God created the heavens and the earth [Gen 1]

Gen 1:1-25

Key Verse 1:1

1.      Genesis is a book of history. We may call it historical narrative.

2.      It is God’s claim about the heavens and the earth; the universe. How it all came to be! So it is about beginning of the universe. Since men were not there

3.      with particular concern; the concern of God toward men and his understanding of the universe; What should we know about God that created the universe is described. So he did not bother to explain everything or every questions that comes up in our minds.

4.      He did not bother to explain and argue for everything but written what is necessary for men to know.

5.      So our focus should be on what God is trying to say through this narrative. Find the intention and will of God in this.

6.      Job 38:4

V1
1. Before we get into the meaning of this sentence, I like to highlight to help understand this sentence. Here 'in' the beginning is different from 'at' the beginning. It indicates not a punctuate time but certain period of time where a beginning of the world came to be. Second the word 'create' means to create out of nothing into something. Third the heavens and the earth represent the universe that we see to exist. If we put all these together, it may be said; During the certain period of time of beginning, God created all that exist in the universe out of nothing.
2. This is the first statement of the Bible. In this God declares about two things; what happen in the beginning of all that exist in this universe and also how the universe came to be. There was nothing but God who made it to be in the beginning. Simply the universe came to exist because God out of nothing created it.
As we see, it is not an explanation rather it is a declaration. By declaring such way the rest of the Bibles is based on this commanding truth ; God the creator of the whole world.
One thing we come to know is that it has no explanation or reasoning or proof. When one declares something, we can respond in two ways: either we accept that or we reject that declaration. Likewise we can accept that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning or we can reject it. Before we make decision on this, we can go through the full length of God's creation.
V2.
This verse is a description of the world just created from nothing into something. So this is a transition from the beginning to the full finishing of the creation at the end of the sixth day.
The condition of the earth is described in three words; it is void or empty, it is full of darkness, and it is formless. They convey the idea of confusion and disorder.  What do these mean?  As we learn what happens thereafter we will come to have a firm understanding what it means. One thing we know is that this situation or condition is is not bearable and not agreeable to his goodness and perfect will. So the spirit of God was hovering. So the spirit of God is looking into the matter, planning and seeking what is best for the earth. . V3-31 comes out of this planning and seeking. It is amazing that at the end of creation God said a word of great satisfaction: it was very good. So it is good to find out what God did and why God became so happy about his creation.
V3-5. God created light. Here God uttered first word, ‘let there be light’. Out of void, darkness and formlessness, God called out ‘let there be light’ God commanded with authority and power. So there came to be light.  This light was the most important thing in his mind and for the creation. The light was before the Sun, or stars. God called light to come into being! In this way God called the light day and He also called darkness night. Every day is marked in this way: there was evening and there was morning the second day.  So presence of light made a day. So the world that was overwhelmed and characterized by darkness is changed by creating light. In this way  God clearly pushed away the darkness and made the light as the main feature of the earth.  So every day is filled with light.  In this way light becomes essential element in making each day. As long as we know, this day filled with light continues. So light become the mainstay of earth living; more so it is fair to say that our lives are hung on light because life is not possible without light.
God is light and hate darkness. This is seen and expressed by creation of light as the first line of event in creating the world. Eventually we come to know that when God resided with men, there is no need for light because God is light. No more sun is needed.[Rev 21]  Light is  God's essence of his being.  Here God's will and desire to fill the earth with light, instead of darkness is clearly revealed.
v6-8 On the second day God created an expanse between the water above and water below. In this way God created the sky. God limited and demarcated the boundaries of water. In this way all that were jumbled together and could not be discerned what is what became clear; water got together to make sea and air got together to make sky.  Formless mass took forms. Like this, by God's word, the sky appeared, a vast space, through which we can see and breathe and move around freely. 
v9-10 God commanded the water under the sky be gathered into one place so that the dry ground appear. When God said this, it happened. Also God commanded, let the land produce vegetation: then it become so; Like this God commanded and the land produced seed bearing plants and trees that bear fruits according to its kinds.
Like this three days of creation was finished: now there is light, there is sky, sea, land and vegetations, When God saw all these together, how did he feel? v12b God saw that it was good! This is what God was happy with. darkness is set aside and light is full shining. formless is changed into well formed; Sky and water is separated. So he can see two distinctive part; sky and the water. Also he demarcated the sea from land. The earth was without form. But the end of the third day, it is fully formed. So for the first time when God SAW, it was good! He did not say this on the first day, or on the second day. First two unbearable conditions, darkness and formless are gone and changed into light and form of beauties of sky, land and water. God's happiness is expressed for the first time. God is happy to see  light, and to see well formed the earth.
 Let's see what God did more.
v14-19.
God again said with his forceful command; Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky. So there came sun, moon and stars. The purpose was clear; let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. In this way God made day, month, and year. God created sun moon and stars with clear purpose; in these hanging bodies God created days, months and years as well as seasons. What would be our lives like if there was only light and there was no day, no month and no year! This is a perfect set up for what? It may not be impossible. But it is unthinkable for any living creature on earth without days, month years and seasons!
When God hung these bodies of heaven in such a way, God had clear purpose! This purpose is restated in v 18. ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. As we know the day was marked by light. This has been the case last three days of creation. But now by making sun and moon and stars, each day is governed by the sun and moon and stars! God delegated the governing of days, years and seasons to these heavenly bodies.
What is this set up? 1. God controls light that is the source of life on the earth. These heavenly bodies are inanimate subjects. They moves like an animate objects.  But God in his power hung these things to control, regulate all that sustain life: wind, rain, light, heat water flow are all controlled by these hanging bodies.  This is what it means to let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. How is it done? This is done by governing the day and the night and to separate light from darkness.
As we know,  the earth orbit the sun, moon orbit the earth. The earth turns every 24 hours with axial tilt 22.5 degree against orbital plane. Simply if there is no axial tilt to 22.5 degree, then only a small parts of the world is livable. If the Sun is a little closer to the earth or a little farther from the earth, then also the earth is not inhabitable. What about the water? If only half of the earth is covered by water, instead of two thirds?
If the earth does not rotate? If the earth does not run the orbit of the sun? This is what God set up from the beginning of creation with clear purpose. But since creation of the world the Sun ran its course as long as we know it. The earth is rotating in its tilted axis as long as we know of it. So when we go to sleep each night we never question or doubt if the sun will rise the  next day. So the ungodly says that God created things and let things run its courses. He left us and does not concern anymore. So many physicists and astrologers have hard time to know and accept God. But all these are set up by God for a specific purpose; they may govern according to God's purpose--to provide a perfect environment for all living on the earth. Simply the whole world is God's provision for all the living on the earth. Do we owe to him for our living? You bet!
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.[Ps 102:25]
v20-23
Here God created living creatures; fishes and birds. The focus of this creation is that the water may teem with these living creatures. Also he did not created one kind of birds or one kind of fish. God created according to its kind. God said with particularity; 'according to its kind' The phrase  'According to its kinds' is used in four places; when God created plants[12], when God created fish[21], when God created birds[21] and when God created animals[24]. He could have said in v21 that the great creatures of the sea and birds of the air according to its kinds. But God did not say that. He created the great creatures of the sea according to its kind. He created winged bird according to its kind. In this way specificity of the creation of each kind is emphasized. Also God's particular attention to each kind is expressed. Remember that 'the phrase 'according to its kind' is applied whenever God created living things; to plants, to birds, to fishes, and to animals. This sets against any ideas that feed evolution of one animal to the other. God created chicken as chicken and turkey as turkey. God created elephant as elephant and tiger as tiger.
Evolution seems very reasonable to our scientific mind. There are limited evolutions within species. But evolutionism, which claims that all creatures evolved from one cell ameba,  is not the true science. It comes from a desire to explain away the world without God. Even it can be called an abomination to God's authority and his power.
So far we have gone through 6 days. At the end of the sixth day, we know God created man. We will look into this next week. But now I want to look into the six days of creation all together.
If we arrange each day of creation we can say as follows:

First day	Light [day]	Fourth day	Sun moon and stars [day, year, season]
Second day	Sky, sea	Fifth day	Creature of the sea, birds
Third day	Land, plants	Sixth day	Live stock and wild animals man

Through this we can fairly see the progression of the creation. When God created the first day, he was thinking of the fourth day. When God created sky and sea on the second day, he was thinking of the sea creatures and birds. When God let the land appear from the sea, he was thinking of the animals.  It is odd that God created the land and the plants at the same time. But it becomes clear what he was doing for the sake of animals, life stocks which God will create on the sixth day.
In this way the first three days were preparation for the  next three days. Here in this process, it is quite clear that God had clear purpose in doing each day what he was doing. The will of God lives in his creation. His will is in the sun and moon and stars! His will is in the sky and sea and his will is in the land.
In the next three days, God filled the empty space with something; on the forth day,  sun, moon and stars, on fifth and sixth day every creatures; birds in the sky, fishes in the water and animals on the land. On these three days God repeatedly said it was good. Also God blessed them to increase and fill the earth.
1. His authority and power:  God has been repeated almost every verse in Gen 1. There is no other chapter that has so many mention of God. God assert that he is the creator and author of the universe.
He exercised his power and authority through his words. Let there be light, let there be expanse, let the water ..let the land.. let there be lights... He not only commanded with such authority and power, that power and authority is confirmed by saying repeatedly, it was so, it was so, and it was so.. .Also in every creations, God's word was there to do so... from light, sky, sea, sun, moon and stars, animals in each kinds, plants in each kinds, fishes as well as birds.
 He is the only and only authority and he has absolute power. It is somewhat deceiving to the eyes of many because God the creator does not seem to exercise his power and authority in our daily lives.  To many it seems that we as individual human being has power and authority as we know it. As we decide to do something, we can do it and we will do it. But we must know that God is sustaining the sun and moor and the earth. He controls the sea and mountains. He controls all of his creation according to His will. Yet God delegated this authority and power to us for a while and for a finite period of time. This amazing grace that God has for us. We should not take this as God's weakness or God's silence or God has no power! do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Rom 2:4
2. God is good; Good is something of light, form and fullness. It was good: God said it was good at the end of the third day for the first time: It is when darkness was put aside and when God demarcated all the boundaries of physical world; sky from water, earth from the water; from formlessness to form is completed! There after God repeated this word on each day which reached its acme when God created human being and complete vast array of creation; God said it was very good. from 4th day to sixth day, God filled the empty space with fishes, and birds and animals and then ultimately human being. His desire is well expressed in . ²² God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." after creation of birds and fishes.
 God wanted his creations to teem in seas and in the air and in the land. So God even said to Adam, be fruitful and increase in number. What does this tell us about God?
God doesn't like void or emptiness, God doesn't like darkness. God does not like formless. So the spirit of God was hovering over this unformed, dark and empty mass. God turned this in to such a beautiful world that we live and breathe.
So long as we know of, there is no other planet that matches the earth and its environment; which is characterized by these three characteristics; The world we are living is beautiful and excellent for living because  of light, because of form and because it is filled all living creatures. 
We must accept and recognize that God is good and his will for the world is good and God created the world to bless them, particularly all creatures.
3. God's plan and purpose on each creation. There is nothing that has no purpose of God. His purpose was good and that goodness is expressed in three ways; filling the emptiness and creating the light and giving form to the things that are formless. God created plants according to its kind. God created fishes and birds according to its kind. Since God created all these, all of the creation speaks about God, who is Almighty, good and beauty. God did not create an automatic machine but God's creative hand touched each kinds of plants, fishes and animals.
God's purpose of creating things are demonstrated prominently in few places:
⁶ And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."
⁹ And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.
¹⁴ And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.
Now I want to go back to what God declared,
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Did God give you enough evidence to believe God and his authority in creating all the world? Many think that God did not. But Paul spoke God's mind and said this in Rom 1: 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

The world we are living in is the witness of God and his power, his authority. There are historical foundation of this truth.

It was given to Abraham and then to Moses; God brought down the ten plagues upon Egypt; hails, locusts, bloody water, gnats, death of all first-borns, by which God spoke who he is; i.e the creator of heaven and the earth. This God gave the five books of Moses; which is proven by a historical records. There is one more; Jesus is the word by whom all things were created. He demonstrated that power by healing the sick, raising the dead to life and calming the storm and walking on the water and feeding 5k with 5l and 2f.
So He declared that He created the world and he is the only God and he has almighty power over all creation. No creation cannot do without him or by ignoring him. All must answer to him accordingly!
3. When we accept this then, the whole world of God is wide open for us to feel, to understand and to enjoy his truth, power and love; God's character, his will and his purpose are important than what we see and understand the world that we live because it is created and is run by him and for him. If we know his perspective, if we know his mind, if we know how much he loves, then our outlook will change tremendously. 
4. But if we reject, what would happen? We are left with nothing but many ideas of the world, which is at best conjectures of men and their wisdom. Were there any men when the earth was just created? No! We will remain in darkness of ignorance and we are confined to the what we see and understand in this visible world. Through the means of Science men pursue intensely how all thing began. They came up with very plausible ideas. At their best, what men could come up is only a theory and human conjecture because no science can fill the gap between what we see now and what happened in the beginning with certainty.
Because of this, men wonder if we, men, ever know the truth. So many live in uncertainty of life. What is certain to them is the only the fact that ; life comes and life goes and the universe runs all by itself ever and ever. The science channel gives us an idea that the earth is million years old and the universe is billions of years. injecting an idea that the universe is far too great and far too long in existence and we are mere specs of this automated mechanical universe. In such outlook what does it matter what we do now, no matter how good we like to be or how bad we may be. In this perspective we are to look at ourselves and it is no wonder that there are many suicidals and they have no qualm about it.
Here comes nihilism, pessimism, stoicism in dark side and  Platonism or Epicureanism of the hopefuls.
One thing we know is that the world that we know cannot give us final and assuring answers of truth and life that we carry. [ref] No matter how positive outlooks we concoct they are still under darkness simply because they do not have the full truth--how the world has become from its beginning. Here what Jesus said is so profound; If you know the truth, the truth will set you free. Any truth that does not includes the beginning of all things cannot be taken as truth.
But here God declares with certainty and clarity that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Here God demands faith! So what the Hebrews says: we know by faith that the world was created..
Out of these three comes the fact that the creation of the universe is the fact of foundation that we are living or sitting in. So Paul says in his speech to Athenians ; Act 17: 24-29. 
 When one accept God of creation, it is not just I acknowledge or accept that God exists. It is certainly important what my perspective toward God is. Far more important is what God thinks of me in his sovereign rule of this world.  God is running the world and how he runs and in what direction he is going and what is the ending point? Where can I fit in or who am I in his eyes? In his creation we can find God's basic likes and dislikes and his will and power.