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Genesis 1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” - Genesis‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NASB‬‬

  1. “In the beginning…”
    1. Filter: The beginning of what?
    2. Bible:  
      1. Holman Old Testament Commentary
        1. the beginning of the universe not of all things, since God is eternal (John 1:1; Eph. 1:4; Col 1:15-17)
          1. John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
            1. Barnes’ notes on the Bible
              1. The “Word” - ‘Logos’     
                1. A “word” is that by which we communicate our will
                2. The Son of God may be called ‘The word’ because he is the medium by which God promulgates His will.
            2. Logos is a thought that becomes an action.  Jesus is the personification of this with God.
            3. This verse shows that God was before the beginning (and so was Jesus) so this cannot be the beginning of God.
          2. Ephesians 1:4 - just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
          3. Colossians 1:15-17 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
      2. Kidner classic commentaries.
        1. The variations on this theme in Isaiah 40ff. show that the beginning is pregnant with the end, and the whole process present to God who is First and Last (e.g. Isa. 46:10; 48:12) 
          1. Isaiah 46:10 - Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
          2. Isaiah 48:12 - “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
      3. Beginning of our personal story - between us and God.  
        1. It shows our origin 
          1. Genesis 1:27 - “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
        2. It shows how we were separated from God
          1. Genesis 3:8  - “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
        3. It shows what He did to bring us back
          1. John 19:30 - “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
        4. It shows what we need to do to get back
          1. Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
        5. It shows the end of the story
          1. Revelation‬ ‭14:14-20‬
            1. “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.”
            2. Matthew 25:46 - “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
          2. When does the story end?  When it is over.
            1. 2 Peter 3:9 - “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
            2. Matthew 24:36 - ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
“In the Beginning God…” - Genesis 1:1


  1.  Who is God?
    1. How do YOU explain God?
    2. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary
      1. God: The eternally perfect uncreated Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things who is one in essence but exists in three coequal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). God exists before time and will exist beyond time. He sits outside of the confines of our finite humanity. He is the great “I AM,” dependent upon no one. Within him lies all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. His multiplicity of attributes comprise a sovereign and supreme being exhibiting an array of emotion, power, authority, and gentleness unlike any other. The many declarations in Scripture that God exists as a triune being have made the doctrine of the Trinity a central tenet of true, biblical faith.
  2. Genesis 1:1 
    1. “In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”
    2. Notice that God is not introduced or explained  - he is assumed.
      1. Romans 1:20 - For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
      2. Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
      3. Moses expected us to know instinctively who God is.  We all have an internal knowledge that there is a God (even though some deny it).  This is why so many cultures have developed Gods to serve.
    3. We learn that this God (that we are connected to) is creating this story (of which this is the beginning).
      1. The story of how God thought about you, created you, lost you, and fought to get you back. 
      2. The part of the story that shows our separation from God shows us two things
        1. Man’s separation from God made it hard for man to understand God, even though man has been seeking Him.  This is why so many cultures have “gods” to fill this gap.
        2. God has been trying to reveal himself to man - through the barriers set up by sin - that is why we have the Bible and why Jesus came personally.
    4. God uses “progressive revelation” through history and stories to reveal himself to us.
    5. So - what do we learn from Genesis 1:1?
      1. God wrote the story
      2. God is a creator
      3. God created so a world where we could be with Him
    6. But one more important thing we learn from this verse:  God is complicated.
      1. The word ‘God” is actually germanic and it means “Good”.  
        1. It doesn’t even come close to explaining God.
      2. The word in Hebrew is “Elohim”.  
        1. Here is where it gets crazy.
        2. Elohim (gods) is plural for El (God).
          1. So it looks like this says “In the beginning the gods created the heavens and the earth.” - unless you speak Hebrew.
            1. The word is plural, but the tense is singular, meaning that even though the word is gods it means God.
            2. This could be:
              1. A royal “we” such as when Queen Elizabeth said “WE are not amused” (meaning herself).
              2. A poetical way of saying the “God of gods” - The highest of all that can be called God (as the Jewish people take it).
              3. The trinity (as the Christians see it).
            3. However you take it - the Hebrew is clear that this is ONE God - even if He takes many forms.
  3. Progressive Revelation of the Trinity
    1. In the old testament, we see God in three forms, but they are not really seen as separate parts of God.
    2. In the new testament, we see God in three forms, that are identified in separate parts of the same God.
    3. Trinity
      1. Old testament
        1. God - The one that created everything and controls everything.
          1. Jeremiah 32:17 - ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,
        2. Spirit/ Shekinah - 
          1. Exodus 40:35 - Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
          2. Spirit = Spirit, breath, or wind
            1. Whenever you see God using one of these, it is the “Shekinah” or spirit of God moving.  
            2. We see this in the cloud that led the people in the desert and the wind that parted the Red Sea.
            3. It is also the breath of life that we each have inside us.
        3. Physical form
          1. Genesis 32:24 - Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
          2. Any time that you see a physical form, such as when God walked in the garden and when Moses spoke “face to face” with God.
        4. These were not meant to be different Gods, but different aspects of the same God.
      2. New testament
        1. God the Father
          1. John 4:23 - But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
          2. Similar to the view of the old testament - except He now is identified as our “Father”.  Much more personal.
            1. Jesus used the word Abba - or “daddy”
            2. Matthew 6:9 - “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
        2. God the son / physical representation of God.
          1. This is of course Jesus
            1. John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 
        3. God the spirit
          1. John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
      3. Pictured together
        1. Matthew 3:16-17 - After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
        2. Revelation 1:4-5 - John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 
  4. How I picture this
    1. A father (God) and the baby (Me)
      1. The baby takes some poison (sin), so it will die if it breathes the same air as the father - so it is put into a bubble that has medicine pumped into the air (the spirit).
      2. The baby does not know what is going on and can’t understand the father, but the father does everything he can to comfort the son - drawing pictures and putting them next to the bubble for the baby to see. (the Bible).
      3. The father is allowed to enter the bubble only once to comfort the baby, but he has to put on a special suit (Jesus).
    2. Not a perfect example, but it reminds me of what God is trying to say to me.
      1. If you were the father in this situation and you had only a short amount of time to speak to the baby, what would you say?
        1. Would you give him a bunch of rules (clean your room and wash your toes) or would you blame the child (I told you not to eat that fruit)?  
        2. Probably not - you would spend the time comforting the child and helping him see what he needs to do to be saved (“It’s going to be alright.  I am working on this.  You just need to focus on the medicine and wait for me).
      2. This is how my filter sees God.
  5. Final thought
    1. Video: My king by S.M. Lockridge
      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trPPAcvK8_8
    2. You are on an epic journey to find your Father - He loves you and is looking for you.  The Bible will help you.  Your church and Christian friends will help you.  But it is up to you to make the journey.
Genesis 1:1 
God Creates
  1. What do we learn about God that He “created”?
    1. God creates.
      1. “It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”  - GK Chesterton - Orthodoxy
    2. Man creates because of God’s spirit in Him
      1. Genesis 1:27 - “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
      2. “When you painted on earth – at least in your earlier days – it was because you caught glimpses of heaven in the earthly landscape. The success of your painting was that it enabled others to see the glimpses too.”  ― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
      3. King David wrote songs
        1. Psalm 33:3 - Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
      4. Bezalel and Oholiab
        1. Exodus 31:1-6 -  Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.  I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
  2. What else do we learn about God as creator?
    1. God creates differently than we do.
      1. The term ‘created’ is a Hebrew verb that always has God as its subject - (Holman Old Testament Commentary)
        1. John 1:3 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 
        2. Romans 4:17 - (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
        3. Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 
      2. Three theories of God’s creation
        1. EX MATERIA - out of already made stuff
          1. Theory is that God either created new stuff out of things he had found lying around 
          2. or he “repurposed” things.
            1. This would mean that he created things by giving them a new purpose.  For example, he already had light, but he now gave it the purpose of showing those things that were His vs those things that were not His.
            2. Genesis 1:5 - God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
          3. This is the theory that is used by those that believe that God used Evolution and the Big Bang to create the world.  
            1. The idea is that He took billions of years to create everything, but used six days to “repurpose” creation to His plan.
          4. The NIV Application Commentary argues this by saying:
            1. The verb [created] occurs forty-eight times in the Old Testament and has some curious features worth noting. 
              1. (1) It takes only God as its subject and therefore must be identified as a characteristically divine activity.  
              2. (2)… something is brought into existence, but rarely does the statement concern the issue of physical matter… The essence of [create] concerns bringing heaven and earth into existence and focuses on operation through organization and assignment of roles and functions… one can create a piece of art, but that expression does not suggest manufacture of the canvas or paint… 
              3. Perhaps an English verb that captures this idea less ambiguously is “to design”… 
              4. Here in Genesis, Israel’s God also demonstrates his power by the assigning of roles and functions.  This is an affirmation of his exclusive sovereignty. 
        2. EX NIHILO - out of Nothing
          1. This is the traditional Christian View.
          2.  God spoke and it was.
            1. Genesis 1:3 - Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
      3. EX SUBSTANTIA - Out of Himself
        1. The idea that God created everything out of a part of Himself (such as His spirit)
          1. Genesis 2:7 - Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
        2. (the big problem with this thought is that this would make God and creation the same essence - which it cannot be since creation decays and dies without God’s presence - it does not disappear).
      4. My response to these arguments:  I don’t know how an airplane is made, I just know it flies.  I don’t know how God made me, I just know I am here and I trust Him.
  3. What do we learn about what God created?
    1. He created the Heavens (plural)
      1. The heavens and the earth’ is a figure of speech that describes the totality of creation…. 
        1. The Hebrew word for ‘heavens’ is plural and is used here to describe everything that is above the surface of the earth.  
        2. Later, “heavens” will refer to the home of the sun, moon, and stars, or the universe,
          1. Psalm 19:1 -  The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
        3. the home of the birds and the clouds, or the atmosphere 
          1. Daniel 4:12 - ‘Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant,  And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it.
        4.  Finally, in 2 Corinthians 12:2 “heaven” will refer to the home of the angels and departed saints. - (Holman Old Testament Commentary)
          1. 2 Corinthians 12:2 - I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
  4. So the breakdown of the first verse
    1. The God of the universe, who created everything, desired to be with you and me and created a place for us to be together and this begins the story of how we were made, lost, and redeemed to be with our Father.


September 30
​Genesis 1:2 - Chaos

  1. Context
    1. God is telling our story - How he thought of us and created a place for us to be with Him.  
  2. Genesis 1:2 - The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
  3. The earth 
    1. Before God could bring us into the story - He needed to prepare a place for us.
      1. Jesus took this idea into a New Beginning
        1. John 14:3 -  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
        2. Revelation 21:1 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
          1. Why No sea?  This takes us back to Genesis 1:2
  4. Formless and Void
    1. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
      1. Without form, and void.—Literally, tohu and bohu, which words are both substantives, and signify wasteness and emptiness. The similarity of their forms, joined with the harshness of their sound, made them pass almost into a proverb for everything that was dreary and desolate 
    2. Formless and Void
      1. Day 1-3 - God forms the world
      2. Day 4-6 - God fills the void
    3. Chaos
      1. A place that was not hospitable for mankind.
      2. Jewish thought pictured chaos as the Ocean during a hurricane storm.
        1. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 
          1. The deep.—Tĕhôm. This word, from a root signifying confusion or disturbance, is poetically applied to the ocean, as in Psalm 42:7, 
            1. Psalm 42:7 - Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 
          2. from the restless motion of its waves, but is used here to describe the chaos as a surging mass of shapeless matter.
    4. God’s spirit
      1.  Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
        1. The Spirit of God.—Heb., a wind of God, i.e., a mighty wind, as rendered by the Targum and most Jewish interpreters.  So the wind of Jehovah makes the grass wither (Isaiah 40:7);
          1. Isaiah 40:7 - The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;  Surely the people are grass.
        2. and so God makes the winds His messengers (Psalm 104:4).
          1. Psalm 104:4 - He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.
      2. We see God’s spirit moving as a wind in several other places
        1. Genesis 8:1 - But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
        2. Exodus 14:21 - Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.
      3. Moved.—Heb., fluttered lovingly. (See Deuteronomy 32:11.) 
        1. Deuteronomy 32:11 - “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.
      4. Jesus gives us a physical version of this verse
        1. Matthew 14:24-28 -  But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
    5. Peace
      1. The surface of the waters after God arrived - was pictured as a calm lake.
        1.  NET Bible notes
          1. The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life-giving water and not the chaotic abyss-like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness—in short, that which is not good for life.
      2. The image we are given is that God brings peace and life where He is at.
        1. When God moves his spirit, Chaos returns
          1. Flood - 
            1. Genesis 6:6 - The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved [e]in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the [f]sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”
            2. Revelation 6:14 - The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
    6. Personal Peace
      1. Tohu and Bohu - can also mean empty and confused
        1.  This became a picture of a life filled with sin and in rebellion to God.
          1. Ephesians 4:14 - As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
          2. When we are with God, we have peace.
            1. John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
            2. Jesus is the prince of peace
            3. He rules from Zion - the city of peace
            4. He offers us peace
        2. The point is that without Christ, there is no peace
          1. If you are living outside of peace, there is a reason
            1. Maybe you are living in sin - and this disrupts your peace.
            2. Maybe God is trying to move you - so he disrupts your peace so that you wake up and move to where he is.
          2. NOTE:  Seeking peace is not the same as seeking happiness (our culture is about happiness, God is about peace).
            1. You will never find happiness without peace and you will not find peace without Christ.
    7. Point - in the storms of your life - don’t try to control the chaos - look for where God is hovering and go there.
      1. This means you need to know where to go
        1. 3 legged stool
          1. Prayer and meditation
          2. Eat scripture
          3. Surround yourself with good people (the church)