In the beginning

"In the beginning..." (Genesis 1:1)

This is the first portion of the Bible. It is the beginning of the Bible. I like Genesis.

Then the Bible tells us about what was created.
Hebrew words are self-explanatory sometimes. People who read the Hebrew scriptures must understand something that the rest of the world doesn't see. I want to know how they see the scriptures and I want the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us!

I used to wonder about the light God created. At first God said 'let there be light' (verse 3). Then verse 14 says that God said 'Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night'. In Hebrew, the word light in the verse 3 and in verse 14 are different.

The light in verse 3 is אור ('owr), which means light of day, light from the luminaries, light of lamp, etc... It must be like light that exists around us during the day because of the sun, the light that causes us to see the things around us.

The light in verse 14 is the luminaries. The source of light.

That means the light already existed before the sun and the moon were created. I heard that the light was because of God's presence.

I used to be scared to think about the time when the sun will no longer be there- the end time-( Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken"), but if we believe in Jesus, He is the light. God is the source of light.

Other words I learned are ברא (bara') and עשה ('asah).

Bara means 'created' and it is used when something was created out of nothing.

Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created (bara) the heavens and the earth.
Gen. 1:21 So God created (bara) great sea creatures...
Gen. 1:27 So God created (bara) man in his own image, in the image of God created (bara) he him; male and female created (bara) he them.

Asah means 'fashioned' The Complete Word Old Testament AMG Publishers says that this word's emphasis is on fashioning the created objects.

Gen. 1:7And God made(asah) the firmament...
Gen. 1:16 And God made (asah) two great lights...
Gen. 1:25 And God made (asah) the beast of the earth...

I never paid attention before, but the English Bibles use two words, 'created' and 'made'. Understanding the Hebrew meanings help us see more and the verse in chapter 2 becomes clearer.

Gen. 2:3 "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."

(from 10/2008)