Genesis 1:1-2 – Genesis is the foundation of the entire Scriptures. If you intend to build a structure that will endure the most important part is its foundation. In the same way if you intend to understand the Scriptures it is most important that you understand Genesis. We have in this book vital information that explains the origin of all things. Including the origins of: The universe, this includes the origin of matter, space and time. Order and complexity – In Biology you learn that things tend to deteriorate from order to disorder.
Order and complexity never arise on their own; they are always generated from a prior cause. The Cause is explained in Genesis. The Solar System; The Atmosphere; Life; Man; Marriage; Evil; Language; Government; Nations; Religion; The Chosen People. No other book of the Bible is quoted as often and in more places than the Book of Genesis.
In the New Covenant there are over 165 passages that refer to Genesis. The writers of both Old and New Covenants viewed Genesis as historical, accurate, & authoritative. This included the testimony of Yeshua.
The Book of Genesis was written by Moses. There are three possibilities as to how he received his information:
1) He received it all by direct revelation from God, either in the form of audible words dictated by God and transcribed by him, or else by visions given him of the great events of the past, which he then put down in his own words, as guided by the Holy Spirit.
2) He received it by oral tradition, passed down over the centuries, and then he collected it and wrote it guided by the Holy Spirit.
3) He took documents and records in existence and recorded them with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The ultimate Author of Genesis and for that matter all of Scripture is the Holy Spirit, which composed and recorded God’s Word to man through the various personalities of the writers without error. This is a definition of what we mean by the “inspired word of God”. Inspired means “God breathed” and that breath is the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit).
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God – The Hebrew word here is b’re’sheyt- This is where time and space actually began. Prior to this God existed in eternity. Now God creates time and space and places man in it. Space and time are measurable; God exists apart from this but has and does enter into it for our sakes. The word for God here is Elohim. the suffix “im” in Hebrew is a plurlal ending, ie. serahphim, cherubim.
The very first reference that we have of God places Him in a plural form. It is this form that is used most to describe God. Names in Scripture, especially those given by God described the character of those who bear them. We read in Psalm 9:10 “those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
As Believers in the Messiah we understand this problem of plurality to explain the Tri-unity of God. This is further demonstrated in the Shema the most important of Jewish expressions of faith from Deu. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! In Hebrew Deuteronomy 6:4 shama’ yisra’el yehovah ‘elohenu yehovah echad. The final word echad is the Hebrew word for one. However this is not a singular one but a plural one. The same word that is used to describe the oneness of Adam and Eve, in Genesis 2:24.
“Earth” – This word in the Hebrew is Eretz which means land or ground. “In the beginning” gives us the concept of time. Many wonder what the date of creation was. The earliest that can be accounted by Scripture is 10,000 years ago. There are some theories that try to accommodate the evolutionary theories of the earth being billions of years old. The Gap theory is one, the geological age theory is another. The gap theory is that the earth was the subject of a great cataclysmic disaster between Genesis 1:1-2. In essence the theory suggests that Satan was cast out of heaven for the sin of pride and presumption, Ezekiel 28 & Isaiah 14.
In his anger he set about to destroy God’s creation and subject man to his kingdom in distinction to God’s. The Geological age theory is that the world in its present condition evolved from its original creation. That there have been successive ages corresponding to the days of creation. This theory is based on the record of fossils in the various layers of the earth.
The flaws of this theory are firstly, it means that death must have come about before sin ever came on the scene, for fossils are evidences of death. If each day of creation represents an age rather than a 24 hour literal day than how could plant life created on day three survive an age without sun which was created on day four? Moreover how could have the plants been pollinated if the insects were not created until the 6th day?
Genesis 1:2 – The earth that the Lord created was unformed or finished and uninhabited. It was the Spirit of God that began the process of creation. The universe was in need of activation or energizing and this is the work of the Holy Spirit. The word “moved” in the Hebrew would be better translated shake, or flutter. From a modern scientific perspective “vibrated” would be the word. The Spirit of God is energizing God’s creation. In scientific terms we measure energy in waves, like light, sound, heat and so on.
