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Genesis 1 – Then God Said
In the beginning the earth was formless, void of life, and covered with water. “Then God said….” (Gen.1:3).
Because God said, then came light (Gen.1:3), separation (Gen.1:4,7,9), life (Gen.1:11ff), and organization (1:14-19). “Then God said”…that’s the key. God is the only one powerful enough to overcome darkness, nonexistence, and chaos.
Why does the Bible begin this way?
1) For the Israelites it’s religious, to reintroduce Yahweh by differentiating their God from false gods through the creation story..
2) For Moses the writer, Genesis is history, and literally many biographies, including the earth’s (Gen.2:4). Since this is how everything began, this is how it is recorded.
3) For us there is something beyond either of those. The creation account foreshadows Jesus, who is the Word (John 1:1); and the Light of the world (John 9). There’s foreshadowing of us too. When we are covered in water, its because we have lived a life without purpose, resulting in chaos, darkness and death. Coming out of the water we receive the Light, become sanctified which means separated, alive once again, and find new purpose. All of this is New Creation. Many early writers saw the Spirit’s initial hovering over the water (Gen.1:2) as prefiguring baptism. We know Jesus’ baptism featured the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. For those in the kingdom we are born again of water and Spirit (John 3:5).
Why does all this happen in our baptism? “Then God in the flesh said, ‘He who believes and is baptized will be saved'” (Mark 16:16). Everything good happens because “then God said.”
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