you change to what God said.

Physical evidence my be fact, but things by sight are temporal, changeable. The Word is eternal, and we walk after that which we can not see for the Eternal truth will always take hold and have authority over any physical fact.
 
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