A couple of weeks ago I wrote concerning the first twelve hours of the first day of creation. Today, I’d like to discuss the last twelve hours of day one. It was on the second half of day one that the voice of Christ said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. Let’s consider what the rest of the Bible has to say concerning what happened.
There is a great deal of depth and meaning in the way that God went about creating and forming the heavens and the earth in six days. The order by which He chose to speak certain things into existence carries much significance. Even though the creation of the world was a literal and physical event, God was teaching us spiritual lessons, and this I do not say presumptuously, as if it is my own assumption, but because God makes this point throughout the scriptures.
“Let there be light” was not the call for the sun to come into existence. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. Day two came and went, but with no sun. Day three, still no sun, and yet all food matter was brought to life on the earth; the plants, trees, herbs, fruits, and vegetables sprung forth without the face of the sun. Finally, on day four, the sun, moon, and stars are formed. From this, we understand that light came not from the sun, but it came by the word of God. The breath of God is the true and actual source of all life and all light. The Apostle John reveals the spiritual significance of the physical creation, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5). John places all focus on “the Word” as the source of all light and life. John will soon clarify for us what, or rather who, “the Word” is: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus was the light and the life in the beginning, as evidenced in the physical creation, and Jesus is still the light and the life eternal for all who abide in His word. Isaiah spoke concerning the coming of Christ to save us from our sins, saying, “The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2). In Luke’s gospel account, John’s father Zacharias prophesied concerning Jesus: “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79). And after the resurrection of Jesus and the establishment of His church, the New Testament letters speak the same truth about Christ as our spiritual light. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Thus, the order of creation on day one was a physical demonstration of the spiritual realities of salvation. Since day one God has used the picture of darkness to illustrate the absence or loss of spiritual life. On day one, though the whole substance of the heavens and the earth were created, it was all void and lifeless; once light came, the creation began to take shape and life sprung forth.
Consider what Jeremiah does with the picture of day one in application to the wickedness of Judah: “For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.” I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.” (Jeremiah 4:22-23) Because of Judah’s wickedness in no longer knowing the Lord, Jeremiah allegorically speaks with the language of Genesis 1:2 and the first half of day one. Judah is living in spiritual darkness, as if there was no light to shine on them, no light to guide them. This leads me to another point; the rest of the Bible reveals a correlation between light and the guidance of the Word of God. The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105). And Solomon said, “For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:23). Ultimately, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12). So, Jesus is, and always has been, the “light of the world”, both in the physical creation, and in the “new creation” of our spiritual lives, and that light was revealed to us through His words, from day one to today. Again, Jesus said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Following the word of God will bring us out of darkness and into His marvelous light, and this is the “light of life”. Physically we know that we cannot live without light, nor can we spiritually live without the directive light of Christ’s words. This has been physically demonstrated to us repeatedly since the very beginning of time; in fact, 365 days a year, when evening falls and we can no longer see our way until light rises again, the creation preaches the glory of God’s goodness upon us to bring us life and direction by His word.
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5).
Article by Tanner Campbell.
