Creation, Rest, and Reign: What Genesis Meant to the Ancient World (Rachel Booth Smith) Ep. #224

18 snips

Oct 30, 2025

Rachel Booth Smith, an author and pastor known for her work on Genesis and Sabbath, dives deep into ancient creation narratives alongside host Dru Johnson. She reinterprets Genesis, framing it not as a tale of origins but as God's enthronement, where rest signifies divine reign rather than simple relief from labor. Smith explores how comparing biblical texts to Egyptian and Hittite myths can enrich faith. She emphasizes the seven-day structure as a sacred rhythm, asserting that understanding rest fosters trust in God's sovereignty.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Campfire Story Exchange

Rachel Booth Smith imagines an ancient campfire where Egyptian, Hittite, and Hebrew storytellers trade creation accounts and react strongly to differences.
She uses this scene to explain how Genesis would shock neighbors and invite curiosity rather than mere historical comparison.

ADVICE

Practice Rest As Recognition

Treat God's seventh-day rest as enthronement, not napping, and let that reshape your worship and trust.
Resting means acknowledging "you are God and I am not" across life's worries.

INSIGHT

Seven As Sacred Rhythm

The seven-day pattern marks the created order as sacred and deliberately "marked out," not a natural astronomical cycle.
Genesis makes seven special to signal holiness and an intended rhythm for life.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

What if Genesis 1 wasn’t about the origin of matter—but the enthronement of God? And what if “rest” wasn’t the end of work, but the beginning of reign?

In this episode, Rachel Booth Smith, author of Rest Assured, joins Dru Johnson to explore how the Genesis creation story contrasts with other ancient Near Eastern accounts. With a storyteller’s gift and a pastor’s heart, Smith explains how comparing biblical cosmogony to Egyptian or Hittite myths can actually strengthen, not weaken, our faith in the text. “Sometimes the campfire would get very upset,” she says, imagining ancient neighbors reacting to Genesis’ claim that the sun and moon are just objects—not gods.

She also unpacks the significance of Sabbath as sacred reign, not divine nap time. “Rest is like saying sitting down at a throne because everything is operating correctly,” she explains. The seven-day structure wasn’t arbitrary—it was holy, “marked out,” signaling both the order of creation and the rhythm of life.

Most importantly, Rachel shows how this re-reading of Genesis leads us to trust. “If I can get to the end of a Sabbath and realize you are God and I am not, I feel like that was a win.”

For Rachel's book "Rest Assured," head here:

https://www.moodypublishers.com/rest-assured/

We are listener supported. Give to the cause here:
https://hebraicthought.org/give

For more articles:
https://thebiblicalmind.org/

Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought
Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought
X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:08 The Genesis of Understanding Creation
03:55 Bridging Ancient and Modern Perspectives
07:08 The Concept of Rest in Creation
10:18 Sabbath: A Rhythm of Work and Rest
13:22 The Nature of God’s Power and Authority
16:01 Cultural Contexts and Creation Narratives
19:23 The Role of the Sun and Other Deities
22:07 The Significance of Seven in Creation
25:14 The Uniqueness of Genesis' Creation Account
28:06 The Implications of a Non-Conflict Creation
31:16 The Importance of Trusting God
34:09 Conclusion: Insights from Ancient Near Eastern Literature