In the Beginning

CHAPTER 2

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name. —Isaiah 40:26

The traditional presentation of the kerygma, or “gospel message,” has always invited us to first consider the goodness of creation. “But,” you say, “that phrase hardly overwhelms me, as Pope St. John Paul II said should happen!” As I mentioned in the last chapter, perhaps we can rephrase it to ask, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Does that still feel a little too academic? Let’s whittle it down to the bare bones: Created. And let’s ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to be overwhelmed and filled with awe, wonder, and trust as we break this word open.

What does it mean to be created? When human beings consider where they came from and why, what conclusions can we, or should we, reach?

It’s less complicated than you think. Let’s start “in the beginning” with the book that God gave us—the Bible—and take a look at the absolute uniqueness of the creation accounts in Genesis. I’m convinced that if we get the first three chapters of Genesis right, we understand the whole story of salvation correctly. If we get those wrong, we can miss everything. We’ll focus on these things:

• how to approach Genesis, • the uniqueness of the creation stories in Genesis, • God’s grandeur, and • the wonder and trust that come from knowing God.

Before we dive into Scripture, I want to mention a practical point. Did you know you can write in your Bible? I learned this from my mother, who always left her Bible out on the kitchen table for all to see. Even as a child, I was struck by the fact that she didn’t treat the Bible as an heirloom but, rather, as something she wanted to dig into deeply. After my mom passed away, one of my sisters received that Bible. She regularly texts me pictures of Mom’s margin notes—snapshots, if you will, of something the Lord revealed to Mom in prayer or a verse she wanted to remember.

As a result of my mother’s example, I write notes all over my Bible—and you can too! If you’re going to be a student of Scripture, feel free to act like a student. Underline words, leave question marks next to confusing passages, and circle whatever jumps out at you. When there’s something you don’t understand, make a margin note, or slap a sticky note on it so

that you can return to it. Scripture can be confusing, so don’t be afraid to mark up your Bible and ask questions. You’re not going to hurt God’s feelings by writing in his book. He wants you in those pages, so get your highlighters ready.

Going to the Library

I have a friend named Joe who is perhaps the country’s leading expert on Mark Twain. If you told Joe you wanted to learn more about Twain’s books and what made them successful, one thing he might point out would be the importance of foreshadowing. You know how sometimes you read a great book and only when you get to the end of the story do you realize how many clues were front-loaded? “Oh, my gosh!” you say. “I’ve got to go back and reread chapter 2!” Suddenly, you see that a throwaway line was actually a pivotal plot clue. That’s foreshadowing.

Just as authors use foreshadowing in literature, God uses it in Scripture. Scripture is full of the kind of foreshadowing that we call “typology.” (“Types” are people, places, and events in the Old Testament that foreshadow those to come in the New Testament, especially the coming of Jesus.) The first three chapters in the Bible are jam-packed with it: clues, hints, and even major spoilers of what will play out in profound ways later on, especially in the life of Jesus. God is the greatest author, so it’s not surprising that the drama he created, lived, and revealed to us in Scripture would include expert foreshadowing.

The challenging thing about reading Scripture is that it’s not a book. Scripture is a library. It’s not one genre; it’s a boatload