(A) The first chapter of the Bible is about the Creator God, not the creation (Gen 1:1-2a)

The opening statement of the Bible is familiar to many, both Christians and non-Christians alike. Yet, what can we learn about it assumes (what it says and does it not say)?  We notice quite clearly that it is a factual statement. The phrase “in the beginning” establishes the fact that God existed even before the world was created, before time began. This also assumes that there is a God and He made everything at the beginning of time. Before we get caught up into the scientific debates and theories surrounding this verse, we need to remember that Genesis has to be read as its genre intends for it to. Genesis is a literary narrative, and therefore should not be read as a scientific account. It was not written to argue or prove something. There is, therefore, an important lesson embedded even within the opening verse of the Bible. It should cause us to pause and consider how we approach the rest of the Bible. Do we come with certain set of ideas, ready to judge its content instead of letting it speak to us? 

Verse 2 cotninues to describe the world in its original form. We are told that the earth was formless and void. The description conjures up a picture of a chaotic, empty and random world. Once again, note that the text does not explain why, nor does it go about proving God. This might offend our modern rational sensibilities, but Genesis 1 has its own original meaning and point that it wants to make. The point of the account is not the stuff that is made, but the one who made all things .

 

(B) The first chapter of the Bible is about a certain kind of God, not the god we invent (Gen 1:2b-6)

If Genesis is more about the God who made all things rather than the things He made, what does verse 2a tell us about this God? The phrase “Spirit of God” means that God did not exist in a physical form. This God is not a part of, but is separate from creation. In Ps 50:21, we read again of this distinction between the created creature and the creator. How often do we forget this distinction and try to force God to look like us? 

Gen 1:3 also helps us see that the Bible's God creates by speaking. Things happen as He speaks, and there is power in His speech. In Col 1:15-16, we are reminded that creation exists for and is upheld by Christ. Gen 1:4-6 detail for us more of the creation process. But, instead of looking at these verses as an account of the systematic creation event, what if we considered what this Creator God values? What can we say about this kind of God? We see a God that separated light from darkness, a God that makes distinctions. We also read of how God named the sky and earth. This reveals His control and ownership, as He is able to declare what it is and what it is not. In Genesis 1, the writer intends not only to give an explanation for how things came about, but more importantly, we are presented with a particular view of God. 

 

(C) The first chapter of the Bible is about God’s creating: giving order to the formless, filling up the void (Gen 1:7-26)

Gen 1:7-26 gives us the order of events by day. 

  • Day One – light, day and night (separation)

  • Day Two- water in atmosphere and on earth (separation, naming, not called good)

  • Day Three- Earth, Seas and vegetation (separation, naming, kinds)

  • Day Four – sun, moon and stars (separation, naming, rule and dominion, kinds)

  • Day Five- sea creatures, birds (filling up, kinds, blessing)

  • Day Six- livestock, creeping creatures, beasts and Mankind (filling up, naming, rule and blessing of Man)

These verses help us see a God that gives order to form and systematically fills up the void. This is a God  that chooses to bring order out of chaos through creating. His delight in his abundant and creatively diverse creations was also unmistakable in these verses. The Bible's God sought to fill up the void with His handiwork, as he blessed the animals and told them to fill up the earth. Finally, at the end of the sixth day, God also created man as separate from all other creation -- man uniquely made in His image. 

Beyond just a narrative about how things were created, this opening chapter of the Bible describes a God who delights in His creation. In Ps 16:11, we are reminded that that is fullness of joy in His presence. At the beginning of this series, and at the start of the first chapter of the Bible, it is important to stop, pause and consider the Bible's revelation of this God. Man tends to form images and definitions of God, but Gen 1 remind us that He has revealed Himself in specific ways. Today, what do we think of Him and His Word?