–January 13, 2020–

by Austin Wyman

The Bible frequently refers to God as “Lord” and to heaven as his “kingdom.” However, where is the justification for why God should be treated as such? This question is answered within the first verse of the Bible, which sets the tone for the rest of the book that its primary purpose is to return praise to the Lord. It is revealed that God created the heavens and the earth and everything on it, so we return praise as thanks for being created. By enumerating everything that was created by God, it gives greater significance to why He is worthy of being designated “Lord.” The purpose of the creation narrative is also etiological, meaning that it serves as an explanation for a tradition or way of life. The number appears frequently in the Bible and is Christian tradition as a whole. From the mention of seven churches in the Book of Revelation to the seven sacraments that are celebrated in the Catholic Church, the number seven is considered a symbol of perfection. This all goes back to the creation narrative, in which the seven days that God created the world set a precedent of completion for the universe to follow. It employs the logic that God, as the perfect being, decided that this stretch of time was appropriate, there must be some significance behind the number. The purpose of the creation narrative is to explain why seven is such a significant number, which justifies the many ways in which it reoccurs. The importance of the seventh day being designated for rest may not exactly be because God needed it. One theory is that it serves as a set of instructions for mankind. If the primary purpose of the creation narrative is to instruct on why God is Lord and should be respected, how He is to be respected is equally important.