In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth--
Genesis 1:1 YLT98
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 KJV
It's the first sentence. Yet in it is everything: God, heaven, earth.
It is here for a purpose. The first thought, first detail, first exposure to God and what God is doing. What do we do with it? Read it and run? Ignore it? Glorify the words as poetic beauty?
Maybe they're a guide, something to help us not just here at the beginning, but throughout the book? Is that even possible? It's just one sentence.
If we walk ahead a little and look back, maybe that will help? Within three days and out of darkness:
God creates light.
God creates heaven.
God creates earth.
In the beginning, everything was separate. Or it sounded like God was outside and heaven and earth were distinct. Maybe?
Within three days we can see a little more. God, heaven and earth suddenly have parallels made manifest within God's creation: light, heaven, and earth.
But what's the light?
Who's reading and what words? God has put the light in your hands and you're bringing it into your mind. God, heaven, and earth are suddenly everything. Yes, the letters of fire are lighting the mind.
But there's more. God doesn't just create, God becomes the first light in mind in the beginning of our study. Heaven becomes the second. Earth becomes the third. The light brings heaven and earth together. They're thematic, defining a guide to assist us in understanding as we advance.
God is always with us, teaching us. How? Teaching us to be in His image (Gen 1:27.) Teaching us to be aware God has written the words. Teaching us He is right there for us when we understand and when we don't.
What happens in heaven? God gives us words that grows our garden. Wisdom grows toward earth, like fruit.
What happens on earth? Things start from dust and grow towards heaven to be fruitful. Man, grass, herbs, trees, all living creatures, and thought.
In the beginning guides us through the book. Where we read verses that sound base, we understand they are of earth. When illuminated, base thoughts grow from dust into wisdom that bears fruit within which is the seed (Gen 1:29.) The letters, sentences, and verses are seeds that, when planted, grow. We have to carefully tend them so they bear good fruit.
We're asked to tend the garden. Not just once, but forever. Everything that is illuminated grows. Genesis 1:1 serves as a guide to help us understand if what God has written, what we're reading, has its origins in heaven or on earth. In that way we can understand how to tend the garden - of our heart and mind, of earth, of heaven. For the purpose of our growing heaven and earth together as God teaches and as we were made - in the image of God.
