Intro: THE REAL SOURCE OF ENERGY!
1. The scientists were all excited about what is called "dark engergy" but lately articles have brought the idea into doubt. One such article notes:
"It was only a few years ago that astronomers shook up current models of the Universe with the theory of dark energy; which says that the expansion of the Universe is actually accelerating.
But new evidence gathered by the ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has cast some doubt on the theory. By looking at distant galaxy clusters – up to 10 billion light-years away – the ESA astronomers found they contained more concentrated matter than the theory of dark energy would predict. If matter was so concentrated, the Universe can’t be 70% dark energy.
ESA’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton, has returned tantalising new data about the nature of the Universe. In a survey of distant clusters of galaxies, XMM-Newton has found puzzling differences between today’s clusters of galaxies and those present in the Universe around seven thousand million years ago. Some scientists claim that this can be interpreted to mean that the ‘dark energy’ which most astronomers now believe dominates the Universe simply does not exist?"
2. Theories abound but the Word of God remains! We are introducted this morning to the real source of all energy.
3. The Spirit’s Energizing of the existence.
Trans:Still looking at the Introduction!
I. Self-existence of God.
II. Speaking into existence by God.
III. Special Existence of planet earth by God.
IV. Spirit’s Energizing of the existence.
Gen. 1:2
I. FIRST, THE MENTIONING OF THE SPIRIT.
A. Observation.
and the Spirit of God - ruah [roo-ah] Spirit of; elohim, God...
The basic idea of rûach is air in motion—"breath" or "wind." It is the major word for wind in the OT.
From this meaning, it came to be used of enabling or empowering for action. It is also used to refer to invisible, powerful, supernatural beings—(1)God, (2) angels (3) evil spirits, (4) to the inner person of humans, especially their deepest emotions, motivations and dispositions, the source of willpower, and (5) Wind.
In Gen. 3:8, "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:8 The phrase "in the cool of the day" seems to denote air in motion. It is probably referring to the cool breezes the lands of the Near East enjoy in the evening.
Wind is clearly the meaning in Gen. 8:1, "But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided." Genesis 8:1
In Exo. 15:8, "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea." There God is pictured as blasting air out his nostrils to part the Red Sea.
The invisible power of the wind made it a good term for invisible, powerful spirit beings. To reassure Israel, God said the horses of the Egyptians were flesh, not spirit. This is in parallel with God:
"Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together." Isaiah 31:3
Job sensed something frightening pass by his face, which he described by using rûach: "Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up." Job 4:15
Evil spirits were sometimes sent in judgment on people, "Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him." 1 Samuel 16:14, but otherwise they are not mentioned often in the OT.
In these few contexts, they do seem to be some kind of invisible being with limited power under God’s sovereign control. In the OT, these references may be to agents of Satan [demons] used by God indirectly for judgment, Zech. 13:2, there is reference to "the unclean spirit" in the land, or they may be of elect angel, "He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers." Psalm 104:4
Israel is described as having "the spirit of whoredoms," which lead them away from God:
"My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, And they have played the harlot, departing from their God." Hosea 4:12
"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the LORD." Hosea 5:4
From later revelation, it is evident that such a pervasive evil reputation would be caused by the work of agents of Satan on the people’s hearts.
The Spirit of God (or Spirit of the Lord) is often named. (The combination "Holy Spirit" is used only twice in the Old Testament:
"11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit." Psalm 51:11-12 (NASB)
"But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them." Isaiah 63:10
When the OT writers spoke of the Spirit of God, the reference always included God’s presence and acting power in this world.
Trans:Therefore the word ruach, spirit can have a wide variety of meaning.
B. The Identification.
This is in a context obviously has nothing to do with angels or demons or man’s spirit, and it seems to mean more then mere wind.
Leupold, "But what exactly is "the Spirit of God"? Since in this account the noun for God elohim is without a doubt definite, the word "spirit" also becomes definite, according to a simple rule of Hebrew syntax...It must definitely be rendered "The Spirit of God." Nor is there any warrent for rendering ruach as "wind" in this instance. The verb with which it is construed implies too much to let the statement merely mean that a wind fanned the face of the waters...We must guard against overstatement of the case, but we maintain very definitely: the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity."
Sailhammer, "The traditonal reading "Spirit of God" seems the only reading compatible with the verb "hovering" a verb not suited to describing the blowing of a wind. Moreover the image of the Spirit of God hoving over the waters is similar to the depiction of God in Deut. 32 as an eagle "hovering" over the nest of its young, protecting and preparing their nests."
Morris, "There is no doubt that the creative activity requires not a wind but the person of God Himself. Since the universe was everywhere in need of activation, that person of the Godhead who is both omnipresent and energizing is appropriately mentioned as working in the creation at this point." The Genesis Record.
C. The Confirmation. That this is the Holy Spirit.
This is confirmed by at least two passages of scripture:
"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host." Psalm 33:6 (NASB)
"You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground." Psalm 104:30 (NASB)
Since the Holy Spirit is said to have created, it makes sense that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit.
Obviously the translator confirm this is the Holy Spirit by using a capital S, for spirit. If it were mere wind, a small s would have been used.
Note: NASB/AMB/ESV/NIV/NKJV/etc.
We should not be surprised that we bump into the Holy Spirit as we look at the origin of the universe!
Inscribed upon Ruskin’s Memorial, at Friar’s Crag, Keswick, England, are these words:
"The Spirit of God is around you in the air you breathe. His glory in the light that you see, and in the Fruitfulness of the earth and joy of His creatures. He has written for you day by day His revelation, as He has granted you day by day your daily bread."
Trans:So again we have the concept of the Trinity.
Charles Stanley, "Look closely at Gen.1:1-2, and you’ll notice the Bible refers to "God" and "the Spirit of God" without making the slightest distinction between the two...It’s because the two are one! This is the first allusion to the doctrine of the Trinity in Scripture."
As someone noted, "God the Father mouthed (spoke) the creation into being, the Word (God the Son) made (John 1:3) the creation, and the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) moved in the creation process."
II. FINALLY, THE MOVING OF THE SPIRIT.
was moving over the suface of the waters - rāchaph [raw-calf]
This word is used 3 times: Here in Gen. 1:2, Jer.23:9, and
"Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. Deuteronomy 32:11
Notice this is not an eagle sitting upon eggs, but fluttering over it’s young.
It is a picture of an awesome God initation of the Word of God. We find the Holy Spirit moving in 2 Pet. 1:21:
"20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:20-21 (NASB)
In that passage "moved" is the same word [phero] that was used in the Greek Septuagint to translate our word "moved" in Gen. 1:2. Just as the Holy Spirit energized the authors of Scripture to record is living Word, so the Spirit of God energized the universe to bring it to life.
Here it says the Holy Spirit is moving - the Big bang theory has two basic problems - 1. Where everything came from. 2. What cause it to explode.
God’s Word solves both problems - 1. It all came from God the Father and
2. God the Spirit set it all in motion!
"Some commentators relate the word particularly to the hovering of a mother hen over her chicks. In any case, the idea seems to be mainly that of a rapid back and forth motion.
In modern scientific terminology, the best translation would probably be "vibrated." If the universe is to be energized, there must be an Energizer. If it is to be set in motion, there must be a Prime Mover.
It is significant that the transmission of energy in the operations of the cosmos is in the form of waves—light waves, heat waves, sound waves, and so forth. In fact (except for the nuclear forces which are involved in the structure of matter itself), there are only two fundamental types of forces that operate on matter—the gravitational forces and the forces of the electromagnetic spectrum. All are associated with "fields" of activity and with transmission by wave motion.
Waves are typically rapid back and forth movements and they are normally produced by the vibratory motion of a wave generator of some kind. Energy cannot create itself. It is most appropriate that the first impartation of energy to the universe is described as the "vibrating" movement of the Spirit of God Himself.
As the outflowing energy from God’s omnipresent Spirit began to flow outward and to permeate the cosmos, gravitational forces were activated and water and earth particles came together to form a great sphere moving through space. Other such particles would soon come together also to form sun, moon, and stars throughout the universe. There was now a "compass" on the face of the deep, and the formless earth had assumed the beautiful form of a perfect sphere. It was now ready for light and heat and other forms of enlivening energy." The Genesis Record.
"The word "moved" means to vibrate in a rapid back and forth motion or to flutter. This movement energized the earth, setting into motion the earth’s rotation on its axis and the nuclear, gravitational, and electromagnetic forces." Mattoon’s Treasures
Con:
1. The Spirit’s Energizing of the existence.
2. That same God can energize us also, yet we seem so powerless!
3. Savvy consumers know that most manufacturers equip their appliances, computers, and electronic devices with a "Standby" mode these days. Supposedly, the standby mode allows the consumer to save energy while keeping the gadget powered up and ready for use.
However, a recent study in the US showed that the energy WASTED in the United States every year by machines on "standby" costs consumers $1 billion a year, and would be enough to power a large city such as Chicago or London!
New Scientist magazine reported that, since many items spend much more time in "standby" than they do in normal use, such appliances actually use a MAJORITY of their energy in "standby" mode.
Christians, we must be careful not to expend all of our energy and resources in "standby-for-Jesus" mode! Do we spend most of our effort GETTING READY to serve? … or do we spend most of our effort actually DOING the work of service?
Johnny Palmer Jr
