Is a Reinterpretation of Genesis Possible and Appropriate?

Scripture: Genesis 3:23 "therefore the Lord God sent [Adam] out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken."

Observation: I recently read the book "A Biblical Case for an Old Earth" by David Snoke. In it he made the case that some of our understanding of Genesis is influenced by words that, while they can mean what translators choose, were probably not what Moses intended to mean. Those words then crystallize the text into a 21st century perspective. One example is that the word translated "earth" in most modern translations should really simply read "land" because Moses would have had no concept of a globe. (Try reading Genesis 1-3 using "land" everywhere the word "earth" appears.) Therefore, while God certainly created everything (as Moses clearly says) Moses would not have written earth (as in, globe). I don't agree with all the conclusions that Snoke wrote but it has prompted me to re-evaluate where I am making extra-biblical assumptions in regards to the creation narrative. Chapter 3, verse 23 appears to be one of those places - possibly.

The assumption that I had was that all the "land" was the same as Eden - a lush, tropical-type world. Interestingly, we read that Adam was cursed and driven out of Eden to the "ground from which he was taken". If we go back to that event in Chapter 2, verse 8 Moses seems to be describing a new place, Eden, that God built for Adam and Eve to tend. It seems the garden stood out - "The Lord God planted a garden". Apparently it was different from the rests of the area around it; as in, the vegetation that was in the garden was not necessarily of the same multitude and concentration as the land outside the garden.

Application: I'm not sure how this can be applied to me or to my life specifically but it's not all about me anyway. Genesis 1-3 (and everything else through Revelation 22) is about God. Whatever design or appearance or make-up the  creation took on praises God in all His character, all His glory. All creation praises Him - I will, too.
 
Prayer: You are glorious, God. You are wise, beyond description, praiseworthy and the only good we have. Thank you for creating me twice and please teach me to appreciate how You designed me, my family, all those I meet and the created universe. I love You. Amen.


There is certainly much more that Snoke wrote. He is an ordained preacher and a scientist for some university. His claims, while somewhat dismissive of portions of the text, also deserve a serious evaluation by anyone serious about correctly handling the word of God. His foundational question is, can God be glorified by and can God call "good" a  creation that involved suffering and death of animals and plants before the fall of Adam and Eve. Obviously he answers in the affirmative and makes the claim that while evolution is a bogus and debunked theory, the creation account certainly leaves room for the universe and earth to be the same age as scientific research claims it to be.

Give it a read before you tell me I'm losing my salvation or being heretical. Even better, bring it up the next time we're hanging out and we can talk about it.