God is an artist and architect. It’s part of being a Creator.
Artist’s often begin with , and God was no different. Like a sculptor; He fashioned this planet with hills, ridges, and mountains; as His voice chiseled them with every shape and size.
He painted this world with broad strokes, with the 10 million + colors that we know exist; not to mention the colors that most believe the human eye cannot see.
Yet, according to Genesis 1:2 he began with something that looked like this:
The Bible gets very scientific in Genesis 1:2 by saying that when God began the creative process that this was the fact: “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
In other words, like many other planets, in the beginning, planet earth was nothing more or less than a big dark rock that He placed in the firmament. It was like a crusty, rock canvas that God suspended in the cosmos that God decided to put His artistry to work on.
So, to understand creation, let’s start there. Let’s start with the rocks. Let’s start with Geology and see what we might learn about God and this rock we live upon.
Transitional Sentence: What do we learn about God from the rock we read about in Genesis 1:2?
I. People Have A Problem With The Rock
vs. 2- “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep...”
Explanation:
The Bible tells us that when God began creating. As a matter of fact, you can study the timeline of the Bible and its genealogies leading all the way up to Jesus, and when you add the 2000 years since Jesus; it’s easy to see that God began creating about 6000 years ago.
Yet, if you go to any National Park you will look at geological structures or fossils and will be told that the earth is millions, if not billions of years old.
The biggest problem people have with our belief in creation spotlights on the age of the earth that is based upon the timelines of the Bible.
The reason why the age of the earth is such an issue to evolutionists is because without the earth “being old’ their evolutionary beliefs (Evolution takes a lot of time/Creation does not) fall apart.
To quickly explain, the problem I’ll quickly display where the problems stem. They stem from:
a) The earth’s layers
There was a man from England whose name was William Smith who lived in the late 1700’s that discovered that there were layers of rocks on the earth.
Everywhere he studied on this planet, he discovered that the layers of rocks were present in a uniform pattern.
In those uniform layers of rocks, he learned that there was the presence of fossils; which are nothing more or less than burial grounds for the life that lived in the past. There were animal fossil remains, as well as, plant life fossils that were buried in the layers of rock.
He, as an evolutionist, he believed that since things evolved to become more complex over time, that by digging deeper into the layers of rocks, that the deeper he went the some simple the remains would become.
In the older and deeper layers; he expected to find simpler forms of life, and the close you came to the earth’s surface, you would find more complex forms of life.
He arranged the layers of the earth that he discovered into about 6 layers of earth. He said that from those layers he could tell how old the earth is. From this, the biologist and geologists have determined how old they think the earth is.
From this, we are basically told to take our Bible’s and believe their interpretation of Geology over the teachings of Theology.
Today, if you ask: “How do you know the age of a certain layer of the earth?” Their response: Because of the fossils that are there.
Then you ask: “How do you know the age of the fossils?” Their response: Because of the layer of the earth that they are found in.
THEY CREATED A CIRCULAR ARGUMENT.
Do you see what happens? The age of the earth that is provided is completely based on presupposition. In other words, opinion.
When we read Genesis 1:2 we read the historical record of creation, based upon the eyewitness account of the one who created it. Please pardon my simplicity, but I often want to ask evolutionists one question: “How do you know; were you there?”
Listen: We have the historical account of the one who was. Yet, He is not just the one who was there; but He is the one who is, and will always be.
b) The dating processes of the layers
One of the best examples of the problems with the layer theory is was the discovery of human tracks and two large “saber-tooth cat tracks” next to each other in the Palaxy Riverbed in Glenrose, Texas.
According to evolutionists, humans and dinosaurs did not live at the same time.
Yet, you be the judge.
Do you know what they said? They said the human tracks are a hoax? Interesting that the human tracks are claimed to be but not the prehistoric tracks. I’m sure you can figure out why.
Yet, human remains have been found alongside animal remains yet according to evolution, it should be millions of years before humans were to come into existence.
Dinosaur tracks have been found in the same steps as human tracks. Therefore, you scientific accuracy is not Biblical accuracy.
c) The ignorance of power of God
The Bible declares that God is a powerful God, therefore creation was a powerful event where God created the earth to defy age.
In other words, God did not initially create earth and its resources and people with a need to mature and grow. Instead, God created an earth already in full bloom.
He created plants and trees that were fully grown, fully mature, and able to immediately reproduce.
He created a garden and put man in it to tend it. Adam initially did not have to till the soil, plant an apple seed and wait a decade to finally be able to eat an apple off of it.
Furthermore, the animals did not have to wander the countryside and wait for grass to come up to eat, nor did God create Adam as a baby without anyone there to take care of him until he arrived to maturity.
When Eve arrived on scene and Adam arrived on scene, God performed the first marriage ceremony in the garden because they were mature, able to live, love, and reproduce as grown adults.
Yet, science that discounts God and because of it; has no choice than to believe this is impossible and that the evolution from plant, animal, then to humans was the only way it could happen.
So let me ask you: How do you trust scientific viewpoints of time and age?
God created man with all the necessary life support systems in his body at that time. To believe otherwise requires you to think that man evolved from apes and that you are a monkey’s uncle.
But getting back to the rocks; that’s the same type of thinking that is used to provide the age of rocks; each layer built upon the next and the next until finally you get what we are walking upon today.
Transitional Sentence: What do we learn about God from the rock we read about in Genesis 1:2?
II. God Has A Purpose for the Rock
vs. 2- “The earth was formless and void...”
Explanation:
When you read Genesis 1:1 we read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Then in verse 2, we often quickly pass over what we read. It says: “And the earth was formless and void...”
The words “formless” and “void” means: Waste, dreary, and empty. The Aramaic says: Ruined and uninhabited.”
Do you ever wonder why God did it in this order? Why did He make the “the heavens and the earth” before the days? Why did He “pre-create” the rock? (We get to that)
But understand, when God created, He always had God’s plan was not simply to create a canvas but to provide a place for you and me in His creative plan.
Isaiah 45:18 affirms this saying: “For this is what the Lord says--he who created the heavens,
he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
God’s plan for Geology had Theological implications.
God’s plan for mankind to ultimately live on this rock was only part of the purpose of His Creating with a global canvas. The great purpose of His artistry was to bring knowledge and revelation of Himself to all of His creation.
Therefore, Proverbs 8 says that before he started sculpting, creating, and painting on this rock canvas; He created wisdom.
The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth. 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Proverbs 8:23-29
The Bible tells us what wisdom is saying: “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10
Therefore, the creation of wisdom was created prior to all creation; for God wanted to provide the capacity for us to know Him; therefore, we needed wisdom.
Illustration: Google/Information verses wisdom
When people need information today, do you know what the most popular thing to do is? Google it.
People pull out their phones and might even ask Siri. Siri is an automated “Googler.” Yet, there’s a big difference between “Google” and “God.” Google gives information; God gives wisdom.
In 2017 William Joe Johnson needed some money and googled “How to get money” and “How to rob a bank” came up in the query.
Do you know what William Joe Johnson did? He went down the Acheiva Credit Union and applied his “google” info.
He actually got money; but also got “3 hots and cot” at the county jail to boot.
Application:
How many of you know information and wisdom are two different things? God and google are as well.
Transitional Sentence: What do we learn about God from the rock we read about in Genesis 1:2?
III. God Provides a Picture From the Rock
vs. 2- “...the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
Explanation:
Yet, there is one more thing about God seen in the rocks.
Don’t miss a very intriguing picture of God’s grace that is provided immediately before man is even created.
You would wonder why God’s first step in creation would be to create this rock globe in an incomplete way? God was able right? He created everything by simply speaking it into order. So why would begin with a canvas? Why not just create the whole picture? (There’s more here than meets the eye)
The Hebrew language helps us see the whole picture. The description of the rock is as follows:
a) It was formless
b) It was void
c) It was dark
Strangely enough, all three words are used consistently in the Bible to describe something under God’s judgment.
1. Formless-TOHU- which means “something laid to waste” In Isaiah 24:10, 39:11, and Jeremiah 4:23 it is a word used to describe God’s judgment and destruction.
2. Void- BOHU- which means “empty”. It is used in Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 34:11 to describe (again) God’s judgment in bringing judgment and destruction.
3. Darkness- TEHOM- Which is associated with God’s judgement and is even used in God’s judgment and even a picture of hell—the place of darkness.
Why did God create a rock that could only be described in terms of His own judgment? GOD WAS PAINTING A BIGGER PICTURE OF WHAT HE KNEW WOULD HAPPEN WITH HIS CREATION.
He knew His creation would come under judgment and provided the picture and language to reveal it.
GOD KNEW. HE KNEW WHAT HIS CREATION WOULD HAVE TO BE RECREATED. HE KNEW THE EARTH WOULD GROAN FOR SALVATION AS THE WORLD WOULD BECOME FALLEN AND CURSED.
He KNEW AND FORSHADOWED IN CREATION THAT MAN WOULD BRING ON THE CURSE OF JUDGMENT THAT WOULD RESULT IN A CROSS.
Yet, God created us anyway!
God knew that man would become like this picture:
a) Without form- That’s what sin does to the human soul. A soul apart from Jesus is a formless wasteland.
b) Void- That’s what sin does to the human soul. A soul apart from Jesus is empty and meaningless.
c) Darkness- A Soul apart from Jesus is blinded by sin and unaware and unconscious to truth.
Yet, notice what happens next: THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED.
The word “moved” means to shake or vibrate. It brings energy. The Holy Spirit comes upon us. It hovers over us. It envelops us. It brings energy, conviction, and conversion and recreates and regenerates us from death to life.
Verse 2 is one of the most monumental verses in the Bible because it reveals that GOD KNEW!
He foreknew our sin; but did not forego our creation! He had a plan to recreate us in Christ!
The 1st picture of the rock, leads us to Calvary’s rock where the lamb of God; the Lord of glory would take on this world of chaos, face the void hearts of His persecutors and executioners; and would even face the moment when the Father could not look on, and darkness fall as the scripture reads; so that, by God’s grace, the Spirit of God could move, and bring new life.
Conclusion: The Foundation Stone
In Jerusalem there is a rock called “The Foundation Stone or The Noble Rock.” Strangely enough it is also called “the pierced stone.” (Because it has a piercing in the corner that goes into a cavern called “ the cavern of souls.)t
In Jewish tradition, it is considered to be the place from which the creation of the world began. place you can go where Jews say, was the place where God started the creation of the world.
When you stand there, you think about Genesis 1:2. They call it, the bedrock of creation.
Yet, not far away (literally) is the literal bedrock of our recreation; called Golgotha, the place where God’s son died for you and me.
Invitation:
Today, you can be an act of God’s creation. II Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here!
