Ecclesiastes 12

OK. I need to finish Ecclesiastes. I find it so difficult, sometimes, to finish a project, especially a book. So, here's to accomplishing stuff.

Two observations:
1) Remember your creator.
12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;

What a great reminder--in the midst of the business of life, we need to remember our God. We need to remember our relationship with him. Too often, we remember when it is too late--or some trauma has to come into life to force us to remember--like a crashing stock market. The journey can be tough--and it is tougher without God. But when we stay in contact with God through relationship (scripture reading and prayer), then we will find joy in this journey.


2) Live for your creator

12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

Solomon also writes in 12:12 'But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.' Knowledge only takes us so far. Ultimately, we must live the life that God gives us, with the knowledge that we can handle, and trust him through loving obedience and submission. The relationship that arises from this trust will guide us and bring joy in the journey.

Genesis 2:20-25: Male and Female He created them

Male and Female as the Image of God

Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

God created us in his own image. And he also made male and female. So, I assume that both male and female are in the image of God. However, is there a connection between the image of God and the fact that we are male and female? I think that thereHere is my reasoning.
1) God is perfect and complete.
2) Humanity is not complete (even in the garden). We need something outside of ourselves to be complete.
3a) In the context of the Garden of Eden, God provided for the limited nature of humanity.
3b) He provided himself to walk with humanity in the Garden. Even in the garden, humanity still needed God's presence and stability. Without God, humanity cannot fulfill the created purpose provided by God. We need God.
3c) Genesis 2:20 says "But for Adam no suitable helper was found." So God made Eve to complement Adam and "complete" him in his humanity.
4) Therefore, being in God's image, among other things, can mean "being complete." Thus, male and female is not just a statement of design in nature, but also an illustration that we were made for community--with God and with humanity. We are made complete by other people, and we function in his image by acknowledging both the male and female in our existence.

So, here are some questions based on the above logic:
1) Is this aspect of completeness a reflection of the Trinity, where God has three persons who make One God? Can two "who become one flesh" reflect the depth and mystery of the Trinity?
2) God is unlimited by time or space. However, humanity is limited by time and space. So, is it through male and female (procreation) that humanity reflects the ability of God to expand in, impact, and relate to the universe?

I use the term "reflect" because I think that , even though we share the image of God, we can only reflect his glory, like the moon for the sun. The sun is fundamentally different from the moon, as are we different from God.

Genesis 1 and 2: Two names for God

I forgot to mention another interesting aspect of Genesis 1 and 2. There are two different names for God mentioned in these chapters. Gen. 1 focuses on El, or the Hebrew term for God, in a generic sense. Gen. 2 uses the name Yahweh (which is translated into German as Jehovah), which means "Living One." This is the term used in Exodus 3 where God introduces himself to Moses as "I am." The two names of God speak to the two different functions of the passages. Gen 1 is a general account of creation by the creator God. The Gen 2 account is the personal rendition of the Living God giving life to humanity.

Of the two, I would say that Gen. 2 seems to fit the context of the book of Genesis, whereas Gen. 1 seems to be a later addition designed to introduce the book as a whole. Gen. 1 is closely related to the praises listed in the Psalms, and thus may have been written closer to the time of David. Meanwhile, the use of Yahweh may be a convention of Moses who knew God in those terms.

Genesis 2:1-3: God rested?

And God Rested? Sounds like a good idea to me. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


So, which came first: the Sabbath or the rationale for the Sabbath?

For those of us who hold to veracity and integrity of the Scripture, the rationale for the Sabbath came first. But why did God rest? Or at least, why did they state it this way? God doesn't need rest. Psalm 121:4 says, "Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." Rest is a human need, and speaks to our weakness. So, why did the Hebrews suggest that God rested from his work?

Well, since actual weakness or tiredness is not an option for God, what is another choice?

Instead of focusing on the rest, focus on the statement in v.2: God finished the work. The point is not that God was weary. The point is that God was finished. He stopped and looked at everything he had done. And he was pleased with it. He was satisfied. It was completed, perfect--just as he had intended for it to be. Creation was complete, and he ceased (rested) from his work.

Now, let me make a couple of theological points here.
1) All of the material in the universe was made at this point. There is no new matter being created. This does not mean creativity is not taking place. However, all creativity (whether it is art, expirement, building, fire, super novas) is based on matter and energy that is already potential and in existence. There is nothing being formed in today's universe that does not have its origin in the original work of God through creation.

2)God ceased his creative activities. However, the term "rest" is appropriate in this respect. Just because he stopped creating does not mean that he quit being active. No, he created and then he began to enjoy his creation by walking in the midst of it. By using the term "rest" the book of Genesis gives a dramatic pause before it explores the significance of God's closeness to humanity in Gen. 2.

So, God paused for a moment. He moved from one task (which he completed--spectacularly) and into a new task--that of introducing himself to humanity and walking with them in the Garden. He rested. He did not stop his activity, though.

Genesis 1:26-31: The Image of God

What does it mean to be made in God's image? And why is this so important?

In the image of God can be 1) as duplicate--"mini-me"; 2) baring certain characteristic and likenesses, but not a complete copy.

By definition, a created being cannot be the creator. So, option 1 is out.

Therefore, we are made in some sort of likeness to God Almighty--a truly humbling concept. But in what way are we the image of God? Is it physical? Is it mental? Is it spiritual? Is there another way that we can be in God's image?

For me, the primary way were are made in the image of God is spiritual. We are able to commune with God in a way that no other part of his creation can. This spiritual nature impacts our mental and physical function to a degree. But for me, the spirit separates us from the rest of creation.

Many will disagree. I know that we as humans we are able to reason. Some say that this mental capacity to reason is a part of God's image in us. I don't have a problem with this line of thinking. I just wouldn't separate our mental abilities from our spiritual nature. I think the two go hand in hand.

Some would also argue that our bodies, our physical form, is much like God's form. I think this is much less likely, seeing that God himself needs no physical form to exist (OK, that just blew my own mind). Jesus came in human form, which was totally different from his normal existence. Many people will try to take anthropomorphisms from the Bible (like the Hand of God) and use it to argue that God has a human-like form. I don't think this has to be the case. We use human descriptions to try to capture the essence of God, and they will always fall short of a true description of his majesty and glory. This does not meant that it is wrong to use human descriptions to express our understanding of God. The fact is, it is just the best we can do.

Others say that God is man-like because of the vocabulary of the Bible (God is "he," or "father.") Again, I don't think these vocabulary terms do justice in describing the greatness of God. Think of this: God made us men and women for the purpose of pro-creation. Does God need to pro-create? Absolutely not! He is forever and does not need to increase his dominion by having children. So, he does not need to be male nor female. His is God, Creator of male and female. Male and Female are incomplete without each other. God is complete in and of himself. He needs no helper. So, to say that we are in his image physically is to limit God and exalt humanity (men in particular). God made us limited so we would recognize our need for him. Even in the Garden of Eden, sinless Adam and Eve walked with God and learned from him. We are in his image so that we might know him through our spirits.

So, for me, the image of God in humanity is a spiritual essence that impacts our whole being. Why is this important? So that we might relate to God in a personal relationship, recognizing our need for him and then coming to him for blessings and his glory.

Many people miss out on the point of life because they ignore this inherent need for God in our hearts. We were created to know him and need him. We ignore this need to our peril, especially now that the Garden of Eden is a distant memory and our sinful life pulls us farther and farther from a relationship with the One who created us.

Genesis 1:1-5: God, Creation, and Faith

Welcome to the beginning!

The simple statement here is quite overwhelming. God made the heavens and the earth. In the Hebrew mind, this meant God made all that is. Nothing exists without him. He is the source of life and all that entails. There is no debate or middle ground on this statement. Either God (a higher being, higher power, ultimate other--something greater that humanity) is personally responsible for the existence of all things, or you do not accept the foundational premise for the whole scripture: that God exists and manages his creation. If you do not believe that God is real, then it makes no sense to believe anything else in the Bible.

Now, you can ask, "Can you prove the existence of God?" I can respond, "Can you disprove it?" Ultimately, we can look at the same evidence and probably provide different rationales and proofs for own beliefs. The bottom line is this: we can neither prove nor disprove God. It takes faith to believe that God does or does not exist because we have neither see God nor seen everything without him. (By "seeing everything without him" I refer to the idea that we cannot scientifically observe every inch of existence and say that we have not seen God. Maybe he is playing hide and seek, or very far away. But you cannot objectively say "God has never been here." It is impossible to measure.) You can try to argue possibilities and probabilities, but either way, we all are people of faith when it comes to believing in the existence or non-existence of God.