Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. This “… gives us a satisfying and useful account of the origin of the earth and the heavens. The faith of humble Christians understands this better than the fancy of the most learned men. From what we see of heaven and earth, we learn the power of the great Creator. And let our make and place as men, remind us of our duty as Christians, always to keep heaven in our eye, and the earth under our feet. The Son of God, one with the Father, was with him when he made the world; nay, we are often told that the world was made by him, and nothing was made without him. Oh, what high thoughts should there be in our minds, of that great God whom we worship, and of that great Mediator in whose name we pray!” (Matthew Henry) He created “ all the orbs which revolve and shine in the expanse of heaven, measuring time by days, and years, and periods. By consequence, the sublime system of nature is not eternal. If matter were eternal, then the אלהים Elohim, ο θεοτης, the Godhead or Divinity who acts here, is also material, dependent on matter, and a necessary agent. The perfections of wisdom, goodness and love, can no longer be attributed to him. (Joseph Sutcliffe) The earth, “…when first called into existence, was without form and void: confusion and emptiness, as the same original words are rendered, Isaiah 34:11. It was without order, beauty, or even use, in its present state, and was surrounded on all sides with thick darkness, through the gloom of which there was not one ray of light to penetrate not even so much as to render the darkness visible.” (Joseph Benson) Genesis 1:3 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. “And here, at the beginning of the sacred volume, we read of that Divine Spirit, whose work upon the heart of man is so often mentioned in other parts of the Bible.” (Matthew Henry) Excerpt And The Spirit Of God Moved Upon The Face Of The Waters by Wayne Simpson I have often said that learning to read the Bible in Hebrew is like being able to read in three dimensions when you could only read in two dimensions before. Nothing illustrates that more than the material in this article. For years I read the second verse of the book of Genesis in English without ever understanding the most remarkable subtlety hidden there. Oh, I noticed the language and I thought it was a little odd to say: And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:2) How strange it seemed to say God moved. How did he move? Did He walk, or swim? Did He sort of float in the air? In what way did He move, and why is that significant? Now, this wasnt what you would call a burning question - only a curiosity. I would pause and think about the distinctive choice of words, but I would quickly move on to more pressing issues. Only after I learned to read in Hebrew did the marvelous meaning of that word moved come through. I actually stumbled across the meaning in a commentary once, where it was rendered as brooded. But, it still did not register because for me to brood usually meant to worry or fret. That made no sense at all. Why would the Creator worry over the face of the waters. Later, when I delved into the meaning of the Hebrew word for moved, mrahaphet, I learned that it means to flutter or shake. I discovered the word is also used in Deuteronomy 32:11 where the context is very clear. As the eagle stirs up her nest, flutters (mrahaphet) over her young, spreads abroad her wings... Suddenly the meaning became clear for me. It was as if a 1000 watt light bulb was being turned on in my head. I knew I had witnessed that very thing many times. Many years ago we had a flock of ducks in our back yard. There was a pond and we enjoyed having the ducks around. They were relaxing and entertaining to watch. It was especially interesting in the spring when the hens started to nest. They were a domestic mallard mix. They looked like mallards except the shape of their heads. The drakes had the bright colors but the hens were just a mottled brownish color. Her markings made it easy to be virtually invisible when nesting. She had a proclivity for sitting absolutely motionless on the nest, settled in and flattened out, with their head withdrawn and lying flat into their breast feathers so as not to present a typical duck profile. You could absolutely look directly at her and not see her unless you were really paying close attention. I have nearly stepped on a nesting hen many times because I didnt know she was there. Though normally shy and skittish and unwilling to get too close, during nesting season she seemed to have nerves of steel. She wouldnt twitch or budge even when in danger, for fear of giving away the location of the nest. Only when the threat was sure and imminent, or when she was being harassed for her eggs would she abandon her nest... When a hen began to set it was remarkable to see her on the nest, keeping her silent vigil for days and weeks, not moving a muscle. Only rarely would you notice her leave for a few minutes to eat or drink. She would masterfully cover the nest with leaves and grass to make it virtually invisible and to keep it warm in her brief absence. But soon she would be back for the next shift. Incubation time was about a month. I never counted the days - I just waited to be surprised. Finally after days on end something seemed different. As I made the morning rounds, she no longer was snuggled down quietly in the nest. Something was changed about her posture. She now seemed to be sitting higher in the nest, almost hovering over it. Her head, no more hidden, was raised erect with pride, her wings slightly spread to cover more of the nest than before. As I look more closely, I could begin to see tiny pairs of inquisitive coal black eyes peering out curiously at me from beneath her wings, punctuated here and there by a small yellow and black bill. It was clear that the eggs were beginning to hatch. She stayed in that posture for the next few hours or perhaps into the next day, until all the eggs hatched and the whole troop marched ceremoniously for the nearest water like so many tin soldiers. She would strut with pride having successfully accomplished the very purpose of her existence, obviously now aware of her changing role as teacher and protector. But during the time she waited patiently over the nest, waiting for all the eggs to be hatched, a careful observer would notice something - something very subtle. As she held her slightly outstretched wings over the new brood, she would tremble or flutter ever so slightly (mrahaphet), just like that eagle in Deuteronomy. Bird experts say this careful motion is intended to stir the air and keep the temperature just right for the new ducklings. Those precision movements reflect the meticulous focus and care that she now lavishes on the tiny downy creatures. It was exactly this scene that is described in the very first verse of Genesis, when the Spirit of God brooded or fluttered over the face of the waters. What a magnificent metaphor this is for the meticulous planning, the tireless effort, the care, and the love that was exhibited at that moment. In taking that very first step to prepare the earth as a sort of nest for His own children, He made it into the ideal place for man to begin the adventure of life, to live out his collective human existence, to learn the lessons of history, and to grow into maturity and wisdom, until finally a time comes when has taken on the character of his Parent, and the whole earth can be united in peace and harmony in the messianic kingdom. We have cause for optimism about the destiny of man. God will not let us fail. Though we may have many bitter lessons to learn, He has great things in mind for man in the future. With that kind of resource behind us, how can we fail? “In like manner the work of grace in the soul is a new creation: and in a graceless soul, one that is not born again, there is disorder, confusion, and every evil work: it is empty of all good, for it is without God; it is dark, it is darkness itself: this is our condition by nature, till Almighty grace works a change in us.” (Matthew Henry)
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 01:09:41 +0000
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