In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Jumping into the middle or end of a story just will not do. You’ve probably said yourself at times “start at the beginning” as someone excitedly rambles through some confusing details of an account. As surely as we want to know “how it ends”, we want to know how a thing started.
The Pentateuch is the collection of the first five books of the Bible and makes up the Jewish Torah. It is a collection of the history of the people of Israel and the laws given to them. In these first verses of the Bible we are told how it all began – in the beginning- and we are told who is responsible – God. God was already in existence in the beginning. The use of the Hebrew word Elohiym for God, which is the plural form of the word, gives us a glimpse of the triune God at work. We see a God with awesome power bringing created order into existence. We learn that at the beginning there was a useless, empty mass filled with darkness. The Spirit of God was hovering over it waiting to bring forth life. God gave earth the perfect balance of water, oxygen, temperature and atmosphere to sustain the life that He was about to create. Of all the planets, earth is the only one that has the necessary perfect combination of these elements. The perfect triune God, by His word, “Let there be…” created day and night, sky and waters, land and sea and vegetation, sun and moon and stars, sea creatures and birds, and animals and humans. And God saw that it was good.
God desires that we know the beginning of the story and we find Him central to it. He reveals Himself and desires that we know Him and love Him as He knows and loves us. Time in His Word daily will lead us to that end.
Personal reflection: Ponder the greatness and majesty of our all-powerful God. Lift your heart in praise to the Creator of all things.