Let There be Light
Share
'And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. '
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.'
The lightless explosion of creation happened when God created the heavens and the earth. Have you ever considered that when God created the heavens and the earth, He did it in total darkness? But what darkness?
Isaiah 60:19 says, 19 "No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory.”
Visible Light
Can we say that God has always been light? Has visible light always emanated from Him? There are at least two places in the Bible where this characteristic of God is mentioned: Isaiah 60:19 and Revelations 21:23. If this physical attribute of God was present at creation, why would he need to create light? And since the Bible clearly expresses this ability of God, why would He not have used it when He created the heavens and the earth? If God is light both metaphorically and physically, did this reality of Him exist at creation? We have no reason to believe that God developed or brought this capability into existence after the creation.
The Bible does not mention the creation of the celestial lights until day four of creation. Remembering that creation happened and existed in total darkness as an event, we must recognize that light as we have it now was not relevant to the Earth prehuman life.
What was the light God created on the first day? Let's delve deeper into this. First, God did not need light to see. He created and described His creation before the advent of light. Second, nothing existed at that point that needed light. Third, darkness was not inherently bad. Before sin entered the picture, darkness was simply the absence of light, not a negative element. Fourth, as stated in Isaiah 60:19 and Revelations 21:23, God is described as superseding the sun, moon, and stars as far as light is concerned.
On day three we have an interesting creation.
'Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth produced plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good. '
Why is day three unique? God created vegetation before he created the sun and the stars. He created vegetation in the same manner He created the heavens and the earth—without prerequisites. He created and sustained plants without the need for the sun. He brought plant life to life before it existed. He did it without seeds, without light, without a preexisting nutrient. God was the source of necessary nutrients for the vegetation to exist. If God was the light as described in Isaiah 60:19 and Revelations 21:23, it would answer the question of where the light source came from for the vegetation of the earth to exist. When God created the universe and everything in it, He was the source of necessary nutrients for the creation of the universe.
The fact that God chose to create vegetation without the sun suggests that the need for sunlight was not necessary for the creation of vegetation, just as it was not necessary for the creation of the universe. Was it the Glory or the emanated light of God that supplied the necessary conditions for plant life to exist?
Some commentators suggest that the light created in verse one is the basis or the forerunner of what would become the sun, moon, and stars. I have some questions about that. First, why would God create the same thing twice when it was not necessary the first time? Second, in verse one, the creation is described as formless and void. In that state, where would the sun, moon, and stars be placed? Thirdly and most significantly to me, in verse fourteen, God expressly explains the purpose of the sun, moon, and stars. “And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. “
God starts the clock on humanity
In verse fourteen, God starts the clock on humanity. He begins the day cycle. He is describing the rotations of the earth, moon, and stars by which we now define time. And it says specifically. “And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” Why would God say ”to give light upon the earth:” if light already existed?
The sun has a definite placement in the universe. If the earth were formless, meaning without a specific shape, where would the sun be, and why? Void is the other word used to describe creation. This means there was nothing other than the elements of the earth and the emptiness of space.
I think part of the problem we have understanding the light God created is because of verse 5.
'God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day. '
We automatically assume God is referring to a 24-hour day. However, that is not possible because the structure of the day is not instituted until day 4 of creation. When God called the light day and the dark night, He was establishing the day concept, but He was not using the day as a way to measure time. When he says, “And there was evening, and there was morning, one day.” He is not referring to a 24-hour period. Again, because the day as we know it wasn’t created until day four. He uses the word day to encompass the events of creation within the boundaries of darkness and light, not time and space. Morning and evening, in this sense, are the bookends of the event of creation.
God begins creation before the advent of time, as we understand it. The first three days are without time. Days one, two, and three are the way God delineates creation. It is not an indication or measurement of time because the sun, moon, and stars are not in their place. Another fact Earth is not created till day three. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep.” The earth, though created, was not yet made into the shape it would become to support life. In other words, for two days, the final composition of the earth has not happened. Without the composition of the earth, time cannot be calculated. Because the function of the stars, moon, and planets is an essential part of defining a day.
Morning and Evening
Morning and evening, day one, day two, and day three are not measurements of time; they are segments of eternity. They are the bookends that contain the specific actions of those events. The events that occurred on day one, two, or three could have taken an eternity or a second or twenty-four hours. Because time, as we understand it, did not exist.
What darkness was God referring to in verse one? Concurrently, we have to ask what was needed at the moment of creation?
When I think of the formless void of the beginning, I see a lifeless collection of disassociated elements—a lifeless emptiness with the basic building blocks of our physical experience. God is describing a dead universe. What was needed at that moment was life—not light, not visible light.
I believe the light God was referring to was the essence of and the source of Life, which originates from Him in the form of our existence as the source of our existence. The light is the spark of existence.
Nowhere in the creation account does God say to let there be life. Yet, we assume and accept that life was created when the universe was created. But maybe the assumption is premature. Maybe the beginning of life in the universe did not happen until God said let there be light. The source of life had to be introduced into the creation.
Jesus said I am the Light of the world.
'Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” '
Light and darkness in this verse do not refer to physical or visible light and darkness. He is referring to eternal life—the life and Light of God or the emptiness and separation from God.