Genesis 1
Verse 1
"IN THE BEGINNING"
Imagine "In the beginning" as the absolute starting point. Before that? There was nothing... except God! No time, no space, no matter - nothing that we know today. Hard to imagine, isn't it? Our brains are used to thinking that everything has a beginning. But God has no beginning - He has always been there, and it was He who pressed the “start” button on the universe!
This becomes even more interesting when we make the connection with John 1:1-3 which says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." John uses exactly the same words "In the beginning" as Genesis, so it's no coincidence! He reveals that Jesus (the Word) was already there, with God, when everything began. In fact, it tells us that Jesus himself is God and that He participated in creation. It's as if Genesis showed us the creation scene from the outside, and John zoomed in to show us behind the scenes, revealing that Jesus was there all along, co-creating with the Father. We understand that our universe isn't a product of chance, but the outcome of a thoughtful project by an eternal God who exists outside the time He Himself created!
"...GOD CREATED"
There's a very interesting truth in the original Hebrew text: the word used for "God" (Elohim) is written in plural as if we had written "Gods" with an S, but the verb "created" is in singular! In fact, the Bible reveals that God is 3 persons: The Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit - What we call the Trinity.
They are not three different gods, but one God who exists in three persons working together in perfect unity. It's a bit like water that can exist in three forms (liquid, ice, vapor) while remaining water! Moreover, further in Genesis, God even says in Genesis 1:26 "Let Us make man in Our image" - You see, He refers to Himself as "Us"! It's this perfect team that created everything we see around us.
"...HEAVEN AND THE EARTH"
In the original Hebrew version of Genesis, when we speak of "heaven," it's actually "the heavens" in the plural of the Hebrew word "shamayim" - and that's very interesting! Imagine these 3 dimensions: at the bottom, you have the atmosphere where birds fly, in the middle space with its stars, and at the very top, the third heaven, where God dwells. It's not just a theory: the apostle Paul himself tells in 2 Corinthians 12:2 that he was "caught up to the third heaven"!
But that's not all! These "heavens" reveal to us that there are two realities existing simultaneously: the visible one (like the earth and atmosphere and space with stars) and the invisible one (like paradise, God, angels).
Verse 2
"...THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM AND VOID"
The first interpretation, known as the "gap theory" or "rehabilitation theory," suggests that the earth, originally created perfect, "became" chaotic following a catastrophic event, possibly linked to Satan's rebellion. This reading relies on the Hebrew verb "hayah" which can mean "became," the same verb used later in Genesis to say that Lot's wife became a pillar of salt. It implies that the earth became chaos following an intense spiritual battle with fallen angels led by Lucifer, and that Genesis 1 is actually a restoration of the pre-Adamic creation.
The second interpretation, more traditional, sees "chaos and void" simply as a description of the initial state of creation, comparable to an unsculpted block of marble awaiting the artist's work. In this reading, it's not a negative state but rather the natural starting point of God's creative work, like an unsculpted block of marble awaiting the artist's touch. God would progressively organize and beautify His creation according to a precise plan, transforming an uninhabitable space into a perfectly ordered world ready to welcome life.
"...AND DARKNESS WAS ON THE FACE OF THE DEEP"
The darkness in this verse represents the most total darkness one can imagine. It's not like the night we know where there's still some light from stars or the moon. No, this is absolute darkness because light didn't even exist yet!
The deep refers to a vast expanse of water, so deep that you can't see the bottom. The Hebrew word used, "tehom" gives the idea of deep and immense waters. These waters covered the entire earth, forming a limitless ocean without shores, plunged in this total darkness.
"...AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD WAS HOVERING OVER THE FACE OF THE WATERS"
The image of God's Spirit hovering over the waters shows anticipation, like an athlete ready to spring at the starting signal. The Holy Spirit is there, in position, waiting for the Word to be spoken in the next verse: "Let there be light" to accomplish it. It's a beautiful illustration reminding us that the Spirit and the Word (which is Christ John 1:1-3) always work hand in hand.
The Spirit of God is never far from the Word. As soon as the Word is spoken, the Spirit moves into action to make it happen. It's like in your life: when you read a promise in the Bible, the Spirit is already there, very close, ready to act to make that word a reality in your life.
Verse 3
"THEN GOD SAID: LET THERE BE LIGHT, AND THERE WAS LIGHT!"
God is a God of order: He begins with light, for it is essential to all life. This light described in Genesis 1:3 is not that of celestial bodies, as the sun and moon were not created until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). This mysterious first light reminds us of the light of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:23). This original light did not seem to depend on any physical source or celestial body.
In this first creative act, we see the Trinity at work: the Father expresses His sovereign will, the Son (the living Word according to John 1:1) states this will by saying "Let there be light," and the Holy Spirit acts so that this word is instantly fulfilled. For God's word never returns void as Isaiah 55:11 affirms. This truth is confirmed by John 1:3 which reminds us that "without Him [the Word] nothing was made that was made."
Just as God separated light from darkness at the beginning, His Word has the power to drive away darkness in our darkest moments.