And God Said..
Genesis 1:1-2:3
This morning we are going to move on further into Genesis. We heard last week from Genesis 1:1 and learned that God stands at the center of all his creation having created all things to express his infinite goodness and glory and he invites us to behold him, enjoy him and worship him with all our being and all our lives. Well, this week we will look at more than one verse. We will be looking at the seven days of creation. Let’s pray and then read this section.
We are going to dive into the details and the wonder of this chapter in a few minutes but I need to say a few things that I believe will help us greatly in rightly understanding and applying this section. This section of scripture has been controversial for quite a long time. It wasn’t the 19th or 20th century that brought the first challenge to this text. Actually, the claims about cosmology, origins and the nature of existence presented by modern scientists have been around at least as long as the ancient Greek philosophers, the Epicureans in particular. They believed that we are the result of an evolutionary process, being made up of atoms that operate randomly and that life is ultimately meaningless apart from pursuit of true pleasure and avoidance of pain. We see some of this controversy in Acts 17 when Paul preaches to the Epicureans and the Stoics. He boldly proclaims the creation account and God’s sovereign prerogative over mankind. When he gets to the reality of final judgment and the resurrection they mock him. Not unlike today, sadly. There was a time when the assertions of this chapter were more widely embraced in our culture. Then, along came the effects of the enlightenment, that rebirth of the dictum, “man is the measure of all things”, and with it, the theories of Charles Darwin et al. Now, don’t get me wrong, not everything in the modern age is evil. There is much, much good. The problem is the assertion that we can know truth simply on our own by the mere use of our senses and our minds. I don’t think that is true. There are severe limits to our ability to know truth and some very severe biases we must deal with. Post-modernism, the broad-ranging philosophy that more or less says “we can’t know truth so just have a good time” is a healthy corrective to the unwarranted blind and even arrogant optimism of modernism. However, the bible navigates a course between these two perspectives. Our text today presents an alternative to modern philosophies. Because of its stark contrast to modern assumptions it has remained very controversial. If we are not careful we will import modern controversies into this text and not allow it to speak for itself. We are in danger of that at all times –it is called eisegesis versus exegesis. Eis is Greek for into, ex is Greek for out or from. Gesis comes from the same Greek root of the English word seek or lead. Ex for the truth coming out of the text, eis for reading our ideas into the text. It is very easy to slip into eisegesis when reviewing Genesis given modern cosmologies rather than let the word of God have its right authority.
I believe it is because of eisegesis that this passage is
understood in many different ways today.
We will review three current views. First, the Gap Theory courtesy of
Thomas Chalmers asserts that Genesis 1:1 and 2 are eons apart and in verse 2 where
it says the earth “was” formless and empty should actually be “became” formless
and empty, after a long period of order. [1] This
theory grants the extra time modern cosmology requires through this
explanation. Second, there is the
Day-Age Theory that asserts that the days in Genesis 1 are actually epochs of
creation. This also allows for a much
older earth but seems to bring lots of other problems with how we read our
bibles. Third, there is the Literary Day
Theory that says that the days and the whole account are poetic and not be
taken literally in its use of the word “day”.
Again, this allows much room for modern cosmology. These theories all are influenced by the
assumption that the universe and the earth are very old right. Now, it is actually reasonable to assume
this. When we look at the universe it
appears that it is very old. We are
receiving light from stars that would take billions of years to get here. We have minerals that are emitting radiation
at a rate consistent with a 4 billion year old earth. We have geological and natural processes that
appear to have taken millions or billions of years to occur. That is the crux of the matter – the word “appear”. The best we have on our own is merely what
appears to be. This doesn’t mean it is
indeed that way. It is always a problem
to take current phenomena and extrapolate back in time and try to predict how
something happened. Let’s take the wine
Jesus made at
Well, with those assumptions, let’s dig into our text to see what God teaches us. I hope you were paying close attention as we went through this chapter. There is a lot going on. First, in verse 2 we see that the earth is formless and void and darkness is over the face of the deep. The earth has no substantial form, it does not contain anything and all it knows is darkness and an empty abyss of water. Yet, God the Spirit is brooding over this earth, ready to bring form, filling and light. Look at what he does.
He works over six days to create form and fill it and order it. Look at how he does it. Each day follows a similar pattern. First, He speaks, “and God said..”. Isn’t that interesting! The text doesn’t say, “And God did” or “and God made.” It says, “and God said”. This teaches us a lot about God and His ways. First, he is so amazing that merely a word from him is sufficient to make things happen. There is no cosmic struggle common to the pagan cosmologies of the ancient near east. There is God, simply saying. Is your God one who speaks and it happens? Is your God who can with a mere word create the heavens and the earth? Is your God one who can speak a word and in one instance address every question and every need you have? That is the God of Genesis. This is the God of the universe. And we know he has spoken through His Son and now at the speaking of His word, the good news of Jesus the Christ, he creates new life in his chosen people. “And God said”, there is much to marvel at in that.
Next as God creates he actually speaks, “Let there be.. whatever.” Again, a mere phrase and there is. The things that are not are called into being. He creates with a word where there was nothing before. And the things he calls into being are not trivial. We’re talking galaxies here. We’re talking the earth with all its complex and intertwined wonder here. This is the same God, “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." (Romans 4:17, ESV) as Romans 4:17 says. Do you believe your God is like this? Abraham, when God promised him an heir did. David, when promised a son on the throne forever did. The thief on the cross, when promised forgiveness by Jesus did. Do you? Genesis 1 says he is that sort of God.
So he speaks, and next there is, and that’s a mouthful – because what is, is beautiful and marvelous and manifold – but more of that later. Next he names the thing he makes. For instance, he calls the light “day” and the darkness, “night.” He names all he makes. He expresses his creative lordship over these things by naming them, similar to an inventor naming his invention, like Doc Brown’s “flux capacitor” in Back to the Future. God names his creation because he is the Creator and it is his creation. Naming shows that he has prerogative over the created thing – he is its Lord and master. Genesis and the rest of the bible always presents God as the Sovereign. The gods of the day of Moses were not necessarily sovereign and were undependable and locked in conflict with other gods. Not the God of the bible. He creates at a word. He names all he creates and He presides over it all – including mankind. We must never fool ourselves into thinking God is not utterly sovereign over every aspect of our lives. Yes, we are responsible moral agents, making real choices for which we are culpable. But, Genesis 1 and the whole bible teaches us that there is a Sovereign God undeterred in his purposes reigning over it all – by right of creation. He is the inventor, we are his invention. He rules and his reign is glorious and good and perfect.
After he names it says over and over again, “And God saw that it was good.” God took pleasure in his creation. He was satisfied and pleased by what he had made. His creation wasn’t evil or half-baked or some struggle between the ying and the yang. He sees that it is good. What God has made is marvelous and without blemish. The holy perfect God of the universe sees it as good, and you better believe it was. His standard is very high – it is perfection. And he saw that it was good. Each part of creation he makes is good and one part in particular is very good. What is that? Man. Man is very good in God’s site at this point. So, we must also make sure we call good what God has called good. His creation, particularly in its original condition, is good. Food is good. Sunny days are good. The ocean and the beach are good. Homes and land and animals, trees and gardens and herbs, flowers and even rainstorms are all good. Our bodies are good. There is no physical/spiritual duality in the bible. God made the physical universe in all its incredible splendor and saw, God himself saw, that is was good, and in the case of man, it was very good.
The final component of his creating is the pronouncement of the day. After all happens, it says, “and there was evening and there was morning, the second or whatever day.” Some would say this is poetic, for we see that the solar day didn’t start until the fourth day. Yet, there is this pronouncement after each period of creation. Each day is marked with evening and morning, the way the Hebrews counted the days, along with a day number. I think if you study the whole of scripture and let the text speak as it would have been heard by an ancient Israeli you will agree that these are normal days, that is, a 24 hour period like we experience due to the rotation of the earth. It is the simplest and most convincing approach to this text, always a good bet. [2] It is only the modern mind that suggests otherwise. So, God performs all this wonder in the span of 6 days. What a picture of our God. He speaks, it happens, he names, he sees and delights in its goodness. Our God is the marvelous artist and creator and Lord of all things. There is no one like him!
Let’s next get into the specifics of what God makes and the order he uses. The first day he makes what? Light, that’s right. Previously there was no form, no filling and no light. So, on the first day God makes light, not the sun, not the moon, not stars, but light. Photons bouncing around the universe, lighting things up. Light doesn’t come from the sun, it doesn’t come from the moon, it doesn’t come from the stars, it comes from God. He is the giver of light, and in the end Revelation 22 says, “"And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 22:5, ESV) God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Light throughout the bible represents the goodness and character and life of God. So on the first day, God makes light and then separates light from dark, calling one day and the other night. He then sees the light is good. Notice he doesn’t see the dark as good, at least in the same sense as the light. And he separates the two. Over and over again throughout this chapter we see God creating and separating. He makes and he distinguishes and separates. This is a pattern for God throughout the whole bible. This is something the Israelites would have understood. For, God had distinguished them from all the other people of the world, to be his redeemed and treasured possession. He does the same for his people of today. They are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to be a separate people, not isolated and uncaring for our broader community, but separated from the unbiblical aspects of our culture, living as salt and light in the earth as his covenant community. We are not to carelessly dress exactly the same nor speak exactly the same nor see the exact same movies or listen to the exact same songs. We are not to blend into our society in every way. We are to be distinct and separate; not as a strange cultural anomaly but as a people living in the world but not worshipping the same god as the world. Now, there might be much overlap as we enjoy the goodness of God together with our broader community, but, there is to be much difference as well. God would have us be separate from the world. Are you separate from the world? I don’t mean do you wear 1950’s style clothes and only watch Disney movies. I mean, in your heart and practice do you reflect a desire to enjoy God and live for His glory in all things – in clothing choices, in media choices, in job priorities, in financial priorities, in the use of your time, in what truly gets you excited. Are you distinguishable from the world or would it not be easy to tell that there is something different about you – in a good way. God creates life and separates. So it is true for us.
So, the first day he makes light and separates it from darkness. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Next God creates an expanse in the midst of the waters – the water called the ocean by us and the “water” of outer space - this expanse is the sky or the heavens. Notice a pattern here. At first the earth is without form and void. Then God creates forms – that is spaces, containers so to speak. And then he fills the containers. So, on the second day he makes the container called heaven or the sky, evening and morning, the second day.
Next, on the third day, God separates the waters under the heavens. Again, creating and separating and bringing form and later filling the form. So God makes the dry land, and sees it is good. Then he speaks and the earth produces vegetation, each reproducing according to its kind, (not crossing species by the way.) Evening, morning, the third day.
Now, the fourth day, and God starts to fill the forms he has created, lights in the expanse of heaven to separate day and night, to be signs and for seasons, and for days and for years, and to give light on the earth. He makes the sun and the moon to rule over the day and the night. It’s interesting to note that he doesn’t mention the sun and the moon by name. Many commentators think this was to snub the false worship practices of that time where they considered the sun and the moon as actual gods worthy of worship. Here they are created entities made to preside over the day and the night. Notice also that the stars are not given much ink here. It just says, “and the stars.” Again, the stars were worshipped and considered to control the destiny of man. Here they make a mere cameo appearance and there purpose is to mark the seasons and days etc. They mark the passing of time not for their own glory, not to control our destiny but to display the glory of God and to serve us in knowing what time of year it is etc. That is amazing. All this vast creation, billions and billions of light years of expanse, galaxies, nebulae and black holes, matter and anti-matter all to mark the seasons for us and give glory to God. All these things are created with earth at the center. Now I don’t mean to say earth is the geometric and mathematical center of the universe, though it may be. I mean that scripturally, it is the center of God’s creative purposes. He is forming the earth and its environment – this is what he is seeing as good. As the Seraphim say, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the whole earth is full of His glory! Amen. And there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day.
Now, on the fifth day, God continues to fill the forms he has
made. He says, “Let the waters swarm
with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the
expanse of sky. He fills sea and sky
with swarms of living things. This is
amazing. Did you know there are about
230,000 species of sea creatures, with over 15,000 fish species[3]
and 10,000 species of birds in the world?[4] Each one is different from the other, each
one possessing amazing qualities, color, size, shape, habitat and
behavior. We have a fish tank at home
and raise fish called Mbunas from Lake Malawi in
In this text it says he
makes the great sea creatures too. These
sea monsters were worshipped as gods in ancient pagan religion. They were seen as preexisting even their
central deities and thus to be feared.
Here, they are mere creations of the sovereign God. And God says to all these creatures, “be
fruitful and multiply.” They are to fill
the sky and the seas and glorify God.
And God saw it was good. And
there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.
Now, for the sixth day. Here God fills the earth which he has created
with animals, each according to their kind.
There are livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth of all
types, over 50,000 varieties - all filling the earth, each unique and glorious.
And God saw it was good. God goes on to
make man on the sixth day. Now, we are
going to cover more about the creation of man in a couple weeks so we’ll have
more time for this then. Let’s just make
a few observations. Up to now everything
God makes is seen as good. After God makes
man he sees it as very good. You see,
man is the apex of his creation. Man
alone is made in the image of God. Man
is set apart to rule over the domains God has created. Man is to rule over the fish and the birds
and the animals. He is to oversee for
God’s sake this incredible creation. Isn’t
that amazing! God has made you and me to
enjoy creation and to rule over it for his sake. He made it all. He is the inventor of it all. He is the Lord of it all. Yet, he has entrusted to us the domain of the
earth and called us to rule over it in his image, reflecting his glory and
administrating his will. If you are like
me you are seeing a stark contrast here.
We can’t help realize when
reading Genesis 1 just how far off the mark we are. We fall so very far short
of God’s intention for his creation.
Romans 1 says "For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have
been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things
that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God,
they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in
their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise,
they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images
resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave
them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their
bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever! Amen." (Romans 1:20-25, ESV)
Folks, I don’t know about you but I know that my natural
reaction to the glory of God in creation is not to wonder and worship and love
and obey him. My natural reaction is all
too often to exchange the glory of God for images resembling the created
things. I am constantly bent toward
insane idolatry. There is a problem in
creation, and it’s me. We’ll learn more
about how we got here when we get to chapter 3 but we don’t need to be students
of Genesis 3 to know there is a vast contrast between God seeing everything as
good and where we are at. This chapter
is beautiful but it is also so very convicting.
It is kinda like my 16th birthday. When I was 16 my family took me out to brunch
at the Marriot in
Folks, this is the crime of the millennium. We are all guilty of cosmic treason. We all sit in the Marriott Hotel, eating lox and bagels, guilty as charged. Yet he did something so amazing it tops his goodness and greatness in creation. He went even further and sent his son to be a sin offering for you and me. He, God the son, came to live the perfect life of love to the Creator he rightly deserves and then went to the cross to die the death we rightly deserve for our rebellion against God; that the penalty might be paid, that we might be forgiven and that we might enjoy the rest of eternity eating lox and bagels in his presence, loving him, forgiven and living for His glory.
So, if you are not yet a Christian, confess your treason this morning. Turn from your sin and turn to the Savior who died for your sin. Turn away from sin to live for this incredible God who made all things and deserves all our lives. Receive his forgiveness and now enjoy Him and His creation as only is right. If you are a Christian, do the same, turn from your sin to the Savior who died for your sin, receive his forgiveness once again, receive his power to live in this creation with great joy and great devotion to our awesome Creator God.
Let’s pray.