Christy and I have really been getting into Smallville lately. Its the show about Superman's younger years. I have been noticing that the show makes great use of music. A song always comes on during the most emotionally powerful parts of the show. When the episode centers around Clark and Lana's love, it ends with the two of them holding hands while a romantic Lifehouse song is playing. When the episode centers around Lex Luthor losing his mind, it ends with Lex in a straight jacket with a creepy Johnny Cash song playing. The music of it amplifies the whole point of the story.
Did you know that there is a song in Genesis 1?
I'm taking a class on the Old Testament right now and my professor pointed out that there are songs that capture the point of the first six stories in Genesis. He then showed us that Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers all have songs near the end of them that capture the meaning of each book. Deuteronomy ends with two song portions, as if to give a grand finale to the whole Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible).
So what's the point of Genesis 1? Its found in the song. God creates the heavens and the earth in six days. He literally speaks things into existence with the power of His words. Everything He makes is very good. But that's not the point. Just like a good TV show or movie uses the perfect song to get the point across, God's Word sings the point of Genesis 1.
Where is the song? The NIV, ESV, and other good Bibles usually indent poetic portions to show you. It may not look like a song in English, but it definitely is one in the original Hebrew. Its verse 27.
"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
The point of Genesis 1 is not that God created the whole universe, although that is definitely true. The point that gets emphasized with a song is that men and women are unique among all creation. We carry the image of God!
What the image is exactly is a matter debated by many theologians. It could be that we have immortal souls. It could be our capacity for creativity. It could be our right to rule over the world and have dominion. It could be all of these things wrapped up together.
Regardless of what exactly it is, do you get the concept? God has placed something within each of us that gives us all incredible value and worth. There is something in us more beautiful than a sunset. There is something in us more glorious than the heavens. There is something about us that is more valuable than diamonds. Nothing in creation compares to us. We have the image of God Himself.
So I have two big questions for you and for myself.
How do you treat yourself?
Do you sell yourself short? Do you tell yourself you are worthless? Do you always criticize yourself? Do you not allow yourself to enjoy life or feel loved? It is definitely good to be humble and you should not act as if you are perfect, but as an image bearer you do need to recognize what God has said about you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have more worth to God than the stars in the sky. You are special to Him and He desires good things for you.
How do you treat others?
Do you treat your friends and family with respect? What about total strangers? What about your teachers, the "nerdy kid" in your class, the teller at the bank, the telemarketer on the phone, or the barrista at Starbucks? Do you cut people down? Do you boss people around? Do you criticize others? Or do you treat them with the value and worth they deserve simply because they are image bearers of God?
Imagine the way you might treat a cheap picture that came with a nice picture frame you bought. You would probably yank it out of the frame, crumple it up, and toss it in the trash. Now imagine how you would treat the original copy of the Mona Lisa if you somehow inherited it. You would be careful not to touch it without gloves. You would protect it from dust with a cover. You wouldn't let anyone touch it or move it to keep it safe. Why? Because its worth is priceless.
That's the way we ought to treat one another. Our worth truly is priceless because God has made us, out of everything in creation, He has made us to bear His image. That's the point of Genesis 1. So take joy in the fact that God has made you special and go treat the people you encounter today with the utmost respect and love.
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