Genesis 1:1-3
'‘Genesis’
means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our
priorities right - (a) The priority of God (1). God comes first. Before
anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word
(3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there
is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s Spirit (2). All was
‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the ‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and
transformation was set in motion. Here, we have God’s priorities, set
out in the Bible’s first three verses - Putting God first and listening
to His Word, we are to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering
over’ our lives to transform them. For those who make God’s priorities
their own, there is a promise of great blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the
great blessing of knowing Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’
(Matthew 1:23).
Genesis 1:4-13
God
speaks, and it is done (3,6-7,11). God is pleased with what He has done
(4,10,12). This is the pattern of God’s original creation. It is to be
the pattern of our life as a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God
speaks to us and we say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10). We say,
‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). God looks on such
obedience, this ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16,22-23), and He
sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). In these verses we read of the
separation of the light and the darkness, the separation of the waters
and the dry land, and the fruitfulness of God's creation. There are
lessons for us here. We are to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). We are
to let the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). Walking in
the light, letting the living water flow - this is the way of
fruitfulness.
Genesis 1:14-25
The
Bible’s opening chapter is a great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all
things have been created for the glory of God (Revelation 4:11).
Nothing can be permitted to distract our attention from the Lord. He
alone is worthy of worship. The creation of the ‘lights’ makes no
reference to the sun and the moon. These were worshipped by neighbouring
peoples. They are not gods. They are simply ‘lights’. Our worship is to
be given to God alone. The waters teemed with living creatures. The
land produced living creatures. Here, we have a picture of life. There
is life where the living water of the Spirit is flowing freely among
God’s people (Ezekiel 47:5-9). This water brings life to the land
(Ezekiel 47:12). Moving with the flow of God’s Spirit, we are to pray
that ‘the water of life’ will flow freely ‘for the healing of the
nations’ (Revelation 22:2).
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