Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
This “… gives us a satisfying and useful account of the origin of the earth and the heavens. The faith of humble Christians understands this better than the fancy of the most learned men. From what we see of heaven and earth, we learn the power of the great Creator. And let our make and place as men, remind us of our duty as Christians, always to keep heaven in our eye, and the earth under our feet. The Son of God, one with the Father, was with him when he made the world; nay, we are often told that the world was made by him, and nothing was made without him. Oh, what high thoughts should there be in our minds, of that great God whom we worship, and of that great Mediator in whose name we pray!” (Matthew Henry)
He created “ all the orbs which revolve and shine in the expanse of heaven, measuring time by days, and years, and periods. By consequence, the sublime system of nature is not eternal. If matter were eternal, then the... Elohim..., the Godhead or Divinity who acts here, is also material, dependent on matter, and a necessary agent. The perfections of wisdom, goodness and love, can no longer be attributed to him." (Joseph Sutcliffe)
The earth, “…when first called into existence, was without form and void: confusion and emptiness, as the same original words are rendered, Isaiah 34:11. It was without order, beauty, or even use, in its present state, and was surrounded on all sides with thick darkness, through the gloom of which there was not one ray of light to penetrate not even so much as to render the darkness visible.” (Joseph Benson)
Genesis 1:3 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
“And here, at the beginning of the sacred volume, we read of that Divine Spirit, whose work upon the heart of man is so often mentioned in other parts of the Bible.” (Matthew Henry)
Excerpt And The Spirit Of God Moved Upon The Face Of The Waters by Wayne Simpson
"I have often said that learning to read the Bible in Hebrew is like being able to read in three dimensions when you could only read in two dimensions before. Nothing illustrates that more than the material in this article. For years I read the second verse of the book of Genesis in English without ever understanding the most remarkable subtlety hidden there. Oh, I noticed the language and I thought it was a little odd to say: And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:2)
How strange it seemed to say God moved. How did he move? Did He walk, or swim? Did He sort of float in the air? In what way did He move, and why is that significant? Now, this wasn't what you would call a burning question - only a curiosity. I would pause and think about the distinctive choice of words, but I would quickly move on to more pressing issues. Only after I learned to read in Hebrew did the marvelous meaning of that word moved come through.
I actually stumbled across the meaning in a commentary once, where it was rendered as brooded. But, it still did not register because for me to brood usually meant to worry or fret. That made no sense at all. Why would the Creator worry over the face of the waters.
Later, when I delved into the meaning of the Hebrew word for moved, m'rahaphet, I learned that it means to flutter or shake. I discovered the word is also used in Deuteronomy 32:11 where the context is very clear. As the eagle stirs up her nest, flutters (m'rahaphet) over her young, spreads abroad her wings... Suddenly the meaning became clear for me. It was as if a 1000 watt light bulb was being turned on in my head. I knew I had witnessed that very thing many times. Many years ago we had a flock of ducks in our back yard. There was a pond and we enjoyed having the ducks around. They were relaxing and entertaining to watch. It was especially interesting in the spring when the hens started to nest.
They were a domestic mallard mix. They looked like mallards except the shape of their heads. The drakes had the bright colors but the hens were just a mottled brownish color. Her markings made it easy to be virtually invisible when nesting. She had a proclivity for sitting absolutely motionless on the nest, settled in and flattened out, with their head withdrawn and lying flat into their breast feathers so as not to present a typical duck profile. You could absolutely look directly at her and not see her unless you were really paying close attention. I have nearly stepped on a nesting hen many times because I didn't know she was there.
Though normally shy and skittish and unwilling to get too close, during nesting season she seemed to have nerves of steel. She wouldn't twitch or budge even when in danger, for fear of giving away the location of the nest. Only when the threat was sure and imminent, or when she was being harassed for her eggs would she abandon her nest...
When a hen began to set it was remarkable to see her on the nest, keeping her silent vigil for days and weeks, not moving a muscle. Only rarely would you notice her leave for a few minutes to eat or drink. She would masterfully cover the nest with leaves and grass to make it virtually invisible and to keep it warm in her brief absence. But soon she would be back for the next shift.
Incubation time was about a month. I never counted the days - I just waited to be surprised. Finally after days on end something seemed different. As I made the morning rounds, she no longer was snuggled down quietly in the nest. Something was changed about her posture. She now seemed to be sitting higher in the nest, almost hovering over it. Her head, no more hidden, was raised erect with pride, her wings slightly spread to cover more of the nest than before. As I look more closely, I could begin to see tiny pairs of inquisitive coal black eyes peering out curiously at me from beneath her wings, punctuated here and there by a small yellow and black bill. It was clear that the eggs were beginning to hatch.
She stayed in that posture for the next few hours or perhaps into the next day, until all the eggs hatched and the whole troop marched ceremoniously for the nearest water like so many tin soldiers. She would strut with pride having successfully accomplished the very purpose of her existence, obviously now aware of her changing role as teacher and protector. But during the time she waited patiently over the nest, waiting for all the eggs to be hatched, a careful observer would notice something - something very subtle. As she held her slightly outstretched wings over the new brood, she would tremble or flutter ever so slightly (m'rahaphet), just like that eagle in Deuteronomy. Bird experts say this careful motion is intended to stir the air and keep the temperature just right for the new ducklings. Those precision movements reflect the meticulous focus and care that she now lavishes on the tiny downy creatures.
It was exactly this scene that is described in the very first verse of Genesis, when the Spirit of God brooded or fluttered over the face of the waters. What a magnificent metaphor this is for the meticulous planning, the tireless effort, the care, and the love that was exhibited at that moment. In taking that very first step to prepare the earth as a sort of nest for His own children, He made it into the ideal place for man to begin the adventure of life, to live out his collective human existence, to learn the lessons of history, and to grow into maturity and wisdom, until finally a time comes when has taken on the character of his Parent, and the whole earth can be united in peace and harmony in the messianic kingdom. We have cause for optimism about the destiny of man. God will not let us fail. Though we may have many bitter lessons to learn, He has great things in mind for man in the future. With that kind of resource behind us, how can we fail?" (wayne Simpson)
“In like manner the work of grace in the soul is a new creation: and in a graceless soul, one that is not born again, there is disorder, confusion, and every evil work: it is empty of all good, for it is without God; it is dark, it is darkness itself: this is our condition by nature, till Almighty grace works a change in us.” (Matthew Henry)
Genesis 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
“And God said… Observe here that the spoken Word is the only means employed throughout the six days’ Creation, cf. Psalm 33:6; Psalm 33:9, ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.… For he spake, and it was done: he commanded, and it stood fast.’ Creation by a word combines the idea of perfect facility with that of absolute power.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
Excerpts from Lessons on Faith by A. T. Jones
…For he spake, and it was. Before He spoke, it was not; after He spoke, "it was." Only by speaking, it was. What caused it to be? The word only.
But darkness was upon all the face of the deep. God wished light to be there, but how could there be light when all was darkness? Again He spoke. "And God said, Let there be light; and there was light." Whence came the light? The word which was spoken, itself produced the light. "The entrance of thy words giveth light."( Ps. 119:130)
There was no firmament, atmosphere. God wished that there should be a firmament. How could it be produced? "God said, Let there be a firmament . . . and it was so." Another translation for "it was so" is, "And thus it came to pass." What caused the firmament to be? What caused this thus to come to pass? The word only. He spoke, and it was so. The word spoken, itself caused the thing to exist.
God next desired that there should be dry land. How could this be? Again He spoke. "God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear; and it was so."
Then there was no vegetation. Whence should this come? Again God spoke. "And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth, and it was so."
Again He spoke. "And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of heaven . . . and it was so."
Again He spoke. "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature . . . and it was so."
Thus it was that "by the word of the Lord" all things were created. He spoke the word only, and it was so. The word spoken, itself produced the thing.
Thus it was in creation...
[AND THUS IT WAS WHEN CHRIST CAME IN THE FLESH]. He healed the sick; He cast out devils; He stilled the tempest; He cleansed the lepers; He raised the dead; He forgave sins--all by His word. In all this, also, "He spake and it was." And so He is the same yesterday and today and forever. Always He is the Creator. And always He does all things by His word only. And always He can do all things by His word, because it is the very characteristic of the word of God that it is possessed of the divine power by which itself accomplishes the thing which is spoken….
Matt 8:23-27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor 4:5-6)