Gen.1, God Created
God did not leave us a witness to His Wonder and Majesty? The answer is yes. His witness is the creation.
Gen.1:1, "God Created." The Hebrew word for God here is, "Elohim." God is the first principle, the cause, the origin, the commencement of all things.
The name of God occurs frequently, in both the singular and plural absolute, and in the constructive state, but never in the dual form. See,
1. Gen.1:1, "In the beginning God created."
2. Exod.20:22, "And the LORD said to Moses."
3. Ps.22:1, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
4. Dan.11:36, "The God of gods."
Aben Ezra renders it powerful, strong, mighty, exalted, supreme, which is only part of its meaning. Abarbanel believed that Elohim is a compound word. Rabbi Moses, Rabbi Bechai, agree. David Kimchi also believed it to be a compound word.
God, or Elohim: The Almighty, omniscient, omnipresent, pure and perfect being, who preserves and governs all things. The self-existent, unoriginated, independent, and eternal Jehovah, who has produced all things. He who is, who was, and who will be.
God is a pure and perfect Spirit, without body. He cannot be seen by the eye of man, unless He is vailed in flesh. Neither can He be comprehended by a finite being (man,) but is known and clearly distinguished by the creation itself.
As all proper nouns in the Hebrew language are indicative of some prominent feature in the person or thing to which they are applied, the combination names point out distinctly to the wonderful name of God. Both these nouns are used in all the various senses alluded to in numerous passages of Scripture, the Targums, and both of the Talmuds.
God is the first principle, the cause, the origin, the commencement of all things. Jerome observes, that there are ten prominent names of God in Scripture;
1. Three name represent His existence;
2. Three names denote His power:
3. Three names His government:
4. One, the dignity and excellence of His nature and character.
In the primary sense, Elohim refers to God, but in a secondary or lesser sense (elohim,) lower case, refers to angels, ministers, magistrates, and idols. Hence Judges, magistrates. Magistrates are called elohim, lower case, because they are bound to administer justice.
Yehowah, is another name by which God is called. It means
"mercy," as Elohim means, "justice."
Yehowah was the name by which Deity was known before Creation, and Elohim that by which He was designated after it, because every thing was created pure, perfect and just, like Himself. Therefore Scripture reads, Elohim created, and not Yehowah created.
Rabbi Solomon ben Joachi has the following remarkable words in his commentary on the sixth section of Leviticus; "Come and behold, the wonderful mystery in the word Elohim, there are three degrees, and each degree distinct and by itself, and yet they are all one, and formed together in one, and are not divided not separated from each other."
The best of the Samaritan and Chaldean versions of the Bible retain the noun in its original form. Samar. "a-la-him." Here are three Gods of the same nature and magnitude, and united together by one long vowel, or essence, which make three in one, and one in three.
God created.
A. God created, caused to exist, spring forth, as the world from nothing.
1. Gen.1:27, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."
2. Mal.2:10, "Hath not one God created us?"
3. Ps.89:12, "The north and the south thou hast created them."
B. God produced, generated and brought forth. Present Participle.
1. Isa.42:5, "Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out."
2. Implied. Ps.51:10, "Create in me a clean heart."
3. Inferred. Gen.5:1, "In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him."
From the Septuagent, the word create means, to build, raise up from the foundation, to form, fashion, appoint, constitute, to cause to exist that which had no existence. To separate, refine, purify. To see, appear, exhibit, uncover, gaze upon, also with wonder and admiration.
Creation is the most sublime work of God, except for redemption. To regenerate a sinful person is a greater act than to form a human body from the dust. To produce or form, as one thing from another, is the opposite of to create.
In Genesis there are three prominent words used in the first chapter of Genesis to designate the stupendous work of creation.
1. God "created," To begin, commence, lay the foundation, as it were.
2. God "made," to prepare, regulate, set in order, as the materials of the building.
3. God "formed," finished, perfected, completed the work.
I do not flatter myself into believing that I understand the wonderful works of the creation. The one thing I do understand is only life can produce life. It is said of Jesus, "In him was life."
Col.1:16, "For by Him were all things created."
Heb.1:10, "Thou, LORD, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands."
John 1:3, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made."
Jesus is our God and our Creator. In this the Father is glorified. He who is the Light of the world, stood on the vast oceans of emptyness and said, "Let there be," and the Spirit of God moved upon the spoken word, and it was so.
Thank you,
Phil LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com