Genesis is the book that opens the Holy Bible, and its first chapter contains the majestic account of the creation of the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. With impressive details, the text reveals God’s absolute power and the perfect method He used: His Word.
The First Day: The Light that Overcomes Darkness
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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. (Genesis 1:1-2)
The word “form” (in Hebrew tohu) means something without shape, chaotic. God begins by commanding with a single expression: “Let there be.”
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5)
The light created here is not the sun (which appears only on the fourth day), but a supernatural light that already reveals the creative power of God’s Word. Throughout the chapter, the phrase “And God said” appears exactly 10 times (verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, and 29), showing that everything exists because He spoke.
Fingerprints of the Creator
The number three appears in a fascinating way throughout creation, reflecting the Trinity itself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit):
- Water: 2 hydrogen atoms + 1 oxygen atom
- Earth: the 3rd planet in the solar system
- Human being: spirit, soul, and body
- Time: past, present, and future
- Space: length, width, and height
- Matter: protons, neutrons, and electrons
- States of matter: solid, liquid, and gas
- Music: melody, harmony, and rhythm
Everything points to the Triune God who reveals Himself from the very first verse.
The Second Day: The Firmament
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)
God creates the atmosphere, separating the waters below (oceans) from the waters above (vapor and clouds), preparing the planet to receive life.
The Third Day: Land, Seas, and Vegetation
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. (Genesis 1:9-13)
Continents, seas, and all vegetation appear each plant with its own seed, according to its kind. Everything perfect and orderly.
The Fourth Day: Sun, Moon, and Stars
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)
Now the sun appears to rule the day, the moon the night, and the stars also serving as signs for seasons, days, and years.
The Fifth Day: Life in the Waters and in the Sky
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. (Genesis 1:20-23)
Fish, whales, birds every aquatic and flying creature is created and blessed to be fruitful and multiply.
The Sixth Day: Land Animals and Man
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:24-31)
Here the tone changes. For the first time God uses the plural: “Let us make”, revealing the Trinity at work. Man is created in God’s image and likeness, given dominion over all creation, and commanded to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth. At the end of the sixth day, God looks at everything and declares: “it was very good.”
The Seventh Day: Perfect Rest
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:1-3)
God did not rest because He was tired, but because the creation was complete, perfect, and finished. The seventh day is blessed and sanctified the foundation of the Sabbath.
Conclusion: Everything Comes from God
The entire chapter of Genesis 1 shouts one undeniable truth: God is the absolute Creator. Nothing exists by chance. The light, the sea, the stars, the animals, and above all, you and I bear the fingerprints of the Creator. When God breathed the breath of life into man, He placed a little piece of Himself inside each one of us.
Have you ever stopped to think that if you are alive today, it is because you carry within you the mark of the God who said “Let there be” and everything came into existence?
