Greetings Dear Reader,
In Genesis the first line assumes that God is there. As Moses penned this he had no idea that he
was begging a body of literature that would become God’s written revelation to
us of his relationship to us. Still he
assumes that God is God. He assumes that
everyone knows who he means by Elohim.
This name is plural of the name Eloah which is the same as
Allah in Arabic. The name Elohim denotes
the fullness of divine strength and the sum of his powers. The plural form of this name, when referring to
God is almost always used with a singular verb.
The way in which this is used is interesting. In Genesis 1:26 there is a seeming
contradiction in the use of nouns and verbs.
I do not wish to bore you with a grammar lesson but here it is
significant.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humans in our image, in our
likeness. Let them rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the domestic
animals all over the earth, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.’”
When it reads that “God said” it is the plural form with a singular
verb. It signifies something very
similar to the “royal we” or the plural of majesty. It is the plural of excellence. This is significant in Hebrew because it separates
the use of Elohim and elohim. So
what? How does this impact me as one who
wishes to follow Christ?
One of the foundational aspects of this faith is that the
God I worship, love, and try to follow is assumed to be there. He does not need an introduction. In Genesis he creates the stage and steps
onto it in his full power and majesty.
He is in himself the embodiment of all that is good. As Genesis unfolds in the first chapter he
proceeds from nothing to all of creation and calls it good.
From then on is the story of how we bring about the
corruption of that good and God’s intent to restore it; to redeem it. My following and my faith can be a part of
that redemption process. As I am being
redeemed I can participate in the grand redemption effort. Making things better and bringing them back
to the state of goodness is reason enough to follow this plan.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store."
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ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite terms used to address or reference G-d is "Ribono Shel Olam" or "Master of the Universe." A term often used during my time spent with Orthodox Jews. A term whose meaning I feel is lost among Christians at times. There is so much emphasis in the Christian world on G-d's love and the personal relationship with Him, that it often feels like His Majesty and the idea that He is a powerful King is lost or at the very least watered down.
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