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One of the cornerstones of Young Earth Theology is that Genesis 1 is written in simple language that anyone can understand.  This argument comes in several different forms:

“Genesis 1 is written so simply, that even a child can understand.”

“God made sure Moses wrote Genesis 1 so that the Children of Israel would understand it.”

“God wants us to come to Him ourselves (without a moderator), and so He made Genesis 1 easy to understand.”

…therefore, the world was created in 24-hour days, because its simple language makes that fact clear.  Well, the fact is that it only seems clear because it’s what the church by and large already believes.  If the church believed the world was old, and were well-versed in the geological evidence for the Genesis 1 account (which I have blogged about here in great detail), then the plain language of the scriptures would then be used as evidence that the earth is old, when in fact the language itself excludes neither.

To show that Genesis 1 is not intended to be simple enough to deduce the earth’s age, let me address the argument that Genesis 1 was written clearly enough for the Children of Israel to understand it.  Consider Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.”  The Hebrew word used for God is Elohim, which is a plural form of God’s name.  Why plural?  Well, as Christians, we know that the reason God’s name is plural is because He has a plural nature: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  In the very first reference to God by name, is the trinity, and the Children of Israel did not know it.  Furthermore, God knew they would not.  In fact, it would take a revelation (the appearance of Christ) over a thousand years later to reveal it, and even then they would not embrace it… and God knew it would happen like that.

Now, how does this inform us on whether the earth is young or old?  Well, it doesn’t.  In fact, what it does say is that Genesis isn’t as easy to understand as one would think.  Now I am not saying the Children of Israel felt clueless about this, because they did not.  In fact, the Children of Israel were certain that Moses was simply referring to God’s majesty with the word Elohim, elevating Him to a place that only He can hold.  Well, it is true that God holds a position elevated above all kings, but that was not Moses’ point.  Do you know how I know?  Because Moses knew Jesus.  I cover this in detail in, “Jesus on Mount Sinai“, but basically Jesus visited Moses in His tent, and then transfigured before Moses two times: once on Mount Sinai showing Moses His back, and once on the Mount of Transfiguration showing Moses His face (Matthew 17).  Given Moses’ knowledge of God’s triune nature, it makes sense that he would call God Elohim.

The next argument I will address is that God wants us to understand Him without requiring a moderator or medium.  He wants us to read the scriptures, and to know Him through them.  However, knowing God does not require understanding of everything.  For example, God expected the Children of Israel to come to Him and give sacrifices, having no idea that God was a plurality.  “The Lord is God.  The Lord is one.”  That is who God is, and it seems like a contradiction to us, and yet it isn’t.  David knew God, as did Solomon, and many others in the Old Testament, and without necessarily knowing everything about God’s nature.  However, they did know Him, and they knew enough.  The fact remains that the Children of Israel did not know of God’s triune nature, and yet they knew Him… because scripture is simple enough to know Him, even when you don’t understand it all.

Finally, there is the argument that even a child can understand Genesis.  Well, as we see with Genesis 1:1, a child cannot understand it based on a casual reading.  Furthermore, Jesus said to have the faith of a child; He never said to be satisfied with the understanding of one.  If Genesis means more than a child can see, then why be surprised that the rest of Genesis 1 has more in it, too? 

In closing, Genesis 1 is a simple message written in simple language.  God created us in 6 days and rested on the 7th.  Simple.  That truth can be understood by anyone.  Yet, God’s triune nature was hidden within that simple message, such that the Children of Israel did not see it… and they did not perceive an old earth in that text either.  But as we now see, just because the Children of Israel did not see it, does not mean it isn’t there.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 9:39 pm and is filed under Word Studies, Bible Commentary, Jesus as Witness, Creationism, Evolution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.