v.1 The first
verse of the Holy Bible declares God as the Creator of all things. What is so striking is the way God is
introduced simply as the One who existed before anything in our universe. There is neither argument nor apology
for the Existence and Power of God. God created “the heavens and the earth,” a poetic expression signifying
the entire universe, indicating not only the heaven and the earth but everything in them. Hence, it teaches
the sovereignty of the God of creation – since He created all things, they are all under His control. This
also lays the foundation for God’s Word to man – as God is before all things and made everything, God’s sovereignty
demands man’s submission and obedience to His Word.
v.2The first part of the verse describes a chaos at the earliest
stage of this world. But as Genesis is more interested in God’s work as Creator,
we are not told how the chaos came about and we are provided with only a circumstantial and brief report.
In contrast to the scene of dismay, the one good
sign appears.There is movement on the surface. The Spirit of God is moving “on the face of the waters.” The verb “moved” basically means
to “hover,” or “flutter, fly”; it is used in Deut. 32:11 to describe an eagle stirring up the nest, fluttering
over its young. The hovering care of the Spirit of God over the unformed, lifeless mass of the watery earth
ensured its future development because all life comes from the Life-giving Spirit (cf. Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; Ps. 104:29-30).
The Six Days of Creation
v.3 “And God said,” reveals the
means of creation as the Word of God.What God said in His decree
makes the point even more illuminating: “Let there be…and there was.”The Hebrew verbs used here
suggests a significant word-play, related to the holy name, Yahweh – the great I AM (cf. Ex. 3:14).
In Genesis, we learn that the Word of God is the powerful transforming word that was first manifested in creation.
Therefore, the apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, the
Word was with God and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1, cf. Jn. 1:2-31; Col. 1:16-17). Although it is not explicitly taught here, it is evident, from a comparison of these other passages
of Scripture, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all active in the creative work. The Father works
in His Son, through His Spirit.
v.4 The first day saw the creation of Light, which immediately changes a world
enveloped in darkness (cf. 1:2). Light and darkness signify mutually exclusive realms. God pronounced
the light good, not darkness. Light is useful, fitting, and healthy and therefore conducive for and enhances
life. Since darkness remains, God then divided it from this light.
v.5 God’s act of naming was an act of sovereign dominion.
v.6 On the second day, God created “the firmament,” or an expanse in the atmosphere,
to separate the waters above from the waters below.
v.7 With the creation of the expanse, God thus set a
division between the cloud masses above and the waters below.The word “so” (“and it was
so”) is much stronger than it may seem for it refers to an established thing. This division is fixed.
v.8 God’s creation of the atmosphere, act of naming it
as Heaven, and demonstration of power over the Heaven by setting a fixed division upon it, teaches us that He is
the supreme God of the heavens.
v.9 God caused the dry land to appear and the earth to
flourish with growth on the third day.
v.10 Here, we see God setting boundaries for the
seas, demonstrating His sovereignty over them.
v.11 The emphasis at this point shifts from bringing
order (“let it divide”) to bringing fullness (let the earth bring forth”). From the beginning, we learn that God makes divisions to bring order in creation.
And divisions for order are intended for the bringing forth of fullness of life.
v.12 God decreed that the fertile earth produce vegetation.
Vegetation does not result from some pagan god’s springtime ascendancy through depraved rituals. Fertility
of the ground is a self-perpetuating process decreed by God, a created capacity from the true Lord of life.
v.13 Due to the influence of Evolution and Geological
studies, the meaning of the term “day” has been debated in Christian circles. Although the word normally means a twenty-four hour day, it can also mean a longer general period of time
(Is. 61:2). But
“day” in this chapter must refer to a normal twenty-four hour day because if it refers to a geological age, then
the text would have to allow for a long period of “day” and then a long period of “night” – few would argue for
the night as a geologicalage.
The Ten Commandments also bases the teaching of the Sabbath day on the six literal days of creation and the seventh
day of rest. It is clear that Genesis presents the creation in six literal days.
v.14 The luminaries were created on the fourth day.
v.15 The language here describes the phenomena
– the sun is not in the atmosphere, it is far beyond it but appears to be in the firmament.
v.16 The sun, moon and stars have as their function
to dominate the day and the night, to serve as signs for the fixed seasons, and to rule over the heavens.
v. 17 The physical light that earth enjoys is set in
these luminaries God appointed.
v.18 They attest to God’s glory and rule over time by
His decree. The sight of these luminaries should direct man’s thoughts to the Creator but man in their depravity
reject the Creator, worshipped the creation, and devised foolish systems of astrology for guidance (Deut. 4:14-19).
v.20 On the fifth day God created all the living creatures that inhabit the seas
and that fly across the skies. Genesis declares that life came into being by the direct command of God.
Vegetation is not included here, for to the Hebrew mind that is not life.
v.21 The great sea creatures are singled out for special
attention. The pagans worshipped them and their might out of fear and veneration but the Torah (or The Law, referring to the
first five books written by Moses) subdues
this view rather simply by reporting that God created them. We may know that
all dragons, monsters, dinosaurs, etc. (“every living creature that moveth”) were just another part of God’s perfect
and harmonious creation.
v.22For the first time in the Creation account, the notion of "blessing" appears. The blessing
of the creatures of the sea and sky is identical with the blessing of man, with the exception of the notion of
"dominion," which is given only to man. As soon as "living beings" are created, the notion
of "blessing" is appropriate because the blessing relates to the giving of life.