Join us as David Hawking takes us back to the beginnings of creation according to Genesis. In this insightful episode, we explore the biblical perspective of Earth’s unique designation as mankind’s abode and the intentional design evident in creation. Understand how the grandeur of the universe is a testament to the glory, power, and wisdom of God, revealing His purposes for man and the earth.
It is clear in the Bible that Earth is the abode of man and that he doesn’t intend for us to live on the moon or Mars or Jupiter or Saturn or Venus, that he has made all the atmospheric conditions necessary for man’s survival on Earth alone. Music
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This is Hope for Today, the Bible teaching ministry of David Hawking. Genesis doesn’t begin with man looking up and guessing. It begins with God speaking, God creating, and the heavens declaring what this world keeps trying to deny. Well, today David Hawking continues his series taken from the first chapters of the book of Genesis. We’re going back to the beginning. And as David looks at how the heavens declare the glory of God, we are reminded that creation is not silent. The skies, they’re preaching. The stars are testifying. And the universe is not random noise. It is a witness to the power, wisdom, and glory of the living God. Stay with us as we go back to the beginning and let the Word of God lift our eyes to the One who made it all. We’ll open up the Word again, Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 through 2, in just a moment. First, if you’d like to support this ministry with a financial gift, we would be most grateful for your partnership with us in the gospel. Your giving helps keep David Hawking’s Bible teaching on the air, online, and available to people who need the truth of God’s word. You can give today at davidhawking.org. That’s David, H-O-C-K-I-N-G.org. Or call us in the U.S. at 800-75-BIBLE, 800-75-242-53. In Canada, call us at 888-75-BIBLE, 888-75-242-53. And just a bit later in the broadcast, I’ll also give you our mailing addresses. By now, though, here’s David to take us back to Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 through 2.
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We are in the midst of talking about God’s creation from the opening two verses. Creation is a revelation of the glory of God. Psalm 19.1 says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament or the expanse shows his handiwork or the work of his hands. This involves his person, who he is. And creation is a revelation of the glory of God. And we said it reveals the following things. One, it reveals his obvious pre-existence. In the beginning, there is God. And Psalm 90 said that, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations, and before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. We talked a little bit about the basic attacks on that existence of God before creation, like atheism and polytheism and materialism, pantheism and naturalism. Secondly, we talked about how it not only reveals his obvious preexistence, but it reveals his future purpose. How does the creation of God that reveals the glory of God, how does it in fact show his future purpose? Come please to verse 2 again. It says, “…the earth was without form and void.” Two words in Hebrew that are easy to remember by pronunciation. One is tohu, the other is bohu. Tohu and bohu. Tohu used about 24 times in the Old Testament, bohu just three times. Now it’s because of these words, translated without form and void, that many people believe in what’s called the gap theory. They believe that this is describing a chaotic condition. They translate the word was in verse 2 as became. The earth became without form and void. They see the word and. as a consecutive in Hebrew. That is, it’s describing something that will happen subsequently. But that’s a very bad mistake because in grammar it is not referring to a consecutive clause. It’s what we call a dejunctive. And excuse me for referring to it, but we need it clear in our minds that we are teaching what we’re teaching because of what God’s Word actually says. We don’t make up the rules. We don’t impose on the text what we think. And what this basically means is that a disjunctive and, which is the letter wa in Hebrew, that disjunctive is referring to the preceding clause, not the subsequent clause. Which means that the statement is, when God created the heaven and the earth, it was in that condition without form and void. And I believe this is teaching the future purpose of God. The point is that the purpose of God did not center in a material and physical universe. God did not make this whole universe just to display his power, which he certainly did. but he displayed his power for the benefit of man. The truth is that the universe was made for man. That man is the center of it, and earth is where man is placed, and there are no creatures on any other planets. There are no aliens from outer space. The only thing that’s out there are principalities and powers, demonic forces, who can certainly deceive us in a multitude of ways. But God designed the entire universe with its galaxies upon galaxies for man’s benefit, the man that he created, male and female, and the one to whom he wants to communicate his love, grace, and eternity. Psalm 8, 3 and 4 says, When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? Obviously, man is a central part of God’s program. And the psalmist says, when I look at it all, I ask, what is man? Why did you do it all for him? Why are you mindful of him? Turn to Psalm 115, and let me prove my point with a little stronger statement from God’s Word. Psalm 115, which is one of your key texts dealing with the creation. Psalm 115 says, And look please at verse 15 and 16. It says, “…ye are blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Earth is for man, the heaven of the heavens are for the Lord, and they are intended to display to man the glory of God himself. Now take your Bibles and turn to Job 26. Job 26, verse 7. It says, He stretcheth out the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon what? On nothing. Nothing. The word, when you read in Job 26.7, the empty place is the word tohu. When it’s translated in Genesis 1.2, it’s the earth is without form. It’s an empty place. All this means is that when God made the heavens and the earth, it wasn’t the heavens that were without form and void. It says the earth was without form, which means it’s empty, empty. He just made it at that point. It doesn’t have all the creative processes of the days of creation that we’re soon to study. He just made it empty. It doesn’t have any inhabitants. It doesn’t have any of the structure and design which the days of creation are going to bring. Turn to the book of Isaiah, please, and look at chapter 24, verse 1. Just trying to analyze a little bit that word without form and void and what it really means. It says, “…behold, the Lord maketh the earth,” what? “…empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.” Now here again, God is stripping it of its inhabitants and making it empty as a result of judgment. It’s just a simple usage of the word. Some people have taken this verse and say, oh, well then that means it’s a chaotic condition that’s a result of judgment in Genesis 1-2. No, that isn’t the point at all. What he’s saying is that the meaning of the word tohu is empty. That when he does judge and clears out the inhabitants, what you have left is empty space. That’s all it means. Let’s go to Isaiah chapter 34 and look at verse 11. It says, “…but the cormorant,” and I don’t know what in the world that is, And the bittern, some say it’s a porcupine, but that’s a guess, shall possess it. The owl also and the raven shall dwell in it. And he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness. The actual word confusion is tohu, and the last one is the same word that we have in Genesis 1-2, bohu, without form, waste, and void. Here it says the line of confusion or emptiness and the stones of emptiness. Let me give you a stronger passage. Go to Jeremiah chapter 4. And look at verse 23. It’s again analyzing the Hebrew words translated tohu and bohu. I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void, and the heavens, and they had no light. There it is, very clearly. They are empty. They are not inhabited. The statement is simply saying that when God first created the heavens and the earth… He did not create in that statement of Genesis 1-1 what we read in the days of creation. Now, some of you listening right now to what I’m saying do not know why it’s important. In fact, you may think that we’ve carried on this detail too long. But let me explain something to you. There are many, many people trying to read their views of how old the earth is and how it all happened and whether the days are 24-hour or long days on the basis of what they think Genesis 1-1 really says. Some of it see it as a summary statement. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and it includes everything. Then the next verses that follow simply describe the details of it. What I’m trying to say to you is, whether I like it or not is beside the point. Whether I like it or not, what those two verses say is that when God created the heavens and earth, they had no inhabitants and no design. They were totally empty and desolate with no inhabitants. That’s what it is saying. It’s not describing a chaotic condition. It’s not saying that there was a pre-Adamic race and God wiped them out and then started all over again. And that’s how we got the Neanderthal and Peking Man and all of that. No, it doesn’t say any of it. It just says whenever he did it, it was a wasteland. It was empty. And the days of creation are creative acts of God. Please understand that. It is God actually not summarizing verse 1, but telling you what he did with an earth that was without form and void, and how he’s going to design it in the six days of creation. What we know from this is that the purpose of God is involved. Because it was a wasteland and not inhabited, he says it to let you know that it doesn’t fulfill his purpose until he’s done. On the seventh day, it says, his works are finished, and God ended the work of creation, of all that he has made. So man is the center of it all, whom he waits until the sixth day to create. And it’s very interesting when you put the whole package together, because a creation does reveal the glory of God, revealing not only his obvious preexistence, but his future purpose. And that encourages me to know that all of us are the center of attention of our Heavenly Father, of God Almighty who made the universe. We are important. We are the focus of God. As a matter of fact, he made all of it for us. And as a believer, we even become heirs of it all, joint heirs of Jesus Christ, and everything that you see, the stars, the galaxies, I just want you to know, they’re mine. Well, if you’re a believer, they’re yours too. But it’s wonderful to understand that. Now, back in Genesis 1, we were told that there’s another factor about the original creation, and that is that darkness was upon the face of the deep. Now, there have been all kinds of commentaries trying to create the idea that the darkness represents sin, therefore this is a chaotic condition. Well, I don’t think so at all. Look at verse 4. God divided the light from the darkness. He called the light day, and the darkness he called sin. Is that what it says? No, it says he called it what? Night. That’s all it means. There isn’t any light. It’s dark. It’s like night. That’s all it means. Folks, be very careful that you don’t read in your opinions to the Bible or start waxing eloquent on what you think they mean when right in the same passage it tells us what it means. Darkness means night here. Now does darkness represent sin as a metaphor in the Bible? Yes. It says of God, He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. And it goes on to discuss sin. That’s 1 John 1, 5 and following. But it doesn’t mean that every time you read the word darkness that therefore you see a sinful, chaotic condition. No, all it means in Genesis 1 is that it’s night. There’s no light there at all. That’s all it means. Go to Job chapter 38. And look at verses 18 to 21. The Lord is speaking to Job, answered him out of the whirlwind, according to verse 1. And in verse 18, he made this statement, talking to Job. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all. Where is the way where light dwelleth? I’d love to have every astrophysicist and astronomer who’s so bent out of shape over this just to read this. Where is the way where light dwelleth? And as for darkness, where is its place, that thou shouldst take it to its bound, and that thou shouldst know the paths to its house? Knowest thou it because thou wast then born, or because the number of thy days is great? I think in the vernacular what God is saying, keep your mouth shut. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Or God could have said, you’ve already told us, Job, more than you know. You don’t know this at all. You don’t know any of it. And you don’t know what I’m doing in your life either. He obviously didn’t. He was a good man. He was not filled with wicked and evil motives, no matter what his friends suggested. But in his own human understanding, trying to understand all of this, he was revealing his total ignorance, which a lot of us do, as you know. We try to talk our way out of something or explain it, yet the Bible says don’t lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he’ll direct your paths. And he certainly did that for Job. It was wonderful what he did for Job. Turn to Psalm 104. Picking it up at verse 19. He appointed the moon for seasons. We’ll talk more about that. The sun knoweth it’s going down. Now look at verse 20. Thou makest darkness, and it is what? Night, wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. And so forth. What a simple statement. Who made darkness? God did. You say, well, it was just dark, and… then he brought light into it. No, the Bible says God made the darkness. Well, what was here before that? I don’t know. You know, it’s amazing how people reason with it. In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth, and the earth was without form and void. It was uninhabited, it was a wasteland, and darkness was on the face of the deep. Well, did God make the darkness? Yes, the Bible says so. He made the darkness. Well, what does it represent? Night and Is there anyone else we can talk to? No. That’s it. That’s all it’s saying. Just take it the way the Bible says it. Now come back to Genesis chapter 1. We’ve got something else that we need to examine. You see, creation is a revelation of God, revealing his obvious preexistence and his future purpose that this whole thing is designed for mankind, whom he’s going to make on the sixth day. But there’s something else that’s revealed here in Genesis 1-2, and that is his active presence in the whole process. It says, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. The first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The term Spirit of God appears 17 times in the Old Testament. We have the word moved in verse 2 that appears only three times. In Jeremiah 23, 9, it speaks about all my bones shake. And that’s the same word move here, a shaking. But turn to Deuteronomy 32, 11, and we get an idea of what this is talking about. It’s an active participle in the Hebrew, and what it means is he’s continuing to hover. What this means is that the Spirit of God is actively involved. His presence is actively involved in the creative process. He’s not a distant one making all of this. He’s very much involved in it. In Deuteronomy 32, 11, we have… the third usage of the term moved. It’s used in Genesis 1, 2, and in Jeremiah 23, 9, which refers to bone shaking. But here in Deuteronomy 32, verse 11, we get our understanding. It says, “…as an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, bearing them on her wings, so the Lord alone did lead him.” What it’s talking about is an eagle hovering, fluttering over her young in protection and provision. It’s interesting the Bible does teach the Spirit of God is actively involved in creation as much as God the Father. I read in Job 26, verse 13, a specific statement as to what the Holy Spirit is doing. The Spirit of God is hovering like an eagle would, hovering over the waters. And it’s his active presence that’s being pictured. He’s going to be working in this situation to perform some beautiful, majestic things.
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Well, that’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David will be back to finish up our time in the Word in just a bit, so don’t go away. First, Matt and I have a powerful resource that you might just want to add to your home Bible study library. Matt?
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Think about the last time you witnessed a rainbow. It’s a remarkable, beautiful reminder of God’s promise to never again destroy the world of the flood. Matt, God keeps his word, doesn’t he? Every time.
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And his word can always be trusted. Absolutely. But think about the disdain our culture has today for biblical teaching today. The compromise is made in churches today, redefining marriage, embracing evolutionary theory on the origin of life. In spite of all evidence to the contrary. Exactly. The denial of godly virtue that leads so many to call evil good and good evil. How about the dehumanizing of human life? Particularly the unborn.
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And the denial of truth, integrity, and the perfect applicability and divine authorship of the Bible. You know, these issues are not just contemporary. They’re outlined and addressed in the events of Genesis chapters 1 through 11. And a thorough study through the passages provides clear answers.
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Man, it’s very easy to get discouraged by the evil flourishing. Watching the news. can be depressing pressures to acquiesce and stay silent on biblical truth they are incredible big time but with your dad’s book the beginning from creation to the flood you’ll take a confidence building exciting journey through the first 11 chapters of the bible yeah the comparison between early civilization and contemporary culture are amazing but the teaching on creation the fall
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The nature of mankind and the justice and grace of God are outstanding. They are indeed.
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Get a copy of The Beginning from Creation to the Flood by David Hawking for insights and answers today. And it’s just $15. Your purchase is going to encourage your life, but it’s also going to help the ministry of hope for today. And please pray for hope for today. Amen. To purchase your copy of David’s book, The Beginning from Creation to the Flood, call us in the U.S. at 800-75-BIBLE. That’s 800-75-242-53. In Canada, call 888-75-BIBLE. 888-75-242-53. You can also order online at davidhawking.org. That’s davidhawking.org. And by the way, if you missed any part of today’s broadcast, or if you’d like to listen again, you can do that by visiting davidhawking.org. You can hear the program again for a limited time through the radio section on the website. Again, that’s davidhawking.org. And as we come to the end of the month, just a few days left here. Would you believe that? Wow. Well, would you also pray about standing with hope for today financially? Has this ministry helped keep you anchored in a word of God? Has the Lord used David’s teaching to strengthen your faith, sharpen your thinking, or open your eyes to biblical truth? If that’s true, and if God lays hope for today on your heart, would you consider a one-time gift this month or regular giving as long as the Lord enables you to give? You can make a donation today on our website, davidhawking.org. You can also give by phone. Call us at 875-BIBLE. In Canada, 888-75-BIBLE. And if you prefer to write an old-fashioned letter, we’d love those. Contact us in the U.S. at hopefortoday.org. Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S, 8P1. Well, as promised, here’s David with some additional teaching.
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I like to call the Holy Spirit the architect of creation. On the basis of Job 26.13, it says, and I love the old King James word here, by His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens. Some translations say adorn. It means to beautify. What did the Holy Spirit do in creation? By His Spirit He garnished, He beautified the heavens. You see, the truth of the matter is, according to the Bible, Jesus was also involved in creation. In John 1, it says, “…in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” In Colossians 1.16, it says that He created all things, no matter what they are, in heaven and earth or under the earth, everything was made by Him and for Him. And we’re talking Jesus Christ. God the Father was involved in creation. God the Son was involved in creation. And so was God the Holy Spirit. They are all active performing their respective duties and roles in making the universe.
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That’s all for today’s broadcast. Next time, we’ll continue in our series covering Genesis chapters 1 through 11, what we’re calling In the Beginning. Be sure to invite a friend to listen along with you as Bible teacher David Hawking brings you the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, right here on Hope for Today.
