This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:4-7
I love these four verses. It’s as though God is moving us from the overview of creation in Genesis chapter 1, to the account of man in the rest of the Bible, by rotating His telephoto lens from wide angle to zoom. In chapter 1 of Genesis God’s word is at wide angle, in Genesis chapter 2, verse 8 the Bible zooms in to record that part of God’s creation that is mankind. Genesis 2:4-7 is the time of transition between the two.
“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” (Genesis 2:4) I want to write about what some have said about the Genesis account, that it is a mythical story containing spiritual truths. This thinking supposes that we should accept the truths found in the Genesis account but reject the story as a historical account.
That approach is fraught with problems.
If you make the assumption that the Genesis account, including the record of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, is a myth, then you have to make a judgment concerning the giving of manna from heaven, the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the account of Jonah and the whale, and ultimately, the account of Christ in the gospels. You find yourself attempting to decide for yourself, where myth ends, and where truth and history begin. Instead of the Bible judging you, you become the judge of the Bible — a very dangerous place to be.
Most important is that Jesus himself spoke of the miracles, events, and people in the Old Testament as historical truth.
Jesus validated the account of the destruction of Sodom including the death of Lot’s wife. (Luke 17:29,32) Jesus confirmed that manna fell from heaven (John 6:31-51) Jesus spoke of Daniel of the Old Testament as a real and genuine prophet. (Matthew 24:15) Jesus validated the account of Jonah and the whale. (Matthew 12:39) And Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6 speaks of the Genesis account of the creation of Adam and Eve.
Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35) He called the Scripture, “the commandment of God.” And Jesus referred to the Old Testament as the the words of God and God’s final authority: “Have you not read that which was spoken to you by God?” Jesus said. (Matthew 22:31)
Some desire to accept Christ but to reject parts of the Bible including portions of the Old Testament, but that doesn’t make sense. Because Jesus accepted the Old Testament as “spoken to you by God” (Matthew 22:31) then if you believe on Jesus you must accept the Old Testament. What you and I are left with is a choice: will you, I, we choose to believe the secular criticisms of the Bible, or the authority of God’s word?
Will you believe the critics or Christ?
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