What Isn't Good in the Creation Story

Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash

One of the most influential scriptures for my understanding of God and faith is the creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2. In these chapters we see a glimpse into God's character and vision for the world (and human lives in particular). God creates order out of chaos. God is creative and imaginative. God is concerned with the relationships between parts of creation. And throughout it all, one word keeps coming up: "good."

(By the way, this post is not about whether or not creation is "true" or happened in seven days. If you're looking for that, I'd recommend reading Bishop Barron's article at Word on Fire. He spells out better than I could how to approach the "problem" of evolution and creation.)

As God is creating, everything is "good." Light and dark are good. Fish are good. The sun is good. Trees are good. And humans are good. 

The Hebrew word for "good" is "tōv/tōvah" and as I understand it, the use of the word in this chapter doesn't reflect a moral status (like "you're a good person"), but means that things are "as they should be." Like if you planned a party and everyone had a good time, the food was fantastic, and everything happened like you wanted it to, you'd say, "this is good." 

Everything in creation is good. Until Genesis 2:18, when God finds something that isn't good. And guess what isn't good. 

Mosquitos? Nope. 

Volcanoes? No. 

Brussel sprouts? No. 

The thing that isn't good? "It is not good that the human should be alone." 

The human, Adam (literally, "dirt creature"), has all of creation to himself, but it isn't enough. Because one of the most important things we need isn't something we can eat or build or hold in our hands. We need community and companionship. 

(Quick side note: The word used to describe the woman, Eve, is helper ("ézer" in Hebrew). Contrary to many interpretations, "ézer" does not mean "servant" or imply the person holds less status. The most common "helper/ézer" named in the Hebrew Scriptures is God. God does not hold less status than Adam; neither does Eve.)

When I first noticed this detail, it struck me as deeply profound and key to unlocking the larger messages of the Bible. I think this verse demonstrates for us that when we are alone, when we have broken relationships with God and each other, or when we aren't "helping" one another, then things are not "as they should be." 

God intends for us to be in loving and helping relationships with one another as God is with us, but the rest of the Bible is about how humans break those relationships with God and other humans, how we forget the importance of community and connection, how that leads to death and pain and suffering, and how God works to bring us back to this truth: "it is not good for you to be alone."

In a time where the world seems mad to divide into "us and them" and tells us constantly that the only people we need are Me, Myself, and I, we can easily recognize that things are not "tōv," not as they should be. May God draw us back to the truth of Creation again and again: the world is full of good, but it is not good for us to be alone. 

From the Gray,

Pastor Ari

“But you can't judge a book, by looking at the cover; You can't love someone, while messing with another; no, You can't win a war, fighting with your brother; You wanna have peace, gotta love one another.” -Black Stone Cherry, “Lonely Train”