Genesis 1:1–3 (KJV)
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. 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. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
God is Light, and He dwells in unapproachable light.
Given that God is self-existent and pre-exists all creation, I wonder what caused—or indeed, what is—the darkness, formlessness, and apparent disorder mentioned before God said, “Let there be light”?
Could it have been a natural consequence of the initial creation of heaven and earth, or perhaps an event preceding this creation?
I wonder about this because, logically speaking, if God Himself is light, wouldn’t His initial act of creation—the formation of heaven and earth—result in immediate illumination?
Genesis 1:4 (TPT)
“And God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful; he used the light to dispel the darkness.”
The Passion Translation (TPT) rendering of this verse is very compelling. Rather than the more familiar phrase “…and God separated the light from the darkness,” TPT phrases it as:
“he used the light to dispel the darkness.”
This imagery paints a powerful picture of God’s action in creation—or perhaps His reconfiguration of creation.
Furthermore, we now know that day and night are caused by the sun’s light, yet at this point in Genesis (verse 4), God had not yet created the sun.
This leads me to ponder: What exactly is the nature of the “darkness” that marked the first day in verse 5?
Was it physical darkness, dispelled by God’s immediate presence? Is this darkness the same as that referenced earlier in verse 2?
I’m simply thinking aloud here exploring these fascinating mysteries.
Genesis 1:9-10 (TPT)
“[9] And God said, “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And so it happened. [10] God called the dry ground “Land,” and the gathered waters he called “Seas.” And God saw the beauty of his creation, and he was very pleased.”
The power, depth, and profundity required to effortlessly shift Earth’s elements into a precise position, simply by thought or spoken word, are beyond human comprehension.
Genesis 1:14-17 (ESV)
“[14] And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, [15] and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. [16] And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. [17] And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.”
The greater light (the sun) is placed in the “expanse”—what we now call space—to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) also resides there to rule the night. Likewise, the stars, those numerous other lights, fill the same expanse.
Today, we have a deeper understanding of the immense vastness of this expanse and the fact that it continues to expand at an accelerated rate.
I also ponder if the six days described by Moses are intended to be symbolic rather than strictly literal.
It’s fascinating that scripture states these lights—sun, moon, and stars—are for signs, seasons, days, and years. Remarkably, through the field of astronomy, we’ve discovered how to interpret these distant lights (stars) to estimate the age of our known universe ✨️.
The scale and continually expanding breadth of the known universe, composed of these countless lights, is truly breathtaking.
The idea that this Being—for lack of a better term—God, The Word, The Christ—casually brought these things into existence by mere thought, with a level of intricate detail we humans are only beginning to grasp, demonstrates awe-inspiring power that must not be underestimated. Even for those who may not believe, the incredible and incomprehensible power displayed here demands complete attention.
“…He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
Our intellect, though scoped and restricted—triggering our deep yearnings for meaning, for our Source, and for an understanding of creation’s scale, complexity, and intricacy—will be unlocked by His light (#TheChrist) so that we may comprehend the depth, breadth, and boundless nature of our Maker.
That I May Know Him! 