| Basic interpretation principlesOne important principle of | | | | world shiftThis truth would have had a profound effect |
| biblical interpretation is to try to understand Scripture | | | | on the former slaves of Egypt. They had lived in a |
| from the point of view of the original audience and | | | | world in which virtually every object was a spiritual |
| then use that as a stepping stone to work out what it | | | | being, whose will had to be accommodated, whose |
| means for us. Along with this original audience principle | | | | wrath must be placated. But when the one true God |
| is the principle of original intent: what did the author | | | | revealed His nature through Moses, including His |
| intend to communicate to that original audience?If we | | | | relationship to all that He had made, the world shifted. |
| ask these two questions of chapter 1 of Genesis, the | | | | All of those objects were drained of their spiritual |
| story of creation, we may find the answers surprising. | | | | significance. Now they were only objects, things that |
| The prophet Moses is presumably the author of | | | | human beings could handle and manage without fear. |
| Genesis, the first of the five books he wrote while the | | | | Yet the new world that stood in place of the old was |
| children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness of | | | | not bereft of its spiritual dimension. All of the power, |
| Sinai. These people, the original audience, had just | | | | the mystery, and the majesty of the Egyptian |
| emerged from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Joshua | | | | pantheon, the Hebrews learned, belonged to the one |
| 24:14 explains that many of them had been idolaters | | | | true God, the king of the universe. And furthermore, |
| there.Pantheon of godsThe Egyptians had a god or | | | | and herein lay the good news, The Almighty cared |
| goddess for virtually everything: the sun, moon, stars, | | | | about them, and He was ever faithful and |
| crocodiles, flies, cats, the Nile--all of these and more | | | | reliable.Theological foundationGenesis as a whole |
| were considered divine and were worshiped. But | | | | serves to lay the groundwork for the Law of Moses |
| Genesis 1 explains that neither the sun, nor the moon, | | | | that is revealed in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and |
| nor the stars, neither that water nor the sky, nor any | | | | Deuteronomy. Nothing in the Law is more foundational |
| plants, nor fish, birds, beasts, or creeping things are | | | | than what is expressed in the Shema, accepted for |
| divine. | | | | thousands of years as the credo of Judaism and |
| To paraphrase the significance of Genesis 1 for the | | | | acknowledged by Jesus Himself as the "Greatest |
| original audience, it's as if Moses said, "All that you | | | | Commandment":Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the |
| have been worshiping the true Creator spoke into | | | | LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your |
| being in the beginning. He alone is worthy of homage; | | | | heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. |
| He alone is God, and king over all of His creation."A | | | | |