The Lost World of Genesis One (12 page)

IN THE TRADITIONAL VIEW THAT Genesis 1 is an account of material origins, day seven is mystifying. It appears to be nothing more
than an afterthought with theological concerns about Israelites
observing the sabbath-an appendix, a postscript, a tack on.

In contrast, a reader from the ancient world would know immediately what was going on and recognize the role of day seven.
Without hesitation the ancient reader would conclude that this is a
temple text and that day seven is the most important of the seven
days. In a material account day seven would have little role, but in
a functional account, as we will see, it is the true climax without
which nothing else would make any sense or have any meaning.

How could reactions be so different? The difference is the piece
of information that everyone knew in the ancient world and to
which most modern readers are totally oblivious: Deity rests in a
temple, and only in a temple. This is what temples were built for.
We might even say that this is what a temple is-a place for divine
rest. Perhaps even more significant, in some texts the construction of a temple is associated with cosmic creation.

What does divine rest entail? Most of us think of rest as disen gagement from the cares, worries and tasks of life. What comes to
mind is sleeping in or taking an afternoon nap. But in the ancient
world rest is what results when a crisis has been resolved or when
stability has been achieved, when things have "settled down."
Consequently normal routines can be established and enjoyed.
For deity this means that the normal operations of the cosmos can
be undertaken. This is more a matter of engagement without obstacles rather than disengagement without responsibilities.

Before we proceed, it is important to look at the terminology
used by the author. The Hebrew verb sabat (Gen 2:2) from which
our term "sabbath" is derived has the basic meaning of "ceasing"
(c£ Josh 5:12; Job 32:1). Semantically it refers to the completion of
certain activity with which one had been occupied. This cessation
leads into a new state which is described by another set of words,
the verb nuha and its associated noun, menuha. The verb involves
entering a position of safety, security or stability and the noun
refers to the place where that is found. The verb sabat describes a
transition into the activity or inactivity of nuha. We know that
when God rests (ceases, sabat) on the seventh day in Genesis 2,
he also transitions into the condition of stability (nuha) because
that is the terminology used in Exodus 20:11. The only other occurrence of the verb sabat with God as the subject is in Exodus
31:17.1 The most important verses to draw all of this information
together are found in Psalm 132:7-8, 13-14.

Here the "dwelling place" of God translates a term that describes the tabernacle and temple, and this is where his footstool
(the ark) is located. This also shows that the text is referring to his
dwelling place as his throne room and the place of his rule (because of the footstool). In verse 8 the "footstool" is paralleled by
the ark, and the temple ("dwelling place") is paralleled with "resting place" (menuha). This demonstrates that the temple is the
place where he rests. In verse 13 the text again refers to his dwelling in Zion, thus referring to the temple. Then verse 14 uses "resting place" (menuha) again identifying it as the place where he is
enthroned. Thus, this Psalm pulls together the ideas of divine
rest, temple and enthronement. God's "ceasing" (sabat) on the
seventh day in Genesis 2:2 leads to his "rest" (nuha), associated
with the seventh day in Exodus 20:11. His "rest" is located in his
"resting place" (menuha) in Psalm 132, which also identifies it as
the temple from which he rules. After creation, God takes up his
rest and rules from his residence. This is not new theology for the
ancient world-it is what all peoples understood about their gods
and their temples.

In the Old Testament the idea that rest involves engagement
in the normal activities that can be carried out when stability has
been achieved can be seen in the passages where God talks of
giving Israel rest in the land:

But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord
your God is giving you as an inheritance and he will give
you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will
live in safety. (Deut 12:10; cf. Josh 21:44; 23:1)

Although security and stability might allow one to relax, more
importantly it allows life to resume its normal routines. When Is rael's enemies no longer threaten, they can go about their lives:
planting and harvesting, buying and selling, raising their families
and serving their God.

In the same way, a temple is built in the ancient world so that
deity can have a center for his rule. The temple is the residence
and palace of the gods. Like the American White House, it is the
hub of authority and control. It is where the work of running the
country takes place. When a newly elected president looks forward to taking up his residence in the White House, it is not
simply so he can kick off his shoes and snooze in the Lincoln
bedroom. It is so he can begin the work of running the country.
Thus in ancient terms the president "takes up his rest" in the
White House. This is far from relaxation. The turmoil and uncertainty of the election is over, and now he can settle down to the
important business at hand.

The role of the temple in the ancient world is not primarily a
place for people to gather in worship like modern churches. It is
a place for the deity-sacred space. It is his home, but more importantly his headquarters-the control room. When the deity
rests in the temple it means that he is taking command, that he
is mounting to his throne to assume his rightful place and his
proper role.

In ancient Near Eastern literature this concept appears early
and often. One of the earliest available Sumerian literary pieces is
the Temple Hymn of Kes:

House ...... inspiring great awe, called with a mighty name
by An; house ...... whose fate is grandly determined by the
Great Mountain Enlil! House of the Anuna gods possessing
great power, which gives wisdom to the people; house, reposeful dwelling of the great gods! House, which was
planned together with the plans of heaven and earth, ...... with the pure divine powers; house which underpins the
Land and supports the shrines !2

In this hymn we can see the idea that the temple is a place of
rest ("reposeful dwelling"), that it is central in functional creation
("planned together with the plans of heaven and earth"), and that
it is the place from which control is exercised ("underpins the
land").

In the famous Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish, the work
of creation by Marduk is followed by the building of a temple for
him. Note the following: The gods give Marduk kingship (5.113),
and Marduk responds with the statement, "Below the firmament,
whose grounding I have made firm, A house I shall build, let it be
the abode of my pleasure. Within it I shall establish its holy place,
I shall appoint my holy chambers, I shall establish my kingship"
(5.121-24). This place is to be the "stopping place" of the gods
(5.138). After humankind is created at the beginning of tablet six
and the gods are given their responsibilities, the head gods make
a declaration: "We will make a shrine, whose name will be a byword, your chamber that shall be our stopping place, we shall find
rest therein" (6.51-52).3 These sections demonstrate the close relationship between creation (cosmic and human), organization of
the cosmos, rest, temple and rule.

God's resting in Genesis 1 does not specifically describe his
engagement of the controls, but it describes the opportunity to do
so. He can disengage from the set-up tasks and begin regular operations. It would be similar to getting a new computer and spending focused time setting it up (placing the equipment, connecting
the wires, installing the software). After all of those tasks were
done, you would disengage from that process, mostly so you could
now engage in the new tasks of actually using the computer. That
is what it had been set up for.4

Sometimes people have raised the question, What did God do
on the eighth day? In the view being presented here, on the eighth
day, and on every day since then, he is in the control room from
where he runs the cosmos that he set up. This is the ongoing work
of creation. When we thought of Genesis 1 as an account of material origins, creation became an action in the past that is over and
done with. God made objects and now the cosmos exists (materially). Viewing Genesis 1 as an account of functional origins offers
more opportunity for understanding that God's creative work
continues (more about this in chapter 15).

Now that we have been given the interpretive key from the world
of the ancient Near East (and verified in other portions of the Bible
as well) that divine rest is in a temple, we can begin to unpack the
significance of this information for further understanding Genesis
1. What are the implications of identifying Genesis 1 as a "temple
text"? What temple is being referred to, and what does that tell us
about Genesis 1 and about theology? These are the topics to be addressed in the next several chapters.