God is a poet. The poetry of the creation accounts from Genesis 1 and 2 tells us something true about God in a way that only poetry can do. We can get tangled up in the debate over the scientific accuracy of Genesis 1 and 2, but we’d miss the point about God. The creation stories are about establishing God as the creator and God’s zealous devotion to the creation. The poetics of Genesis 1 and 2 shed light on God’s providential and loving relationship with creation in a manner that history and science cannot. Let me give you an example:
If you wanted the facts about my birth, here they are. In 1979, my mother taught third grade and was pregnant with me. It was on Wednesday in December, right before the school holidays. She had a doctor’s check-up. The doctor said, “You’re not going to teach tomorrow because you’re delivering your baby today.” I was born on December 20th at the hospital in Griffin, Georgia, at 6 am. They placed me underneath the Christmas tree when they returned home from the hospital. That’s a factual account.
But let me tell you the way my grandmother tells it. I asked her when I was eight years old. “Mema, can you remember when I was born?” She said, “I sure do. I watched from a distance. One morning, as the sun rose, God walked along the riverbank. God knelt and scooped up some clay. God said, ‘Today, I will make me a Will.’ God rolled that clay in his hands. God said, ‘He needs to be intelligent,’ and dabbed some more clay. ‘And he needs to be handsome.’ And God splashed some water on the clay, ‘Here’s a dash of charm to keep everyone smiling.’ God held it to the sun and worked the sunlight into the folds of the clay. ‘And he needs a tender heart that loves the Lord.’ When God finished, God set the clay on the bank and admired and blessed it. Then God knelt and breathed into the clay. You came to life. And God said, ‘This is good. Here’s my Will.'”
My grandmother was saying something true about God and me. Her poetics revealed the intensity of devotion God has to me. Her words rang true. If I had to choose between the two accounts, give me my grandmother’s account any day. God feels the same about each of us. God uses poetry to tell us so.
Will Zant 