Genesis 1, strictly speaking, is not a record of creation. This is an improper concept. Genesis 1 is a record of life. When I was young, I was taught that verse 1 was the subject of this entire chapter. But verse 2 begins with the conjunction “and.” This conjunction proves that verse 1 is not the subject, but just the beginning of the record. Verse 1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Verse 2 continues, “And the earth became waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the waters” (Heb.). The Hebrew word for “became” is the same word used in Genesis 19:26, which says that Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt. Lot’s wife was a woman, but she became something else. The earth was originally created by God in a good form, but it became without form; it became waste and void. Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God did not create the earth “in vain.” The Hebrew word for “in vain” is the same word for “waste” in Genesis 1:2. God did not create the earth a waste, but it became waste. This was due to the rebellion of Satan, which is recorded in Isaiah 14 (vv. 9-14) and Ezekiel 28 (vv. 12-18). Due to Satan’s rebellion, the whole universe was judged by God, and through that judgment the earth became waste and void.
In Genesis 1:2 there are four words describing the desolation of the earth under God’s judgment: waste, void, darkness, and deep. The earth became waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. On the surface of the earth was the deep, and on the face of the deep was darkness. This tells us that there was no life but death. The earth becoming waste and void with darkness on the face of the deep is a picture of death.
With this background of death, the Scripture continues, “And the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the waters.” The word for brood is the same word as “flutters” in Deuteronomy 32:11. This verse says that God is like an eagle who spreads her wings and flutters over her young. The Spirit of God was brooding, stretching out His wings, over the death situation for the purpose of producing life. The brooding of a hen over eggs is to produce some living things. In the Bible the Spirit of God is first mentioned as the brooding Spirit. This brooding of the Spirit indicates that Genesis 1 is not merely a record of God’s creation but a record of life. The Spirit of God was brooding over the death waters for the producing of life.
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