With A Word
"Here is the mind of God; here is the expression of the thought of God..." — William Barclay
Photo by Kevin Schmid on Unsplash
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created...”
What a powerful opening to this first book of the Bible. There is no background given, no history of God and who He is; no description, no explanation, just simply: In the beginning, God created.
The only timeframe we are given as far as the “when” is in the beginning. It’s not speaking of the beginning of God (for God has always been), but of the beginning of man’s story, which God chose to begin at the moment it began.
It’s hard to even put into writing anything that starts somewhere in an eternity that exists outside of time, so I will leave it to far more educated theologians to tease that out.
From here, the story lays out all that God created.
As you read through, take note how many times the words, “And God said...” are mentioned.
“And God said...” and the great and mighty seas found their home.
“And God said...” and the earth spread out into mountains and valleys.
When God spoke, plants sprung up and trees were born.
Every time God spoke, a new part of creation came into being.
The desires of His heart were spoken and all life that we behold every day; every breath we breathe in, every smell, every beautiful sunrise poured out from the heart of God through a word.
Everything He spoke into existence represented an intimate thought and imagination of His very soul.
And when each day of creation ended, He saw that it was all good. In other words, He was satisfied by the fact that what He spoke was perfectly represented in His creation.
Before God spoke, these words were just hidden ideas and images that lived in God’s heart.
But, once spoken, these secrets came to life, and we start to know something about God through His Word that found substance in all that He made.
These were not random thoughts and images thrown out onto the canvas of the world through the brushstrokes of His words.
No, every thought and image revealed was a part of something larger, a plan of God which had been with Him since eternity past.
When I look at these verses here in Genesis, I can’t help but wonder if every masterfully crafted part of creation is wrapped within God’s foreknowledge of all that would occur from “the beginning” (Genesis 1:1) on through to when “there will be no night” (Revelation 21:25).
As I read the words, “And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep”, I can’t seem to escape the thought that this so aptly describes what my heart looked like before Christ came into my life.
Chaos sprawled across the earth probably as far as the eye could see. We don’t know the details of what resulted in a formless, dark world; only that this was where “... in the beginning” began.
God saw the chaos and rather than abandon His creation, He envisioned a new earth.
He saw the glorious stars in place and the sunrise over a horizon of purple mountains and crystal waters.
The medium by which He took these images from the imaginations of His heart to a visual revelation was His Word.
God saw the chaos and death that was all around Him and believed life could be restored, and His Words became the mediator between the vision and reality.
As I meditate on this, a verse comes to mind: “In the beginning was the Word...” (John 1:1).
Such a similar phrase to what we read in the opening of Genesis 1. I don’t believe it was accidental.
I ponder whether John was purposely reflecting on a period of time long ago when God took a world so utterly broken and, with a spoken Word, restored it back to what it was intended to be.
Was it on the backdrop of that reflection that John introduces Jesus to his reader as the Word?
What a remarkable way to begin this story, about one who will become the mediator between God and a world now broken.
John opens his narrative with the main character, not by name but by a description that reveals His relationship with God the Father.
The relationship as Word indicates an intimacy with God’s heart that only words can reveal. It is the words which slip past our lips like an open door that reveal the mysteries of who we are to one another.
Jesus is that Word clothed in flesh slipping past the door from eternity past into a world that has degraded into chaos and darkness with God’s mandate to restore it back to its original design.
And just like in Genesis, God saw the chaos and rather than just start over, He had a plan and that plan began with His Word which He sent forth, and so the story begins.
I love what Sidlow Baxter wrote:
“... in the visible Jesus the invisible God is brought forth to view. The incomprehensible concept, ‘GOD,’ is objectively elucidated before us. The very heart of the Eternal is livingly ‘exegeted...’”
A Question for Reflection: Where in your life today do you need the Word to speak into the chaos and bring about a new creation? Let’s discuss in the comments.
What beautiful imagery, especially of your heart!!
Oh, Laura, I love this. I was especially moved by the comparison you made of your heart before Christ and the vast darkness that existed before God spoke Creation into being. What a beautiful comparison and one that resonated so deeply with me. We cannot know the true power and holiness of God, but we can see it, hear it, experience it through His creation and through His Word. Continually blessed by your beautiful faith. 💜