Genesis 1:2b does not refer to God’s original creation—that was completed with verse 1—but to God’s restoration. God was going to restore what had been damaged, and was going to have some further creation. Verse 2 starts by saying, “And the earth became waste and empty” (Heb.). “And” is a conjunction which combines two things: the first thing goes and the second thing comes. This means that after God created, some things happened, causing the harmonious and beautiful universe created originally by God to become damaged. Hence, Genesis 1:2b—2:25 shows us God’s restoration of the damaged universe, plus His further creation.
Genesis 2:4 says, “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” This verse shows us both God’s original creation and God’s restoration. The first half of the verse mentions the heavens and the earth when they were created. Notice that the heavens are mentioned first and then the earth, and the verb used here is created. The second half of the verse says that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Here, the earth is mentioned first and then the heavens, and the verb has been changed from created to made. As we have pointed out earlier, to create means to produce something out of nothing, and to make means to work upon an existing substance in order to produce something else out of it. Hence, the first half of this verse refers to God’s original creation, and the second half refers to God’s restoration of the earth and the heavens.
In Genesis 1:1 God created the heavens and the earth. Then, from verse 3 to the end of chapter one, God made the earth and the heavens. If we read verses 9 and 10, we can see that on the third day God recovered the earth. God did not create the earth, for it was there already, submerged beneath the waters. So God recovered the earth on the third day. Also, on the fourth day, God recovered the sky, that is, the heavens. Thus, in the restoration, it was not firstly the heavens, and then the earth; it was firstly the earth, and then the heavens.
In God’s further creation, He created all things according to the order of life. First He created the things without life, and then He created the things with life. In the creation of the things with life, He also started from the lowest life, going up level by level, until He reached the highest life. First He created the life without consciousness, that is, the plant life, things such as trees, grass, and flowers. Although these have life, their life has no consciousness; hence, theirs is the lowest life. Then, God created the animal life. He also started from the lowest, the life of the animals that bear eggs, such as fish and birds. Although the life of these creatures has consciousness, it is not high enough. Then, He created the animals that bear their young alive, such as the cattle and the beasts of the earth. These animals that bear their young alive possess a life that is higher than that of the animals that bear eggs. They not only have consciousness, but their consciousness is also higher. Lastly, God created man. Man is the highest life created by God. Man also possesses the highest consciousness among the creatures.
The record in Genesis chapter one shows that it took six days for God to do the work of restoration and further creation.
On the first day, the Spirit of God came to brood. Furthermore, God spoke and there was light. Thus, God separated the light from darkness.
On the second day, God separated the waters under the expanse from waters above the expanse. This means He separated the heavenly things from the earthly things.
On the third day, the earth was separated from the waters. God worked on the waters, seeking to confine and limit them, so that the dry land might appear. This is just like what Jeremiah 5:22 says, that God drew a line to limit the sea. After the appearance of the dry land, God went on further to create the different plant lives, each after its kind.
On the fourth day, God restored the light bearers—the sun, the moon, and the stars—to rule over the day and over the night, and also to divide the light from the darkness.
On the fifth day, God created the living creatures in the water and the birds, the fowl in the air, each after its kind.
On the sixth day, God created the living creatures on the earth: the cattle, the creeping things, and the beasts, each after its kind. Lastly, God created man to be the center of all things.