CREATION: JUST ANOTHER WORD

The Hebrew has three words for create, and what we see is that one of them, bara', has important signifigance. It is here that when technically used it means to create out of nothing. In these instances SCIENCE HAS A MISSING LINK IT IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN, this includes the creation of the universe, earth, animals, and man. In the other cases where we have the word create, the correct word should be made (the material is already in existance or the method does not need to be explained). These science has figured out. Check it out: CREATE: bara' (baw-raw) "to create, make." This verb is of profound theological significance, since it has only God as its subject. Only God can "create" in the sense implied by bara'. The verb expresses creation out of nothing, an idea seen clearly in passages having to do with creation on a cosmic scale: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1; cf. Gen. 2:3; Isa. 40:26; 42:5). All other verbs for "creating" allow a much broader range of meaning; they have both divine and human subjects, and are used in contexts where bringing something or someone into existence is not the issue. Bara is frequently found in parallel to these other verbs, such as 'asah, "to make" (Isa. 41:20; 43:7; 45:7, 12; Amos 4:13), yasar, "to form" (Isa. 43:1, 7; 45:7; Amos 4:13), and kun, "to establish." A verse that illustrates all of these words together is Isa. 45:18: "For thus saith the Lord that created [bara] the heavens; God himself that formed [yasar] the earth and made [asah] it; he hath established [kun] it, he created [bara] it not in vain, he formed [yasar] it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else." A careful study of the passages where bara occurs shows that in the few nonpoetic uses (primarily in Genesis), the writer uses scientifically precise language to demonstrate that God brought the object or concept into being from previously nonexistent material. Especially striking is the use of bara in Isaiah 40-65. Out of 49 occurences of the verb in the Old Testament, 20 are in these chapters. Because Isaiah writes prophetically to the Jews in Exile, he speaks words of comfort based upon God's past benefits and blessings to His people. Isaiah especially wants to show that, since Yahweh (God's literal name) is the Creator, He is able to deliver His people from captivity. The God of Israel has created all things: "I have made [asah] the earth, and created [bara] man upon it: I, even, my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded" (Isa. 45:12). Though a precisely correct technical term to suggest cosmic, material creation from nothing, bara is a rich theological vehicle for communicating the sovereign power of God, who originates and regulates all things to His glory.
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