Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:2-19
Ⅰ
Apparently, Genesis 1 and 2 are merely a record of creation; actually, nearly every item recorded in these two chapters is a revelation of Christ, who is life to God's people for the producing and building up of the church— John 1:1, 4; 11:25; 14:6; Matt. 16:18:
A
Strictly speaking, Genesis 1 is not a record of creation; it is a record of life.
B
Verse 1 is a record of God's original creation; verse 2a refers to God's judgment on the preadamic universe; and the entire section from verse 2b through 2:3 refers not to God's original creation but to God's restoration of the damaged universe, plus His further creation.
C
God created the earth in good order (1:1; Job 38:4-7; Isa. 45:18), but due to Satan's rebellion, the whole universe was judged by God, and through that judg-ment "the earth became waste and emptiness, and darkness was on the surface of the deep"; this is a picture of death—Gen. 1:2a.
D
With this background of death, verse 2b says, "The Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters":
１
The Spirit of God, as the Spirit of life, came to brood over the waters of death in order to generate life, especially man, for God's purpose—Rom. 8:2; Gen. 1:26; Eph. 3:11.
２
In spiritual experience the Spirit's coming is the first requirement for gen-erating life—John 6:63.
３
The brooding of the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:2b indicates that Genesis 1 is not merely a record of God's creation but a record of life.
Ⅱ
After the Spirit's brooding, the word of God came to bring in the light— v. 3; cf. Psa. 119:105, 130:
A
In spiritual experience the coming of the word is the second requirement for gen-erating life, and the coming of the light is the third requirement—John 5:24; 6:63; 1:13; Matt. 4:13-16.
B
The Spirit, the word, and the light were the instruments used by God to gen-erate life for the fulfillment of His purpose:
１
The Spirit, the word, and the light are all of life—Rom. 8:2; Phil. 2:16; John 8:12.
２
Christ as the Spirit is the reality of God (Rom. 8:9-10; 2 Cor. 3:17; John 16:13-15), Christ as the Word is the speaking of God (1:1; Heb. 1:2), and Christ as the light is the shining of God (John 8:12; 9:5).
Ⅲ
The separation of the light from the darkness for the purpose of discern-ing day from night is the fourth requirement for generating life (Gen. 1:4-5; cf. 2 Cor. 6:14), and the separation of the waters by producing an expanse between them (Gen. 1:6-8), signifying, spiritually, the dividing of the heav-enly things from the earthly things through the work of the cross (Col. 3:1-3; Heb. 4:12), is the fifth requirement for generating life.
Ⅳ
The appearing of the dry land is the sixth requirement for generating life— Gen. 1:9-13:
A
This took place on the third day, corresponding to the day of resurrection—1 Cor. 15:4.
B
In the Bible the sea represents death, and the land represents Christ as the gen-erating source of life:
１
After the land appeared, every kind of life—the plant life, the animal life, and even the human life—was produced out of the land—Gen. 1:11-12, 24-27; 2:7.
２
This typifies that the divine life with all its riches comes out of Christ.
３
On the third day Christ came out of death in resurrection to generate life for the constituting of the church—John 11:25; 1 Pet. 1:3.
４
Dividing the land from the waters signifies separating life from death—Gen. 1:9-10.
Ⅴ
Because there was the need of some higher life with consciousness, the higher light was needed—vv. 14-19:
A
Without the higher light, there cannot be the higher life; thus, on the fourth day the light became more solid, more substantial—vv. 14, 16.
B
According to the revelation of the whole Bible, light is for life; life and light always go together—Psa. 36:9; Matt. 4:16; John 1:4; 8:12; 1 John 1:1-7:
１
The higher the light, the higher the life.
２
The indefinite light of the first day was sufficient for generating the lowest forms of life—Gen. 1:3.
３
The more solid and more definite light from the light-bearers—the sun, the moon, and the stars—on the fourth day was necessary for producing the higher forms of life, including the human life—v. 16; Psa. 136:7-9.
４
This signifies that for our spiritual rebirth, the light of the "first day" is suf-ficient, but for the growth in the divine life unto maturity, more and stronger light, the light of the "fourth day," is needed.
C
The sun ("the greater light-bearer") signifies Christ; the overcoming saints were also likened to the sun by the Lord Jesus—Luke 1:78-79; Mal. 4:2; Matt. 13:43; Eph. 5:14.
D
The moon ("the lesser light-bearer") can be considered a figure of the church, and the stars signify Christ (Num. 24:17; 2 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 22:16) and also signify the overcoming saints (Dan. 12:3; cf. Rev. 1:20).