Isis. Gun Violence. Economic
Collapse. Unsafe Drinking Water. Global Warming. Racial Tension. Political
Instability. Worldwide Pandemics. Technological Blackout. Meteor Collision. Zombie
Apocalypse. Fear is everywhere. We cannot escape the constant barrage of news
stories or television shows that are designed to incite fear into our lives.
And fear doesn’t appear only in the main stream media, but in the pews of our
churches. We constantly hear, “The church is dying,” “The culture is moving
away from the Lord,” “The younger generation do not like tradition,” “The older
generations like tradition too much,” “We are not making budget.” We live in a
world that wants us to be fearful.
Fear
is a lack of faith. Fear underestimates the power of God. We are taught to
believe Psalm 118:6, for “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear; what can man
do to me?” The reason we do not have to fear is because the Lord is on our
side. If people know that the Lord is on their side, why do people fear? Why
are people so afraid? I believe that people live in fear because they do not
understand who the Lord is who is at their side. It is one thing to say the
Lord is on my side, it is quite another to say the Lord the Almighty, Creator
of heaven and earth, Sovereign King of the Universe is on our side. The Bible
is a book about God. The Bible teaches us what God has done and what He is
like. The foundation to understanding the character of God begins in Genesis 1.
Genesis was not fundamentally written to explain all the details of gravity or
the various types of dinosaurs or how Cain found a wife. Genesis was written to
a fearful Israel so that they would properly understand who God is and why
Yahweh is the most powerful God over all others.
Moses probably wrote Genesis after
Israel’s exodus from Egypt and before their entrance into the promise land immediately
following his death. Israel had lived in the pluralistic culture of Egypt with
their various gods and were going to face the pluralistic gods of Canaan. Moses
wanted Israel to know that they did not need to fear because their God was far
greater than any other gods. Yahweh is greater, because He is the Creator King
and is over all the universe.
The situation of Israel is not much
different from our situation. They were tempted to fear the strength and the
gods of the culture as we are tempted to live in fear. The words of Genesis may
not answer all your questions about science, but they should reveal to you the
power of the Creator King of the universe. I pray that you will not fear, but
rather that you will know who the Lord is that is on your side.
The Creator King Systematically
Speaks Creation
The reason
we should have confidence in God is because he created an ordered world out of
chaos through his powerful word. Genesis 1 is a beautiful passage of Scripture.
The Hebrew structure and arrangement of the chapter echo God’s perfection and
power in creating the world. English Bibles end after the sixth day while the
Hebrew structure is clear that it should end when God rested on the seventh
day. Moses begins new sections with the “toledot” or “these are the
generations” throughout the book of Genesis to help the reader understand the
structure. There is also a chiastic inclusion at with Genesis 1:1 and Genesis
2:3. This means that the same words that are used in Genesis 1:1 are the same
words used in Genesis 2:1-3, but in reverse order. The structure is important
to fully grasp what God is communicating to Israel through Moses.
Moses
systematically orders the text as God systematically orders Creation. The first
sentence, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” provides a
worldview for all believers. Derek Kinder observes, “It is no accident that God
is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible, for this word dominates the
whole chapter and catches the eye at every point of the page: it is used some
thirty-five times in as many verses of the story.[1]”
God is the main character of the Bible and Genesis 1 highlights the complete
perfection of God.
Moses
systematically structured the text using the perfect number 7 to show how God
perfectly ordered the cosmos. There are seven days, seven times God said, “And
it was so,” seven times, “God saw that it was good/very good,” heaven and earth
are both mentioned 21 times (a multiple of seven), and God is mentioned 35
times, another multiple of seven. God perfectly and systematically ordered
creation. The days of creation are structured in two sets of three days, three
being another number of completeness. The two sets of three days solve the
problem stated in Genesis 1:2, “The earth was without form and void, and
darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over
the face of the waters.” The earth was without form and void. The first set of
three days solves the form problem while the second set of three solves the
problem of the void.
Each day
has a very similar structure: an announcement (God said), a command (let there
be), a report (and it was so) an evaluation (it was good) and a chronology (the
first day). We can see this structure in the first day. Genesis 1:3-5, “And God
said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was
good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day.” On the first day God solved the form problem by separating
light from darkness. On the second day he separated sky and water and on the
third day he separated water from the land and made vegetation. Then on the
second set of three days God solved the problem of the earth being void. He
filled the earth with the luminaries of the Sun and Moon to light the day and
night. He filled the sky with birds and the sea with fish. He provided animals
and man to fill the earth with man being the pinnacle of creation to subdue and
exercise dominion of the earth.
The all-wise, infinite God
perfectly ordered creation. There are scores of books and theories written
about the age of the earth and how scientific discovery mesh with the creation
account of Genesis 1. There is value in studying and defending particular
theories on the creation account, but we do not want those discussions to
overtake the main thrust of the passage. The main point of the passage is that
God created the heavens and earth. He, and He alone, gave the earth form and
filled its void. An old age creationist and a young-earther can agree on that
and thus can cooperate and have fellowship in the same church. Israel would
have seen Genesis 1 as displaying God’s power and control over the earth rather
than trying to figure out exact details of the creation account. Genesis 1 was
written to give comfort and hope to Israel as they were surrounded by other
gods so we have to be careful not to read Genesis 1 only through our western,
rational, scientific minds, but also to see the original intent of the book.
God solves the problem of an earth
without form and void by His Word. Creation came into existence out of nothing,
or “ex nihilio,” by the Word of God. The One who always existed brought a world
into existence by his word. Ten times in the creation account we see, “And God
said…” Think of Israel’s history and how they would have heard Genesis 1. They
were in bondage in Egypt and God brought Ten plagues upon the Egyptians. God
brought them to Mount Sinai and gave them ten commandments to live by. And here
Moses explains how God created the world by providing ten words to his
creation. In those days, the King spoke a decree and it was done. We see in
Genesis 1, God speaks and it is done showing that God, Elohim, is the King of
Universe.
God brings order out of chaos with
his powerful word. The New Testament continues this theme in John 1,
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that
was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines
in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son
from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5; 14)
Jesus Christ is the Word of God the Father. Jesus is One
with the King of Universe. He is the Sovereign Creator and creation was created
for His glory. Colossians 1:15-17,
He is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he
is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
All things were created through him and for him. Genesis 1
repeats Ten Words, “And God said,” as a sign of His perfect work in creation,
but now God has spoken his perfect work in the finished work of his Son.
Hebrews 1:1-4,
Long ago, at many times and in many
ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom
also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact
imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has
inherited is more excellent than theirs.
As God spoke to solve the problem of an earth that was
without form and void so now God has spoken to solve the problem of sin and
death through the Word made flesh. Jesus emptied himself of his glory to become
a servant being made in our likeness.
The Creator became like one of his
creatures, being made in the likeness of man to solve our problem of fear.
Hebrews 2:14-15 help us understand the Word that Jesus now speaks, “Since
therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power
of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death
were subject to lifelong slavery.” The Israelites were subject to lifelong
slavery until God spoke his Ten Perfect Words against the Egyptians and we were
subject to lifelong slavery until God spoke his Perfect Word against death and
the devil. Jesus freed us from slavery by dying in our place on the cross and
being raised on the third day. God has promised to save anyone from their fear
of death by offering eternal life through faith in Jesus’ perfect work of
redemption.
Beloved, Genesis 1 is a picture of
how God has spoken and how He still speaks. The great problem of Genesis 1 was
solved through God’s Word and our great problem today is solved through God’s
Word. Jesus still speaks, have you heard His word?
The Creator King Sovereignly
Rules Creation
Moses shows
that God is the One who is the Sovereign King of creation not the gods of the
opposing nations. Israel would have known and been exposed to the gods of the
Egyptians. The Egyptians believed in the pagan gods of the Sun and the Moon.
Moses shows how the “powerful” pagan gods are merely God’s creatures along with
the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. Israel always struggled with
fear. Many of those who first heard Genesis 1 were those who got right to the
edge of the Promised Land only to spend their lives wandering in the dessert
because they feared the size of Canaanites. They feared the Canaanites because
they did not understand who was on their side. The Lord, the Sovereign King of
the Universe, rules heaven and earth. We should not fear those who can only
kill the body, but can do no more. We should fear God who is in control of our
earthly life as well as the life to come.
What are
you fearful of today? What anxieties keep you up at night? What fears creep
into your soul to doubt God? Beloved, our world trains us to fear, but our God
is in control. It is a simple message. God is in control. God is not surprised
by cancer. God is not surprised by Islamic terrorist. He is not surprised by
economic collapse or a shrinking American evangelical church. God is in
control. Creation is God’s testimony of His Sovereign power. Jesus says in
Matthew 6,
“Therefore I tell you, do not be
anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about
your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his
span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so
clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we
drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious
for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34)
Look at the birds of the air. The same birds I spoke into
existence on the 5th day of Creation. Those birds are an
ever-present reminder of my power. Look
at the lilies of the field. The same vegetation I caused to sprout on the 3rd
day of Creation.
When your
fears and anxiety start getting the best of you, take a walk and observe
creation. Remind your heart that God is in control. You do not need to fear;
you need to remember. God is in control. Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is
the One who has been given all Authority in heaven and earth. The One who has
all authority is the One whose hands have been pierced for you. You can trust
the power displayed in Creation as you can trust the heart of the Creator.
The Creator King Safely
Restores Creation
One of the dominant themes of
Genesis 1 is not only that God is the created, but that the creation is good. God
looked over all that he had made and said that it was very good. It was
perfect. It was excellent. It was spectacular. The creation account ends in
Genesis 2:1-3,
Thus the heavens
and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day
God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from
all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
God rested on the 7th day and made it holy. We
gather on this Sabbath Day, the day that God has set apart for us as we look
forward to the Sabbath rest of the people of God. The Sabbath is a reminder
that God will restore his creation. He will bring about a prefect redemption.
Genesis 1:1-Genesis 2:3 does not speak of sin or the Fall. It does not speak of
a world that has been subjected to futility, but the original audience would
have known of the Fall. Their backs would have born the scares of Egyptian
whips. Their eyes would have seen death and decay in the wilderness. We do not
see sin in creation, but we all have experienced the effects of sin. The
effects of sin are a reminder that the world we live in is not the way it was
supposed to be. God rested on the 7th Day because all that he
created was very good.
Today, and
every Sabbath day, we model what God did at the end of his creation. God
rested. We gather as God’s people and remember that we have rested from our
labors. We no longer try to earn God’s favor with our work, but we rest in the
finish work of God’s Incarnate Word. Jesus Christ has finished God’s Work. He
now sits at the right hand of God ready to come again and fully restore this
world to its perfection. Have you experienced that rest? Are you still trying
to earn your salvation? Or have you rested in Christ? Our gathering this
morning is a reminder of the finished work of Christ. God has brought salvation
to his people. Jesus hung on the cross and said as he gave up his spirit, “It
is finished.” Beloved, your salvation has been purchased through the blood of
Christ. Rest in Him as we wait for the Sabbath rest of the people of God. God
saw the Word spoken in the Son and saw that it was very good. The Lord is on
our side, let us not fear.
