One Fear We All Have
One thing we all have in common is that we have no idea what’s going to happen to us tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, or in ten years, or in fifty years. We wonder, “Will I ever graduate college? Will I ever get married? How will my marriage go? Will I be able to have children? How will they turn out? Will I find a good job? Will I be able to provide for my family? What will happen to our church? What will happen to our economy? Our border? Our leaders? Our nation?”
We all have a fear of the unknown, a fear of unpredictable powers, a fear of losing things we love, a fear of not ever getting where we want to be. We’re fearful and fretful creatures. This is why bravado and boasting just looks so silly. None of us are as sure of ourselves as we appear. None of us are as smart or capable or strong or prepared as others think we are. None of us know what’s going to happen to us tomorrow.
Genesis 1 is Polemical and Pastoral
One of the medicines that the Bible gives us to soothe our fear of the future is the doctrine of creation. The Old Testament begins with an account of God’s creation of the universe in Genesis 1. The theme of this text is that the God of Israel is the one true and living God because he’s the God who created everything. But the goal of this text is more than just theological. It’s also polemical and pastoral.
As I said last week, Moses is writing a defense of Israel’s God against the pagan cultures around them. Moses is saying that only Israel’s God created the heavens and the earth, that the gods of the nations aren’t real. He’s intentionally opposing the creation myths of Egypt, where the Israelites lived for 400 years, and Canaan, where they were headed. He’s correcting and shaping Israel’s worldview concerning their origins.
But why did Moses want to teach Israel this? Did he merely intend Genesis 1 to be a theological lecture or a defense of the doctrine of creation? The historical circumstances at the time Moses wrote suggests that there was another reason to remind and teach Israel about God’s work as Creator.
Israel was heading into a culture full of fickle pagan gods who could never be appeased or trusted. They were moving toward a land they’d never seen, a land full of lots of nations with armies and giants. They had the promises of God. But they also had no idea what was going to happen. They needed to remember who their God was.
So Moses starts with creation to remind them they were under the protection of the supreme God who rules over all other gods and nations and armies, the Creator of heaven and earth. Moses, like any good pastor, wants to comfort his people with the knowledge that their God is the God who controls the destiny of the world and their lives. Moses knows what’s ahead of them is unknown and unpredictable, so he wants to bring comfort to God’s children. And, interestingly, he starts with a rehearsal of creation.
A Kingly Creator
The main point of chapter one is that Israel’s God is the King of the universe because he created the universe. Israel’s King is the Creator of everything, so all the gods and kings of the nations must bow to him, and his people must trust and rest in him. We can divide chapter one like this: God is the King over chaos (v. 2), the King who forms (vv. 3-13), and the King who fills (vv. 14-25). We’ll only look at Genesis 1:2-5 this week, then pick up in verse 6 next week.
God is King over Chaos
First, God is the King over chaos (v. 2). In verse 1, God is seen as the Creator of the universe. In verse 2, Moses brings us down to earth. “The earth was without form and void…” There was no order on earth, it was empty and chaotic, uninhabitable and uninhabited – the very opposite of what it would be after the six days of creation. Like a potter, God is getting ready to take the raw material of the earth and mold it into something beautiful.
Moses is not only giving us information about the state of the earth before the first command in verse 3. He’s also telling us something about God. Notice the three parallel clauses in the verse: “The earth was without form and void,” “darkness was over the face of the deep,” “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” There’s a progression here. Moses moves from the totally negative “without form and void,” to the ambiguous “darkness was over the face of the deep,” to the mysterious but hopeful “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
What is Moses doing here? He’s saying that the situation of the earth before the creative commands of God started in verse 3 was dark, but promising. Earth was in chaotic disorder. One commentator described it as “a pervasive watery matrix throughout the darkness of space.”[1] But in the darkness, there’s movement. The ruach of Elohim, or wind, breath, or spirit of God is “hovering,” moving back and forth, watching, waiting.
We may wonder how the God of light could be present in darkness? But the psalmist says that “even the darkness is not dark to God” and that “darkness is as light with you” (139:12). Darkness is opaque to us, but transparent to God.
The Bible even says that God sometimes veils himself in darkness while he waits to reveal himself. At Mt. Sinai, Moses said the mountain was “wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom” and that God’s voice came “out of the midst of the darkness” (Deut. 4:11, 5:23). The psalmist says that “thick darkness was under God’s feet” and that “he made darkness his covering” when he came down to meet him (18:9-11).
While the darkness “over the face of the deep” is yet another way that Moses describes the primeval wasteland of the earth, he’s also suggesting that the hidden presence of God is there in the wasteland, waiting to reveal himself.
The end of the verse makes it clear that God’s presence was indeed there. The word ruach (wind, breath, or spirit) is a vivid image of the powerful presence of God moving mysteriously over the waters. He’s “hovering” like an eagle over its young (Deut. 32:11). He’s there and ready for action. Over the primordial muck, God’s Spirit is moving.
The six days of creation show us God’s supremacy over the world. But why is verse 2 here? Perhaps Moses wants to tell his people that God is also mysteriously present in the dark and disordered places. God is King over creation and King over chaos. People facing the unknown and unpredictable need to know that God sometimes hides himself in the dark.
But they also need to know that this doesn’t mean that God is taking a nap. Though he’s sometimes hidden, he’s always awake, always working, caring, preparing, longing to bring order out of chaos, to fill empty places, to create beauty out of muck.
Prepare for Suffering
One of my main jobs as a pastor is to prepare you for suffering. The ones who make it through the dark valleys are the ones who understand that God sometimes hides himself in the dark. We can’t plan for every contingency. We can’t prevent every disaster. We can’t fix what’s been broken. We can’t clean up our messes, heal ourselves, much less save ourselves. We can plan for tomorrow, but we have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow.
So what do we do? We remember that our God descended into darkness for us. Jesus willingly walked into the pitch-black wrath of God and stayed there until the Father’s work was done. Jesus descended into darkness so that we might not despair when we follow him there.
We also challenge the fears that grip us with the truth that God is hovering over our lives even when we descend into darkness. When the darkness comes, we ask God to help us remember his presence. We wait, trusting that God is blowing the chaotic events and circumstances of our lives into something beautiful. While we wait, we ask for help. It’s just not smart or safe to walk through a dark valley alone.
As one of the modern hymns we sing says, “Mine are tears in times of sorrow, darkness not yet understood. Through the valley I must travel where I see no earthly good. But mine is peace that flows from heaven, and the strength in times of need. I know my pain will not be wasted; Christ completes his work in me.”[2]
Or, as an even older hymn says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:4-6).
The Word Creates the World
God is King over the chaos, and he’s also the King who forms. In the first three days of creation, God forms the formless. Let’s look at what happens on day one (vv. 3-5).
At the beginning of this narrative, we learn that the means of creation was the word of God. Verse 3, “And God said…” This verb sets the tone for the rest of the chapter, and the rest of the Bible. The Word of God is the most powerful force in the universe. When God speaks, things happen, “and there was…”
In the New Testament, we learn that “through (the Son, God) created the world” and that the Son of God “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:2-3). And, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (Jn. 1:3).
God created through his “Word.” The New Testament gives this “Word” a name: Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14-17). The Word of God not only created the world, but also redeemed it. The same God who made you redeems you. Christ created the cosmos and died on a cross to call you out of chaos and make you a citizen in his city.
Genesis 1:2 says that the Spirit of God was present at the beginning of creation. All three members of the Trinity were actively involved in the creation of the world. Creation is infused with a mysterious power and beauty because it’s an overflow of a mysteriously beautiful God.
Day One: Light
On day one of creation, God spoke light into the darkness that covered the earth. The introduction of light into the universe marks the first step from chaos to order. Without light there can be no order. Without the word of Christ, there will only be chaos. John says of Jesus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (1:4).
Life only comes by light. Depth in our relationships with one another starts with the light of honesty. As long as our lives are shrouded by pretending and pretension, our friendships will stay a mile wide and an inch deep. Harmony and healing and help always start with the light of honesty. Refusing to ask for help will only create more darkness and despair.
It’s interesting that God says that only the light, not the darkness, is good (v. 4). Don’t we all prefer not to be in darkness. Have you ever walked through a forest in darkness? Chaos regains a certain power at night. But after night, morning comes! “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (v. 5). Every morning, day one of creation is repeated. Maybe this is why we love sunrises, why there’s a freshness and newness and air of possibility when we walk outside in the morning?
It seems that for the first three days of creation, the light that God created comes from a source other than the sun. The emphasis here is on the creatureliness of light. In other words, light is something God created, not something self-existent. On day four, God creates the sun and stars. These celestial bodies are merely mediators of a light that was there before them.
Skeptics say that, because the Bible says God created light before the sun, the Bible can’t be trusted. But if God can create the things that generate light waves, then he can create light waves themselves. If God created everything out of nothing, then he’s the God of infinite possibility.
It must also be remembered that Scripture often portrays “light” as the realm of God, while darkness is the realm of the evil one. So on day one of creation, it’s no surprise that God begins to unveil himself by speaking light into existence.
Interestingly, the Bible’s story ends in the very same way as it begins: with no sun but with God as the Light. Revelation 22:5, “They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light.” It’s entirely possible for light to exist without a sun. Light preceded the sun and will outlast the sun.
Without Spiritual Light, We Will Die in the Dark
Paul applies the truth of God creating light in Genesis 1 to God creating spiritual light in unbelieving hearts. He says, “Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ 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. 4:3-4, 6).
Without spiritual light from God, we’ll die in the dark. Paul says that unbelievers will remain blinded by Satan and unable to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, until God shines spiritual light into their hearts.
This truth should shatter all boasting by those who’re in Christ. We’re only saved because of a creative work of God in our hearts. God took our blindfold off. God turned the lights on. God gave us eyes to see the glory of Christ. God said, “Let there be light!”
This means that being a Christian means that you begin to see Jesus as the glorious and powerful and beautiful God that he is. People who look at Jesus and aren’t impressed don’t belong to him, even if they profess to know him.
When considering whether your profession of faith is real, remember that the Bible says that someone who’s excited about heaven, but bored by Christ, Christians, and the local church may still be blind. Someone who thinks heaven will be great, whether Jesus is there or not may still be blind. Someone who likes Jesus but wants no part of obedience, holiness, or suffering may still be blind. Someone who’s bothered by other people’s sins more than their own may still be blind.
On the other hand, someone who’s in Christ loves Christians and the local church because they love God. They desire fellowship with God, not just an eternal vacation in heaven. They understand that following Jesus will be hard, but they want to do it anyway because Jesus is just too compelling and beautiful and good to let go of. They obey God because they love God. They’re eager to confess and turn away from their sin.
Those who’ve had the blindfold removed and seen Jesus know that he’s more than their ticket out of hell, more than the thing that’s going to help them get rich or clean up their lives.
Becoming a Christian is the result of God’s word creating light where there was once darkness. Everyone who admits their rebellion against their Creator, repents of their sins, and turns to Christ the Creator in faith, seeing him for who he is, will be saved. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).
[1]Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1976), 50.
[2]https://www.cityalight.com/christ-is-mine-forevermore/