Genesis 1:1-19 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today we begin our look at Genesis, the first book in the Bible. Today’s passage is Genesis 1:1-19. Let’s go!
Genesis 1:1-19 (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”
7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning–the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,
18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning–the fourth day.
On verses 1-19: Is Genesis 1 intended to be a detailed scientific explanation of the origins of the earth? Not necessarily. The Bible is not a textbook on science and doesn’t claim to be. Still, where it addresses scientific matters, the Bible is infallible. You will not find a proven scientific fact that truly contradicts what the Bible teaches. In fact, the Bible has proven to be ahead of its time. For example, the Bible claimed that the earth is round even when the prevailing belief in ancient times was that the earth was flat (see Psalm 40:22). Here the Bible claims that the earth had a beginning when many people believed that the earth had always existed (Genesis 1).
Starting from verse 3 we read that God spoke creation into being (see also Hebrews 11:2). From this we can learn that the first purpose of language is not communication, but creation. Just as God created the world with His words, so we create our world with our words. Speak positive and faith-filled words and your world will be a positive and faith-filled place. Speak negative and complaining words and your life will be a depressing place. There is creative power in your words, so be careful how you speak. As Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death”.
Notice also that creation took place when the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (v2) and God spoke (v3). Similarly, I find that miracles can happen when you have the Spirit of God and the Word of God working together. When the Holy Spirit is present and the Word of God is preached, lives can change. In fact, that is what Paul is talking about when he writes in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
Another lesson we can learn is that God speaks light in the darkness. When everything was dark in our lives, God spoke and there was light. In other words, God specializes in speaking light into dark places. No matter how dark, depressing or hopelessness your situation may feel, God can speak and bring light where there was no light.
Finally, “And there was evening and there was morning” (v5, 8, 13, 19) is a phrase that gets repeated in these verses. This suggests to me that God is a God of order. God is not a chaotic God but a God who incorporates rhythms, seasons, and order into the way He works. We would be wise to do the same.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the power of Your Word and the power of Your Spirit by which You created this world and by which You created me. Thank You for being the God who speaks light into the darkness. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
