Read through the Bible in 2 years: Genesis 1-2

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1 ESV

Before the creation of the heavens and the earth, there was God. God is the creator. He is the only “I am” – The only One who was and is and is to come. Think about that for a minute. In the light of His eternal power, my life and problems look so much more fleeting.

"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. 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." - Genesis 1:2-5 ESV

The very first thing that God created in the universe was light. The earth was dark, but God was not dark. Like we just read in 1 John 1:5b ESV, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” God created light before He created the sun and stars. There was day and night, and light and darkness before there was a sun.

At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, we read that in the new city on the new earth, there will be “no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23 ESV)

"And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so." - Genesis 1:14-15 ESV

Yet God created the sun, moon, and stars. Why? We see three reasons here: He made them to separate the day and night. He made them for signs and seasons and days and years. And he made them to be lights in the darkness of the heavens.

I love the thought that God created time. God gave us a sun and moon and stars to mark days and nights and seasons. How could we count the days until our baby is due or the days until Passover or the Feast of Booths or Christmas if we didn’t have a sun? God is so wise and merciful!

And think of all the miraculous signs that have appeared in the heavens that draw people (including me) to consider God’s existence and power. Like Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

There’s so much I could write about Genesis 1! I’ll add just one more thought that I hope you already noticed, but took me years to pick up on. On days 1, 2, and 3 God created the things (the light, atmosphere, and land) and then on days 4, 5, and 6, He filled them (Heavenly bodies, air and sea creatures, animals and man in the land). God is intentional and orderly.

This revelation also helped me to remember the days of creation. On day one, God separated the light and the dark, and then on day four He put the sun, moon and stars in the heavens. On day two, He separated the water from the sky, and then on day five he filled the air and the water with animals to inhabit them. On day three, God separated the land from the water and then on day six, He put the man and animals on the land.

Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father,

You are the God of light. There is no darkness in You. Our world is indeed so dark, but You sent Your only Begotten Son Jesus, to be the light of the world, to light it up, to draw people to You.

I pray that we would be a city on a hill. I pray that the light of Jesus would shine brightly out of us and point people to you, that we would let our lights done.

I pray that people would see the sun, moon and stars and the intricate, inexplicable beauty of all that You have created and they would know that You are indeed real and good and mighty and eternal.

Father, I pray that our study of Genesis would point us to You, the eternal almighty God.

In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.