v.1—“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This is all that is said about the original creation. God did not put a date on this—it could have been many thousands or many millions of years ago.
v.1—“In the beginning.” The author takes us back into the unfathomable reaches of eternity. He gives no hint of a tangible date for this beginning.
“God created”—Whatever man may say, the Bible says that “God created.”
“The heavens and the earth”—In this phrase the writer includes the completed universe that would become known to man.
Scientists tell us that our galaxy contains more than 100 billion stars, ad that our “sun” is 150 trillion miles from the center of our galaxy.
Our galaxy is one of a small cluster of 19 galaxies, the nearest of which is 30 million light years from us (150 million trillion miles).
Scientists with their telescopes have discovered more than a billion galaxies. They estimate the number of stars in these galaxies as approximately 100 quintillion.
The candle power of one of these galaxies is equal to that of 400 million suns.
These heavenly bodies are hurtling through space at breath-taking speeds, but they are being held in their orbit by God.
One small deviation from their ordained course would cause a major catastrophe.
God created these things—He upholds them—sustains—keeps together.
Wisdom—power—grandeur of God—should produce worship.
This primitive creation, no doubt reflected the perfections of the Creator.
The earth, on the morning of its creation, must have been vastly different from its chaotic state in 1:2.
“And the earth was without form and void” must refer to a condition of the world much later than v1. “BECAME”
Some great catastrophe must have taken place—the fall of Satan.
“I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” 1/3 of stars.
Isaiah 14.
Because of this fall the judgment of God fell on the earth, leaving it in ruins.
So then Gen 1:1 speaks of the original creation.
Gen 1— describes the condition of the earth six days before Adam was created.
Fossils million years old. No humans before Adam.
We have no means of knowing the time element here, but if the estimates of geologists could be conclusively established there would be no conflict between the estimates of science and the teaching of Scripture.
All that took place from v.3 onward transpired approximately six thousand years ago.
Exodus 20:11—“In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.”
There is a great difference between “creating” and “making.”
To “create” is to call something out of nothing.
To “make” is to form something out of materials already existing.
A carpenter can “make” a chair out of wood, but is unable to “create” the wood itself.
“In the beginning (whenever that was) God ‘created’ the heavens and the earth.” V.1—the original creation.
Subsequently, after the primitive creation had become a ruin, “the Lord ‘made’ heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.”
This Exodus scripture settles the controversy which has been raised as to what kind of days are meant in Genesis 1. Some say that these days are protracted periods of time, others believe them to be days of 24 hours.
Moses says “In six days” (literal days of 24 hours) the Lord complete the work of restoring and refashioning that which some terrible catastrophe had blasted and plunged into chaos.
What follows in Gen 1 is a literal, historical statement of Divine revelation.
Out of the chaos was brought the “cosmos” which signifies order, arrangement, beauty.
Let us now turn from the literal meaning of these verses and dwell on “the typical significance.”
The order followed by God in reconstructing the “old creation” is identical to that in connection with the “new creation.” 2 Corinthians 4—6.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The original earth coming fresh from the hand of God was perfect in every respect.
There was nothing in the universe to mar the song of “the morning stars.”
No iniquitous rebel was there to challenge the supremacy of God.
God reigned supreme, without rival, and everything was very good.
In the beginning of this world’s history God created man.
He was vastly different in his original state from that into which he subsequently fell.
God made man in His image and likeness.
Provided him in a small garden of delights.
Placed him in a small garden of delights.
Gave him dominion over the lower creation.
He was blessed by God ad God pronounced it “very good.”
“And the earth became/was without form and void; and darkness was upn the face of the deep.”
Some fearful catastrophe must have occurred to cause this.
Sin blasted God’s fair creation.
That which was very good became very evil.
That which was perfect in the beginning became a ruin.
This is profoundly mysterious and unspeakably tragic.
No less tragic was that which befell the first man.
Like the original earth before him, Adam did not remain in his primitive state.
A dreadful catastrophe occurred—See Gen 3.
He rebelled against His Maker—he ate the forbidden fruit.
The consequences which followed were terrible.
A curse descended where there had been blessing.
Into a scene of life and joy came death and sorrow.
Man was separated from God, buried so to speak in the “deep.”
Here there is the key to human destiny.
Here is the cause of all the suffering and sorrow in the world.
Herein lies the explanation of the total depravity of man.
In eating of the forbidden fruit man died spiritually—he was separated from God—He is a fallen creature.
He is born into the world with a heart that is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”
This is the heritage of “The Fall”—Man is a ruined creature and is in moral and spiritual darkness.
“And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
God did not abandon the primitive earth, which had become a ruin.
He had gracious designs toward that formless void.
He purposed to resurrect it and restore it.
The first thing that we read of in the process was that “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”—v.2.
The earth could not resurrect itself—there had to be “Divine activity.”
“The Spirit of God moved.”
The picture here is of a mother bird brooding over its eggs prior to hatching.
The Spirit of God worked upon the discordant and chaotic state and prepared it for the “new creation.”
The analogy holds good in the spiritual realm.
Fallen and ruined man cannot help himself—he is dead as far as God is concerned.
But from this ruined and lost creation God purposes to bring forth a new creation.
The first cause to bring about this is the working of the Holy Spirit.
If salvation must come for a poor ruined sinner then it must come from God—John 16:8.