Irene and I just returned from 2 weeks
experiencing Jerusalem. For slide show (copy
to browser):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bdmccx448hmcjc0/Israel%202014%20Sukkot%20in%20Jerusalem.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bdmccx448hmcjc0/Israel%202014%20Sukkot%20in%20Jerusalem.pdf?dl=0
Hebraic Musing - What did God Create in Genesis?
We
are all familiar with the book of Genesis. At the end of six days, God looked
at all that He had created and declared that it was good. And on the seventh
day our NIV Bible says in Gen 2:3 “And
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all
the work of creating that he had done.” The literal translation of the original Hebrew
reads “Then God blessed the seventh
day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work which God had
created for it to continue to make.” In the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) the last
few words are “…so that it itself
could produce.”
What
exactly does that mean? Could it be that
when God created the world, it was only the beginning of the creation process? Did
God create us so that together, we could continue to create the world and mold
it into a perfect place? This is what
the verse means in Hebrew by “the work
which God created for it to continue to make.” God started a process and He
created everything necessary to continue the process. But He left it up to us to finish the work as
partners with God.
God
had created man a little earlier and He declared, “Let us make mankind
in our image…” Gen. 1:26. Was God
talking to all of us, all humanity, as if to say “Let us create humans
together. Let us work together to create
these wondrous beings called humans and work together to develop all the
potential which I have placed within him or her”? Every day you and I have a mission and a
partner with which to accomplish creation. Our mission is to make ourselves and
the world a better place in any way that we can with God as our partner.
The
Jewish way of thinking tells us to “Wake like a lion!” Begin your day by “Waking the dawn”; “A person must wake the dawn.” The dawn shouldn’t wake us up; rather, we
should wake up the dawn with enthusiasm to start our day.”[1]
Psalm
57:8 tells us “Awake, my soul! Awake,
harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. “
Psalm
118:24 is our popular song “♫ This is the day the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it. ♫”
Ultimately,
it’s not so important when we wake up in the morning,
but how we wake up. We need to start each day with the kind
of passion, enthusiasm, and determination that can chase away the darkness of
the night and bring the morning light.
Points to Ponder
How can we awaken the dawn? Be a lion - get a “tiger in your tank”
What does God want us to create each
day?
No comments:
Post a Comment