Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2 (NIV)
It's interesting to note that, despite the large number of commentaries on the Bible, Genesis 1:2 is rarely touched. And in those rare instances, I still found very little to help me understand what this really means. Therefore, it may be prudent to remember our quote from last week: the best we can do is still just a guess!
Sections of this verse, like most verses, have links to other parts of the Bible. Since I don't have the language knowledge to read and study the original Greek and Hebrew texts, and can only presume that these links mean the same original words are being used. Hopefully that will help us understand the definitions a little better!
Here are a few links:
- Now the earth was formless and empty
Isaiah 23:1 - destroyed
Isaiah 24:10 - desolate
Isaiah 27:10 - desolate
Isaiah 34:11 - chaos - darkness was over the surface of the deep
Job 26:8 - his clouds
Job 38:9 - thick darkness
Psalm 36:6 - great deep
Proverbs 30:4 - his cloak - and the Spirit of God
Genesis 2:7 - the breath
Job 33:4 - Spirit
Psalm 104:30 - Spirit - was hovering over the waters
Deuteronomy 32:11 - hover over its young
Isaiah 31:5 - hovering overhead
I encourage you to read these verses (in context, preferably) on your own, to better understand their meaning -- and from them gather a better understanding of Genesis 1:2. Please share what God is showing you!
The beginning of this verse can be a little difficult to understand. How is it that, at the very beginning of creation, the description can already be associated with the destruction of a city? What does it mean to have been created in a way that was already chaotic in that manner? I did a little research into the original text, and found one Hebrew word that might be helpful to look at: tohuw. Tohuw is the Hebrew word associated with formless, and can refer to formlessness, confusion, nothingness and chaos. One way of trying to understand this might be through visualizing a lump of clay. When you drop a lump of clay at your work station, it really can be described as nothing -- it's just a blob. It is when you pull and pinch and press and mold that it truly starts to take a form (or become less chaotic). That may be how God started with His creation: something essentially formless, adding detail as He went along.
In the hours I spent researching and trying to understand this verse (including looking into the original text), I can honestly say that it is still far beyond my comprehension. There are so many different ways of looking at what it might mean. Because of this, I believe the most important thing I have learned from this verse, right now, is that I will never fully understand the time-line of creation -- and I don't need to. Curiosity most certainly is wonderful thing (and I personally believe it is a reflection of God's love of the details of His creation), and knowledge and wisdom are incredible gifts from God, but trying to solve what our minds cannot comprehend should never lead to alienation, accusations or labeled separation between believers (like this commentary on old-earthers and evolutionists).
So, how can this help me grow as a believer? For me, the idea of not understanding is holding fast to my heart. I need to learn to view my life from God's perspective, remember how little I truly understand about this life and the immensity of God, and recognize that God can work through and provide wisdom to whomever He so chooses -- because that is really the only way anyone can come by wisdom.
How is it you can grow through these words God has shared with you? I would love to hear your thoughts -- please share in the comments!
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