Translation
And ELOHIM said,
“Oh light,
come into being,”
Go to footnote numberand light came into existence. (See comment below.)
Paraphrase
And THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS said, “Listen up, oh light which resides inside of me, I command you to reveal yourself, now!” Then light revealed itself, becoming a physical reality. (See comment below.)
Footnotes
1
In English, our command verbs are good for commanding things that already exist to do something, but not very good at commanding things to appear from nothing. The Hebrew says, “Be light.” The options “May light appear,” or “let there be light,” seem too mild to me. Yes, they are grammatically correct command forms in English, but since they include the little words “may” and “let” they almost seem to imply that light had the option to appear or not appear. Everyone understands that when God commanded light to appear, light did not have a choice, it could only obey. But my point is that our language struggles to adequately convey what really happened. Maybe I am the only one troubled by this dilemma. I find the solution through remembering that, before speaking the words, God already possessed in Himself the properties and qualities that light would demonstrate, and He had already pictured what it would look like when His inner qualities became outward realities or manifestations. So the only thing that was needed was for Him to command that light which already existed within Him be revealed outside of Him. But now I have created another dilemma by saying there is an inside and an outside to God, who, in truth, encompasses all things. This goes to show how incapable we are of fully understanding and expressing these things.
THE POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD
Elohim said”: Speaking was a way to reveal what was inside someone; it brought what was hidden within out into the open for all to perceive. God created by speaking things into existence; thus we could say that everything that has been created is an expression of God’s basic inner qualities; creation is a reflection of who God is.
The character of God is visible in what He established as the laws of nature. When God does a miracle, He alters the laws of nature temporarily for a higher purpose, then He allows things to return to the expression of His person through the normal exercise of the laws of nature.
We will see as the passage continues that God is a God of order, a God who separates things that have different qualities, a God of purpose who instills purpose in His created things, and a God who is extravagant and generous in sharing beauty.
Later, God’s words to Moses also revealed God’s will for how He wanted His people to live. Those words revealed similar emphases to the words spoken here in Genesis because God’s nature has not changed. And of course, Jesus was the ultimate revelation of what God is like. It is no coincidence that He is called “the Word” in John chapter one.
Our words also have a degree of power. Just because we say something out loud does not make it a reality, but there are times when speaking something audibly adds to our commitment to make it real. It is more about our determination than it is about the words themselves. Negative words also have power, in fact they are more likely to become reality than positive words. This is because positive things require a great deal of effort, commitment and sometimes cooperation to be brought to fruition, whereas we can sometimes make negative statements become reality by doing nothing. Positive statements need to be accompanied by faith and action; negative statements only require doubt and inaction.
If you are one of those who has been mistreated in the past, please listen carefully. The more you think about, and talk about, the hurts you carry, the more power you give those hurts over you. In time you begin to see yourself as a hurting, wounded person; it becomes your identity, and your identity drives your attitudes and your actions. However, that can be changed. The more you focus your thoughts and your spoken words on what Jesus has done and is doing in your life, you will begin to see yourself in a different light. You will realize that you do not need to be defined by your past or what others have done to you; you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, a new you (II Cor 5:17). The hurts from your past will not disappear, but they will be seen in proper perspective because God is greater than your past. Your new identity as someone who is “in Christ” will now guide your attitudes and your actions. So focus on Jesus, saturate your mind with His words; do not give any more time and attention to the hurts from your past.
LIGHT
Light was often taken to mean “salvation, joy, righteousness, life and knowledge.” The fact that God created light was the first hint that God would soon create life; light is necessary for life, thus God was setting the stage for the creation of living beings. All the ancient people groups from what we today call the “Middle East” had their maps oriented toward the East because that is where the light of the sun comes from. They understood that light, and therefore the sun, are necessary for life. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life and that life was the light of mankind.” The wording of Genesis 1:2 not only sets the stage for the creation of life, but signals to the reader that he should anticipate the coming of living beings in this creation narrative.
[1] Ps 32:9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
[2] Jn 1:4 In Him was life and that life was the light of mankind.
WATER AND LIGHT ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE.
Light is a key element of energy. Without energy from the sun, no living thing can exist on this earth. Since water is the closest thing we have to a universal solvent, water can contain in itself many dissolved elements, making it very useful in sustaining life. In fact, no life can exist as we know it, without water. Some have speculated about possible life forms elsewhere in the universe that do not need water, but it is only speculation, such creatures have never been proven to exist. You can find articles on the internet about animals that don’t need water, but when you read the details, you will see that they absorb moisture from their food or from their surroundings, or they reabsorb their urine. They all need water and they get it in one way or another.