Genesis Chapter 1: God Spoke And So It Was
(Deep Dive Chronological & Book-By-Book Journey Through The Bible)
Although God has always been, we have not. This chapter contains the story of our creation and the creation of the world around us. My favorite “verse” from this chapter: "God said…and so it was". There is so much reassurance and comfort in those simple words.
(v1)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
We take this very first statement of God on faith because we cannot possibly prove it. We take God at His word and accept that nothing existed except God before this moment. God is eternal. God says of himself,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
“In the beginning” is hard for us to wrap our heads around because we are governed by time and space and can’t fathom anything else. God is not hindered with either.
GOD: Hebrew #H430; Elohim (el-o-heem)/strength or power
Right off the bat, God is establishing our foundation in Him. God always was and always will be. He created all that exists. There wasn't a big bang from a meteor crash; it was intentional, not an oops. God had a plan from the very beginning. He never creates willy-nilly but always with a plan and purpose. If we do not accept these things, our faith is built on sandy soil that will not withstand.
“I have made the earth and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. ”
(v2)
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
FORM: A visible shape or configuration
VOID: Empty
DARKNESS: Without light
The earth was without a visible shape and was completely empty. The Spirit of God was present…when the Spirit of God is present amazing things happen! Nothing stays the same.
Darkness was on the face of the deep: there was literal darkness (absence of light) and spiritual darkness (presence of evil). We have no way of knowing but it appears that evil was probably present (if not now then very soon) because of the name of the tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
(v3)
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
God spoke and it instantly happened. He didn't have to take the time to fashion something together like we would need to do. He simply spoke and it was. This also shows us that all of creation must obey the Almighty God.
God did not take away the dark, He added the light.
(v4)
And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
This phrase strikes me. "God saw the light." Does that stand out to you as it does to me? Of course, God saw the light. He sees everything. But God was making a point here.
And this next phrase is just as intriguing…" and it was good"! All that God created was good. But it wasn't perfect yet because He wasn't done. He separated the light from the darkness.
The light was created on day one, but the sun wasn’t created until day four so this wasn’t a physical light such as sunlight. Obviously, God doesn’t need daylight as we do.
Questions To Consider:
What do you think the light on day one was? Do you think it could have represented good (light) and evil (darkness)? Do you suppose this is when Satan and the angels fell from heaven? (Isaiah 14:12–14, Isaiah 45:7, Ezekiel 28:12–18, and Luke 10:18)
(v5)
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
We don't have a clue if these were actual 24-hour periods. This has been a debate for a long time. We probably won't know the answer until we get to heaven and can ask Jesus.
The KJV capitalizes Night and Day just as it would for the name of a person. And look at this from the New Testament:
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
(v6-8)
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Thus God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
FIRMAMENT: The vault of the arch of the sky; the heavens. An example of firmament would be the space between the stars and the planets. God commanded there to be an expanse (a wide, continuous space) between the waters of the earth and the heavens.
Some versions of the Bible say that God called the firmament Heaven. Others say He called the firmament sky. It is important to note that heaven (where God's holy throne resides) and our sky are not the same things but I get where they are trying to help us understand where this is in proportion to the earth.
God doesn’t say day two of creation was good. He says “it was good” about the other days, but not about day two.
(v9-10)
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
God has a purpose and a plan for creation. As He is creating, God is putting things in order and giving them a purpose and a name (identity).
God has created the heavens and is now focusing on the earth. Again, God wants us to know that what He created was good.
“For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is his also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hand formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker.”
(v11-13)
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
God created vegetation and commands it to produce after its own kind. And it does. Again, God was pleased with his creation.
God is setting the earth up to house everything man (who had not been created yet) would need to survive.
(v14-19)
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years, and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Greater light: the sun. Lesser light: the moon and stars.
God created the sun, moon, and stars for light and as our signs. This means they are a mark of the passage of time. With the rising sun, we know it is the beginning of a new day. With the setting sun, we know it is the beginning of the night.
God isn't suggesting the sun, moon, and stars are signs that need to be read (interpreted) such as with astrology. Such practices are to be avoided as unholy. In Isaiah 47:13-14 it says psychics, astrologers, and stargazers are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire.
Because they make the passage of time, the sun, moon, and stars give us our modern-day calendar.
“You have set the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.”
(v20-23)
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
God filled the waters and air with a massive variety of wildlife. If you Google it, you will see that there are about 32,000 species of fish and 9-10,000 species of birds. So there is one kind of animal called a fish with about 32,000 varieties (or species). Each variety is unique, but it is still a fish.
This proves evolution is a figment of the imagination. God clearly says each animal would produce after its own kind not evolving or morphing into something else.
(When I first started blogging, this concept overwhelmed me to the point that I wrote a quick post about it. If you like, you can check that post out here, Falling In Love With God All Over Again.)
(v24-25)
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
First God took care of the animals of the water and sky. Now he is focusing on land animals of every kind that also reproduced after their own kind.
God knew exactly what we would need and took the time to provide it before creating man. Everything He does is in perfect order.
(v26-27)
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
With the foundations created, God turned to the creation of man. As powerful as animals are, as beautiful as some plant life is, as magnificent as angels appear to be in Scripture, it is only man who was created in God's image. What a gift!!
“Let us create man in our image,“ tells us that all three members of the God-head were present at the time of creation. God the Father didn't create man on his own and then have Jesus and the Holy Spirit join him later. They are the very definition of unity.
Job 33:4 and Psalm 104:30 say that the Holy Spirit was present at creation. Colossians 1:16 says Jesus Christ was present at creation.
MAN: Hebrew #120; adam (aw-dam’)/mankind, human being, men, and women
IMAGE: Hebrew #6754; tselem/an illusion, resemblance, a representative figure. English definition: a representation of the external form of a person
LIKENESS: Hebrew #1823; demuwth/to be like, to model or resemble, in like manner. English definition: the semblance, guise, or outward appearance of
Image and likeness appear to be the same, but they are subtly different. One reflects the outward (image) and one reflects inward character (likeness).
Let them have dominion…them. Not just men but men and women have been given authority over certain things. Please note we haven’t been given dominion over everything, just certain things.
Although it says here that God created man (male and female), as we get further into the text we know that Eve (woman) came later than the creation of Adam. How much later we do not know for certain.
The huge variety and beauty of flowers fascinate me. A tulip is different than a petunia which is different than a lily. And think of the variety of colors that can be found just in the tulip family! It is obvious to me that God loves color and variety.
But the one area He chose to curb his creativity is in our sex. He only made two; male and female. The world today wants us to believe we can change what we are at will. They want us to believe that if we label something (male/female) it is both evil and wrong. Obviously, that isn't true because God was the first to give us labels, male and female. He is incapable of being wrong.
Questions To Consider:
When others look at us, they should see Jesus’ character reflected or represented in our lives. Are you representing Christ Jesus well?
(v28)
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
We are commanded to be productive and fruitful in all areas of our lives. We have been given two jobs at this point; be productive and take care of the animals.
SUBDUE: To conquer and bring under control, to overcome.
DOMINION: 7287, Sovereignty, to rule, control, or dominance.
SOVEREIGNTY: Authority or power.
We are to conquer, bring under control, and overcome. This makes me think about Romans 12:2, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." We are to be of this world but not overcome or consumed with a carnal (appealing to the flesh) way of thinking.
God gave us dominion over all animals. Please note that he didn't give us sovereignty over each other. That was not His desire for us.
(v29-31)
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you, it shall be for food.
Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now God gives us additional details by telling us his intention for our food. Notice He doesn't mention meat as food for us, only plants and seed trees. God also says that animals are to eat of the plants and trees too.
In prior verses, God said what He had created was good. Now he says it is very good! God was pleased! Think about how amazing the garden would have been. There was no sin or disappointment. Just peace, beauty, and goodness!
Questions To Consider:
God is all-powerful. He could have commanded all of creation into existence instantaneously. But He chose not to. Why do you suppose that was? Do you think it could be because He was giving us another first: showing us He works through a process (for example, we are born again in an instant, but our transformation takes place gradually over our lifetime)?
Do you believe that God created everything? If you believe that to be true, then you have to believe that He also created evil. It couldn’t have created itself, it had to come from somewhere. The only creator we are told about is God himself so the enemy of our soul could not have created evil, himself, demons, or the other fallen angels. That doesn’t mean that God is evil or has evil in himself. We know that is not true. In Psalm 92:15 it says that in him (God) there is no evil. So where do you think evil came from?
What part of the account of creation strikes a chord with your spirit?
What I’ve Learned About God’s Character
What I have learned about God’s character from chapter one is that the account of creation shows God left nothing to chance. He has a purpose and plan and does everything in detailed, careful, and proper order. He didn’t create animals to evolve into other animals. It also shows that God is eternal; He always was and always will be.
Before we conclude this study, let’s allow Scripture to speak for itself.
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants, you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
