Being God’s Image – Part 4

By Christian / Carmen Joy Imes

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In this series, we look at thoughts from the book Being God’s Image – Why Creation still matters by Carmen Joy Imes. As there is unfortunately no German translation, we will at least deal with excerpts from her presentation in the German version of this video. This English version contains the same excerpts, but I recommend that you read the complete book.

We concluded the third part with the question of how it should affect our lives and behavior that we are all imago Dei, the image of God.

The Human Project

Adam’s reaction to God’s question already showed that his knowledge of good and evil was not far off. Their son Cain kills his brother out of hatred. Then he builds a city. His descendant Lamech took several wives, tyrranized his family and twisted the story of his ancestor Cain to invent a justification for murder. (Genesis 4:19-24). Then in Genesis 6 we learn that even ’sons of God‘ like Adam and Eve transgressed the boundaries set for them by God. In my opinion, the most conclusive explanation is that these ’sons of God‘ were spiritual beings created by God. The situation gets so bad that God puts an end to it with the flood. So had ‚the human project‘ failed?

In these first chapters of Genesis we also find Abel, Enosh, Noah and others who ‚called on the name of Yahweh‘. (Genesis 4:26) What was different about them?

To be human is to know our place in the created order.

Sin does not erase our identity as the imago Dei, but it prevents us from fully reflecting God’s glory.

Being God’s image, Carmen Joy Imes

In fact, the situation was so bad that Yahweh started a new beginning of the ‚human project‘. Those who read the account of the Flood may overlook this aspect: the account in Genesis 6-9 is designed to represent a reversal of the creation of the earth, with water from above flooding and covering the land, thus undoing Genesis 1. A new beginning. And this is also reflected in the artful chiasm of this account. The second part of the account mirrors the first:

The people get the habitable land back. God has not forgotten the one whose obedience made divine salvation possible. But the flood had not repaired humanity itself, the problem of rebellion and broken relationships had not been solved. Yet, quite to the contrary, human identity as the image of God had not changed either. God’s blessing is still intact: „Then God blessed Noah and his sons. He said: „Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.“ (Genesis 9). Interestingly, however, the part „subdue them“ from Genesis 1:28 is no longer mentioned. The Hebrew there is kabash, which is a very strong word that implies the possible use of force and power. But the use of force was one of the evils that prevented people from truly proving themselves to be the image of God. Therefore, God now sets clear limits on the killing of animals and humans. (Genesis 9).

Calling the shots

This is the second time that Yahweh has provided a good start for his images. The next chapter – Genesis 10 – contains the so-called table of nations of Noah’s descendants, which plays an interesting role in a different context. In this context, it is interesting to note that the story of the Tower of Babel is found directly after this in Genesis 11. God had endowed people with abilities and power to fulfill his mission. Genesis 11 shows his reaction to people misusing these abilities to build an unauthorized central power.

But the account of the building of the tower of Babel teaches us something important about what it means to be God’s image – or rather, to deviate from it.

Why did they want to build a tower „whose top reaches to the heavens“ (Genesis 11:4)?

Many think that the people wanted to ascend to heaven in order to achieve divine status. But that is not what the text says. What they wanted was not to be scattered over the earth – which was God’s mandate for his images.

Considering the biblical and historical context, a second interpretation is more likely. Such towers or ziggurats were to enable the gods to move between heaven and earth! Does that seem strange to you? Then read Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28, and then Genesis 11:5 also makes sense. The tower has fulfilled its purpose to a certain extent – just not at all in the way they thought it would: „Yahweh came down to see what the people were building – a city with a tower!“ (Genesis 11:5, New Testament). „Then the LORD came down …“ (Genesis 11:5 Zurich). They imagined that the gods would come down. And the biblical text takes up this idea and lets Yahweh descend, so to speak. We know the outcome.

There is (at least) a third possibility, as there is no mention of a temple in connection with Babel. The tower was intended as what is called a migdal in Hebrew: It is a kind of watchtower (but has nothing to do with the Jehovah’s Witnesses‘ watchtower). Before this account, Genesis 10:8-12 speaks of Nimrod, a violent warrior whose name means „we may rebel“. A watchtower to help them see enemy warriors from afar. The remark that they had „one language“ also fits in with this. In Assyrian texts, this phrase is used to indicate that a simple second language was imposed on the defeated. Hence the rhyming text in Genesis 11:3 „Come, let us make bricks, and let [them] be set on fire.“

Be that as it may, the name of the city should not be forgotten: Babel. Some translations translate Genesis 10:10 as Babylon. Babylon is later the city that destroys Jerusalem and brings God’s people into captivity and oppresses them. But God does not tolerate powers that oppose what God has commanded for his images. He shows this in Babel and later in Babylon. Also because of idolatry, which is so contrary to the fact that people should not worship images of gods, because they themselves are the images of the one true God!

In Genesis 11, God shows people who is in charge! Yahweh has reset the human project for the second time.

Being God’s image and Bearing God’s Name

This is where it gets interesting (as if it wasn’t already). The book of Genesis is interrupted 10 times by the Hebrew word toledot, which means „generations“ or „records“. This emphasizes sections that focus on the generations that follow. Toledot is found 5 times in the chapters we have looked at so far, Genesis 1-11 and then 5 times in Genesis 12-50.

Just as God places Adam in the garden to fulfill his mission, so he brings Abram from Mesepotamia – the heart of human rebellion – to the center of the Promised Land to restore what was lost:

‘I will bless those who praise you and curse those who curse you… All the tribes will be blest because of you.’

Genesis 12:3 2001 Translation

This promise is the key link from Genesis 1-11 to Genesis 12-50, and this is where the concept of bearing God’s name begins. From this point on – Genesis 12 – the focus of the biblical narrative is bearing God’s name, while the concept of being God’s image fades into the background.

I discussed this concept in detail in the series „Bearing God’s Name“, which I published before this series and which refers to the corresponding book by Carmen Joy Imes.

It would therefore be good – if you haven’t already seen it – to familiarize yourself with the ideas of the series „Bearing God’s Name“. In the next parts of this series we will take these thoughts forward and continue with the „Way of Wisdom“.