This account emphasizes knowledge because it reveals to the human person that God has created the earth in an orderly manner for humans to interact with. For example, the fact that God created the seas, land, plants, and animals to share unique but important characteristics allows for humans to understand the function of the earth and how the human person fits into this creation. Further, it forms a differentiation between divine knowledge and human knowledge, revealing the high power of God over the human person. Legaspi states that the emphasis on human knowledge demonstrates that human knowledge is mainly concerned with responsibility instead of power. This means that human knowledge is not used to assert power over others, but rather should be carefully used at the appropriate times in situations that are not concerned with issues of power. 

According to Legaspi, by eating of “the tree of the knowledge of the good and bad” God communicates the knowledge to humans that they need to obey his commandments and respect his authority. Adam and Eve’s understanding that they are naked reveals that after eating the fruit of the tree they have been provided the knowledge to realize they need clothing. However, the greater knowledge they have been given is that they need to listen and obey God and his commandments. Additionally, they are eating from the tree rather than looking or touching because eating implies that it has been given to them by God. Eating signifies that the fruit is a gift that has been created and given to them by God. However, by consuming this gift they gain knowledge, against God’s will, that they are naked.

Finally, Adam and Eve eating from the tree can not only be described as an act of disobedience but it can also be described as an act of important human experience. Prior to eating from the tree, Adam and Eve had no knowledge of what would happen if they ate from the tree. However, the knowledge they received represents a critical human experience revealing that God’s commandments need to be followed and revealing the high power of God.

By examining the origin story shared at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, it is clear that there is meaning being conveyed about how the earth became filled with all the things that humans interact with. God has created things that allow humans to make sense of their existence, such as the concepts of night and day. Additionally, by creating Heaven on the second day, God is able to create an end goal for humans to aim to achieve after he creates them on the sixth day. This story in Genesis shows that God fills the earth with structure and life during these seven days and when all God’s creations are viewed together, it can be seen that God purposefully created each element to interact with each other. 

In this account of the origin story, God is primarily showing that he is a key component to life on earth and existence in general. By demonstrating that he was able to create the earth in seven days, God reveals that all creation comes from him and that he is an important figure that deserves praise, respect, and worship. Creating the human person is clearly a very important aspect of this account; however, the primary importance of this account is that God did much more than simply create humans during the seven days, revealing his overarching power in the world to come. 

Finally, the seventh day being reserved for rest serves as an opportunities for humans on earth to enjoy the gifts that God has given them on earth, as well as worship God. This day gives humans the opportunity to interact with God more closely. In the origin story, even though God clearly doesn’t need to rest, his resting could represent an admiration of all the many things that he had created in the past six days.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.