Random thoughts about water and the Bible
I've been musing about this for a year or so, and decided it was time to investigate it enough to know if it's as interesting as I think it is or just a dull as a wooden door knob. Water in general and specific bodies of water in particular appear throughout the Bible. The context varies and I got to wondering what I could learn from the different ways water is mentioned. Please bear in mind that I am not a biblical scholar with all kinds of degrees. I was raised in a Christian home, I'm active in the church, and I read a lot of non-fiction.
I guess the best place to start is the beginning: Genesis 1.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, " Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
So when God got started, the earth was completely covered with water. He brought the dry land out of the water in creating this new earth. Is this a shadow of baptism where we come out of the water cleansed of sin and ready to start a new life?
This passage does give us common ground with supporters of evolution: we both say life started in water.
Another question arises. Supposedly scientists studying core drilling on different continents have identified a layer of silt at the same period of time. Christians take this as proof of the universal flood with Noah and the ark. I wonder if they've drilled further down and found more silt from creation? I'll have to do some research on that.
I guess the best place to start is the beginning: Genesis 1.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, " Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
So when God got started, the earth was completely covered with water. He brought the dry land out of the water in creating this new earth. Is this a shadow of baptism where we come out of the water cleansed of sin and ready to start a new life?
This passage does give us common ground with supporters of evolution: we both say life started in water.
Another question arises. Supposedly scientists studying core drilling on different continents have identified a layer of silt at the same period of time. Christians take this as proof of the universal flood with Noah and the ark. I wonder if they've drilled further down and found more silt from creation? I'll have to do some research on that.
posted by KathyGS at
12:37 PM
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