Genesis 1; Psalm 19; Romans 1

The first chapter of Genesis is a spectacular historical treatise on how the universe came into being. The passage introduces the reader to the one true God while demonstrating His power, wisdom, and sovereignty over His creation.

Genesis 1 begins with, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." When God directed Moses to write Genesis, this phrase would have radically opposed popular cultural opinion in the ancient Near East. The ancient creation myths of the day believed in many little "g" gods and a form of evolution. They imagined creation behaving in seasonal cycles, where each season was a new upward evolutionary cycle.

The first line of Genesis debunks ancient evolutionary myths and modern-day versions of evolution by stating the exact point when the universe began. Furthermore, the cause of the beginning is an all-powerful Being, God, who is above all. The Hebrew word for create in verse 1:1 (ba.ra)¹ is solely used with God as the subject. Man can tweak and amplify elements within creation, but only God can genuinely ba.ra (create). Genesis 1 is not just another fanciful creation myth but a historical account of how the material universe came into being.

The first part of verse two has caused much fuss among Bible commentators. It states, "And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep." The Hebrew word for formless (to.hu) denotes formlessness, confusion, and emptiness. The Hebrew word for void (bo.hu) implies emptiness, void, and waste.

Some claim that a perfect God would not have created a formless mass of chaos and darkness. Therefore, they suppose there must be a gap between verses 1 and 2, where the universe fell from perfection into turmoil. Another view attempts to synchronize modern evolutionary beliefs and claims that God directed a type of evolution through billions of years during this period. Both views lack Biblical support and have theological implications contrary to Scripture.

If God had so chosen, He could have instantly created a perfect world, but He did not. Instead, He created the initial ingredients for the universe in a worthless state described as formless and void. Scripture seems to provide at least three reasons why God created the universe in a state of confusion and waste.

First, by starting with just the raw ingredients, God shares with us the process by which He perfects creation. In doing so, God’s creative activity reveals many of His attributes.

Second, the text states that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. The Hebrew word for hovering (ra.chaph) is used elsewhere in Scripture to picture a large bird fluttering over its nest to stir it up (Deut. 32:11). It does not appear that the earth was in a prolonged state of to.hu and bo.hu. Instead, we see the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, immediately at work, manipulating and stirring up the materials.

A third reason is that aspects of the creation process will later correlate to the fallen state of man and God's creative work of salvation in us.

Instead of viewing the state of the earth in Genesis 1:2 as chaos, think of God creating it with an environment lacking intrinsic worth to showcase His power, wisdom, and sovereignty by forming and shaping the raw materials into something He would later declare as "good."

Throughout the six days of creation, we see God masterfully organize and fill His creation.

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In days 1-3, God separates the creation into different environments.

Day 1: God creates light in the material universe and separates it from darkness.

Day 2: God horizontally separates the waters to create an expanse of the heavens (i.e., a place for the stars and planets) from the earthly atmosphere.

Day 3: God vertically separates the waters to create the land and seas.

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On days 4-6, God fills the environments He created in the first three days.

Day 4: God places the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens and assigns the management of light and darkness to those entities.

Day 5: God fills the earthly atmosphere with birds and the seas with fish.

Day 6: God fills the land with animals and man.

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Throughout the stages, a pattern occurs in which God speaks, "Then God said…" and the objects immediately come into existence. This shows God's omnipotent, infinite power. Then God names certain aspects of the new creation, "And God called…" The naming of creation shows God's sovereignty and dominion over it. Furthermore, the ordering and interconnectivity of His creation display God's infinite wisdom and intelligence. The variety of the creatures and objects displays God's aesthetic artistry as a creative genius.

The Hebrew word Elohim (e.lo.him) is repeatedly used for God, occurring 32 times within the 31 verses of Genesis 1. The theme of Genesis 1 is simply one word – God. The act of how God gives creation existence and order throughout chapter 1 begins to provide a definition of who the true God (Elohim) is.

Regarding what the creative work in Genesis 1 tells us about God, Dr. Abner Chou states, "He is in a category all to Himself. He is the ultimate, definitive, singular, exclusive supernatural Being. There is no one like Him. ...There is only one Elohim. He is not just a god among other gods; He is the Supreme One. He is the real God."²

Psalm 19 states, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day and night, they pour forth speech and knowledge. Even though they have no speech or sound, their voice goes out into all the earth, and their words go to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4). In other words, what we observe in creation testifies to a Creator.

Romans 1 states, From the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that man is without excuse (Romans 1:20).

Genesis 1 is the reality and truth of God’s creative work. Allow it to lead us to exaltation and worship of the true Elohim!