THE FIRST MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2And the earth was formless
and empty; and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved
upon the surface of the waters. (Gen. 1:1‐2)

A note on the Scripture text that accompanies each individual message: The American Standard
Version and the New International Version, along with the original Greek and Hebrew, have been used
in an effort to achieve the greatest degree of accuracy and clarity. Where words or phrases have
been added to the original text in an effort to better express the meaning, those words or phrases
have usually been indicated by means of [brackets].

Introduction

Many years ago the brilliant scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, made a working model of
the solar system. At the center of his model was a large golden ball representing the
sun. Revolving around it were the planets, represented by smaller spheres attached
to the ends of rods of varying lengths.

One day a friend who did not accept the biblical account of creation stopped by to
visit Newton. When he came into Newton’s study and saw the working model of the
solar system, he exclaimed, “What an exquisite thing! Who made it?”

“No one,” replied Newton.

“No one?” the man responded with a look of unbelief and skepticism.

“That’s right,” continued Newton, “these various sized spheres and rods and gears
just happened to come together and form this intricate working model.”

Newton’s friend got the message: if this little table model bore silent testimony to its
creator, how much more do the heavens declare the glory of God their Creator!

Sinful man willfully ignores the fact that the Lord our God is the Creator of the world
and all things in it:

… the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 19God’s wrath
is being revealed because that which is known about God is evident to men; for God
made it evident to them. 20Since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of
God, namely, his everlasting power and divinity, have been clearly seen, being
perceived through the things that have been made. So men are without excuse;
21because, knowing God, they did not glorify him as God, neither did they give

thanks; rather, they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was
darkened. … 25they exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and
 served the creation rather than the Creator, who is forever blessed. Amen. (Rom.
1:18‐21,25)

The first sentence of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible sets before us the
truth about God as the Creator of the world and all that it contains in
contradistinction to the false views held by sinful man. We must acknowledge the
fact that the Lord our God is the Creator of all things and we must refrain from
entertaining any unbiblical and ungodly views of the world.

I. God is the Sovereign Creator (Genesis 1:1)

In the beginning…

The very first words of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth,” teach the absolute beginning of all things (space, time, energy,
matter). … at a particular point in eternity, the immortal God brought everything
into existence out of nothing.1

On May 29, 1919, Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity was validated. On
that day, on the island of Principe off the coast of West Africa and at Sobral in
Brazil, photos were taken of a solar eclipse; those photos confirmed the truth of
Einstein’s theory. Einstein immediately recognized the implications of his theory
and looked for a way to avoid those implications. In an effort to do so, he
arbitrarily introduced into his theory something called “the cosmological
constant.”

But in the years to come, the brilliant astronomer, Edwin Hubble, demonstrated
that Einstein’s original theory of general relativity was correct without the
added “cosmological constant.”

What did Einstein’s theory demonstrate? What was the implication/conclusion

he was seeking to avoid?

Einstein’s equations of general relativity revealed that the universe is

simultaneously expanding and decelerating. This aspect of his theory implied
that the universe began this expansion at a specific time in the distant past.
Einstein immediately realized the theological implication: a beginning requires a
Creator. To avoid the conclusion, he arbitrarily introduced his infamous
“cosmological constant,” which forced his equations to predict an infinite and
static universe.

But Edwin Hubble showed Einstein that the galaxies were, indeed, moving away
from us and the farther you looked the faster those distant galaxies were

1 Kelly, Douglas, Creation and Change, Focus Publications, Ross‐shire, Great Britain, published in 1997, reprinted in 1999; p.
57.
 receding. This evidence proved to Einstein that the universe is, indeed,
expanding and that his original equations were correct, without the
“cosmological constant.” Einstein came to admit that there is, in his words, “a
superior reasoning Power behind it all.”

Based on this theory of relativity, which is now extremely well proven, Steven
Hawking and Roger Penrose developed the space‐time theorem of general
relativity. This theorem establishes that not only were matter, energy, and space
created, but time was created as well.

…God created…

The verb ar2B2! … in the Hebrew Qal tense … always means "to create," and is only
applied to a divine creation, the production of something that had no existence
before.2 In this initial act of creation God brought into existence the very
materials He would fashion and form in the subsequent acts of creation. As St.
Augustine wrote in his Confessions (XIII. 33),

…you created them from nothing, not from your own substance or from some
matter not created by yourself or already in existence, but from matter that
you created at one and the same time as the things that you made from it, …3

Consider the testimony of Revelation 4:11,

You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and to
exercise the power; for you did create all things, and because of your will they
were brought into being, indeed, they were created. (Rev. 4:11)

The Hebrew verb ar2B21 occurring in the Qal tense is used only of God in the
Scriptures, and implies absolute creation, (creation without the use of pre‐
existing material). This concept is utterly different from ancient pagan creation
stories, such as the Babylonian Enuma Elish or the Greek poem on origins by
Hesiod, Theogony. ... these ancient accounts picture a god working on some sort
of already existing primeval “stuff.”4

He that did the creative work is said to be God, myh3loa6. This Hebrew name is to
be derived from a root ... meaning “to fear” or “to reverence.” It, therefore,
conceives of God as the one who by His nature and His works rouses man’s fear
and reverence … The work recorded in chapter one of Genesis in a very
outstanding way sets forth God’s mighty works of power and majesty. God’s

2 Keil, C.F. & F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, The Pentateuch, Vol.1, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publish. Co.,
Grand Rapids MI, reprinted in 1971; p. 47.
3 D. Kelly, p. 58.
4 D. Kelly, p. 66.
 omnipotence outshines all other attributes in this account. Ominpotence rouses
man’s reverence and holy fear … .5 Note the commentary of the divinely inspired
Psalmist as recorded in Psalm 33:6,8‐9,

By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and the starry host by the
breath of his mouth. …8Let all the earth fear Jehovah; let all the inhabitants of
the world stand in awe of him; 9for he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded,
and it stood firm. (Psl. 33:6,8‐9)

…the heavens and the earth.

The Hebrew phrase translated, “the heavens and the earth,” consistently refers to
the totality of the physical universe: all of the matter and energy and whatever
else it contains.6 The statement, “God created the heavens and the earth,” also
includes the creation of all the spiritual beings as well as the entire physical
realm.

In Colossians 1:16 the apostle Paul declares, “by him [Christ] were all things
created, in the heavens and upon the earth.” He goes on to define the things of the
earth as “things that are visible” and the things in the heavens as “things that are
invisible.” Among the “things that are invisible” Paul lists “thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers.” He concludes by stating, “all things have been created
through him [Christ,] and for him.”

II. The Creation is God’s Majestic Handiwork (Genesis 1:2)

God the Creator as Master Workman

In Genesis one God reveals Himself as the Master Workman (note Job 38:1‐7 and
Proverbs 8:22‐31, printed below) who carries out His awesome work of creation
in the course of a six‐day workweek that culminates in a Sabbath rest on the
seventh day.

Then Jehovah answered Job out of the tempest. He said, …4Where were you when
I laid the earth’s foundation? …. 5Who marked off its dimensions … ? Who
stretched a measuring line across it? 6… or who laid its cornerstone—7while the
morning stars sang together and all the sons of God sang for joy? (Job 38:1‐7)

Jehovah possessed me at the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.
…29…when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30At that time I was with
him, a master craftsman … (Pro. 8:22‐31) Note: In this passage divine wisdom,

5 Leupold, H.C., Exposition of Genesis, Vol.1, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1942; p. 40.
6 Ross, Hugh, The Genesis Question, NAVPRESS, Colorado Springs, CO, Second Edition, 2001; p. 18.
 which may be a poetic manifestation of the pre‐incarnate Christ, is giving its
testimony.

The Perspective of Genesis 1:2

And the earth was formless and empty; and darkness was over the surface of the
deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the surface of the waters. (Gen 1:2)

It is important, here, to recall three things. First, the Genesis account of creation
was recorded by Moses about 3500 years ago and was intended to communicate
to as many people—ancients through moderns—as possible; thus, the creation
events necessarily are described in the simplest possible terms. Second, the
apparent purpose of the account is to document various demonstrations of God’s
miraculous power in forming the Earth and life upon it. Therefore, with obvious
necessity, the account is selective. Only brief sequences in the development of
the planet and its life forms are given. In fact, only the twelve most stunning
miracles God performed in shaping the Earth and life are described. Third, the
point of view, or frame of reference, of the Genesis creation account is established
in Genesis 1:2 as “the surface of the deep … over the waters.” In other words, the
events of creation are being described from the perspective of an observer on the
surface of the ocean, which at that time covered the entire Earth, and below the
cloud layers.7

We may say that God is not describing His work of creation to us from His divine
perspective, looking down on the creation; rather, He is describing His work to us
from our earthly perspective, as though He were standing beside us upon the
earth describing His works to us. Note, also, that from Genesis 1:2 and following,
the focus of the creation account is on planet Earth, the rest of the universe is only
referred to incidentally (cp. 1:16c)

The Initial Condition of the Earth

In Genesis 1:2 the initial condition of the earth is described as being “formless and
empty” (W3hBow WhTo). WhTo originally means "unformedness" and so can come to
mean "a waste," or, "wasteland," only in the sense of being not yet put into shape,
not in the sense of having been laid waste by some catastrophe … . WhBo is derived
from a root meaning “to be empty,” therefore, “emptiness.” Both terms together
then indicate two directions in regard to which the newly created world will
undergo further changes. First, the earth must be shaped and formed into definite
molds; secondly, it must be peopled (or populated) with all kinds of inhabitants
or beings.8

7 Ross, Hugh, Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective, Reasons to Believe, Pasadena, CA, Revised Edition, 1983; p.p. 3‐4.
8 H.C. Leupold, pp. 46‐47.
 The next sentence, "and darkness was upon the surface of the deep," indicates the
last two ... incompletenesses characteristic of this newly formed earth. All of what
had thus far come into being was wrapped in complete and absolute darkness.
This is the first "incompleteness."9 The theory and observations both confirm that
all planets start with opaque atmospheres, (atmospheres that are dense and do
not allow light to pass through them to the planet). Thick layers of ... gases, ...
combined with a dense shroud of interplanetary dust and debris, guarantees that
no sunlight (or starlight) can reach the surface of a primordial planet such as
early Earth … .10

The second "incompleteness" … is that what lay under the darkness was "the
deep." Since "deep" (mwhoT5) , coming from the root word meaning “to resound,”
signifies the surging, raging primeval waters, the term implies anything but a
monotonous peace and uniformity.11

Conclusion

The opening verse of the Bible introduces us to God as the Creator of all things.
Genesis 1:2 describes for us the earth, which will be the focal point of the Genesis
account, in its original state at the time of its creation. The following verses of
Genesis one will describe the mighty acts of God as He fashioned the earth into the
final form for which He intended it, and populated it with a miriad of animals and
finally, man, the crown of God's creation. In the next lesson we will consider the six
days of creation up to the creation of man. (The creation of man and the culmination
of God's creative work will be the subject of the following lesson.)

9 H.C. Leupold, p. 47.

10 H. Ross, The Genesis Question, pp. 24‐25.
11 H.C. Leupold, p. 47.