God Creates Part I (Genesis 1:1-2)

Genesis 1:1-5 (NASB):

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 

     How much do you know about your family's history? In the mid-1970's, many people got excited about genealogy and family research. Why? Because they read Alex Haley's novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, or they watched the Emmy-winning TV miniseries based on that book. 

     Much of Haley's novel was a work of imagination. By contrast, the Book of Genesis in the Bible tells the earliest history of the entire human family. In Genesis, God revealed the roots, or origins, of all things except God Himself, who is eternal. Among the many firsts are the first humans, the first sin, the first Sabbath, the first sacrifice, the first murder, the first global catastrophe, the first cities, and the first languages. Another key first in the book is the first prophetic glimpse that God would one day send a Savior to redeem sinners and restore the sin-cursed world (Genesis 3:15).

     Author: Most conservative, evangelical scholars agree that Moses was the human writer of Genesis, as well as the four books that follow Genesis: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Collectively, these books are sometimes called the Pentateuch, a term meaning "five scrolls." The Hebrew word for these books is Torah, which means "law," "teaching," or "instruction."

     Theme-The overall theme of Genesis points to the formation of a covenant people-initiated through the call of Abram/Abraham-through whom God would bless all the peoples of the earth. That blessing would culminate in the sending of Jesus Christ as a descendant of Abraham to provide the only way of salvation from sin. The story of God's plan to redeem fallen humanity begins in Genesis and unfolds throughout the remaining books of the Bible.

     Date-In discussing the date of any Bible book, two perspectives should be kept in mind: first, the date (or time frame) of events described within the book, and second, the date of the book's writing. In the case of Genesis, the time frame of events spans from the creation (when time began) until the death of Joseph around 1804 B.C. In terms of the book's writing, the writer's life span (Moses) can be dated around 1526-1406 B.C. Moses likely wrote down the Book of Genesis (and the other books of the law) not long after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt around 1446 B.C. 

     Let me ask you a question. Have you ever stopped to consider the ways in which people experience blessings, the start of something new or different? We mark the beginning of new days, new months, and new years. School-age children know about beginnings when they start a new school year and meet new teachers. Married couples might recall their first date and first kiss. Talented musicians might be able to remember the time they played their first notes on an instrument. Everything in our lives has a beginning.

     The opening words of Genesis invite us to reflect on the beginning of the universe and, more specifically, on the origin of the amazing world where we live. God, who existed before our beginning, is introduced as the One who brought into existence out of nothing the universe and everything in it. Genesis makes no attempt to prove or explain God's existence. It simply declares that He is there in the beginning. He, in fact, creates the beginning.  

     Read: Genesis 1:1-2. God brought the universe into existence out of nothing. This marks the start of time. Prior to the beginning, only God existed. He had no beginning. God revealed His power by creating the universe and everything in it. These opening words set the eternal God of Scripture uniquely apart from all the mythical deities in pagan creation stories (see Jeremiah 10:11).

     Earth quickly becomes the focus of the Genesis account because it is the stage on which God's redemptive plan will be fulfilled. Before God's powerful creative activity, the earth could only be described as a shapeless, empty, watery void. All of that changed as "the Spirit of God" hovered over the surface of the watery void, ready and able to bring order and chaos and fullness out of emptiness (see Deut. 32:11).

     Apply the Scriptures: How can this dark picture of the Spirit of God help someone whose life feels chaotic, empty, and dark? 

Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,
Dr. Bryan Cox