How did God deal with chaos in Genesis one?
Humanity has always faced crises and chaos. When our accepted norms and boundaries begin to crumble an unprecedented challenge is presented to us: Do we simply want the old order restored, or is something truly new possible? The first stories told were birthed from such events. And most of them imagined that chaos was an enemy that required force to be subdued. In these ancient narratives, violence ultimately saved a vulnerable community. The chaos is blamed on a convenient scapegoat so that all anger can be directed there. Most of our modern movies regurgitate this same old myth – the myth of redemptive violence.
But the author of Genesis is captivated by a totally counter-intuitive vision of a God who does not react to chaos, but silently hovers over it. There is a depth to the darkness that hides surprising possibilities. Elohim sees light hidden in darkness and calls it forth.
Creation does not begin with self-sufficient power or authoritative words, but with a wordless hovering. It is in this contemplative silence that the possibilities within the chaos begin to dance. Tohu wa-bohu – a poetic echo in the silence: Elusive messages drifting; unlikely possibilities awakening; signifiers rearranging. With each repetition of tohu wa-bohu the surface grows more unstable. Possibilities vibrate. What might be nothing, murmurs of what might yet be something. And within the formless, patterns emerge. Creation is not the result of an enforced design but a willing response to divine seduction. This creative space in which the breath of God hovers over the formless potentiality is still present within each of us. – Creative Chaos pg. 123
Leviathan is the great sea monster of chaos, instilling fear in all … except that God subverts this fearful attitude. In Ps 104:26, God is said to play, to sport, with this creature.
Times of chaos also present possibilities that were not present in the previous order. If there is any wisdom in this Genesis account, it is this counter intuitive relationship with chaos. It is not an enemy. And neither should we search for scapegoats to alleviate our frustrations. Rather, through wordless contemplation … hover over the abyss of possibilities and allow Elohim to awaken in you a new beginning, a new creation, a new order.
Thank you so much for your inspiring words always