We read next, "And the earth was without form and void." We are not told in the verse which follows anything more about the "heaven"; that means the vast universe of which our earth is but a tiny part; but of the earth we read two things which are very surprising, when we think of what it is like now:
"Without form and void"--what does that mean?
After I had explained to the elder children that these words, which are used to describe the earth, mean that it was waste and desolate and without order, we looked for a verse in the New Testament which tells us that "G.o.d is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. xiv. 33); and then we spoke about how we can be quite sure that the earth, which is part of G.o.d"s creation, was not in disorder, not a waste and desolate place in the beginning; and we found in the Old Testament this other verse:
"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; G.o.d Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else"
(Isaiah xlv. 18).
The reason why we found this verse was because I wanted to show Sharley and Chris and Ernest that there the same word is used about the earth as in the verse in Genesis of which we had just been speaking. The words "in vain"
are the same which were there translated "without form" by the people who turned the Hebrew, in which most of the Old Testament was first written, into English, that we might be able to read it. So you see how very important words are, and learn that when G.o.d tells us in one part of His Book that He created the earth not "without form," and in another part that it was (or became) "without form," the state of the earth as it is described in the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis was different from its condition when G.o.d created it in the beginning. Between these two verses, so close together in your Bible, ages upon ages may have run their course; a distance of time may have pa.s.sed so great that we cannot measure it by any thoughts of ours.
What happened between the time, which G.o.d calls "the beginning," the time of the earth"s creation, and that time when what He created had become "waste and desolate," we do not know. What this earth was like, when G.o.d first created it, we do not know. How the plants and animals, which now lie buried deep beneath the ground upon which we tread, and shut up within the rocks, lived and died, we do not know. How confusion and desolation came, we do not know. And why do we not know?
Because G.o.d has not told us. People have thought a great deal about it, and they say that upon the earth itself may be read, as in a book, marks of the many changes which it went through during that far, far away time; but what we have to remember is that G.o.d does not tell us anything about it in His Book; it is with the days and weeks and years of Time and the "from everlasting to everlasting" of His great Eternity, about which He does speak to us, that we have to do.
G.o.d speaks to us, the inhabitants of the earth, of what it concerns us to know--and the first thing we learn about this earth upon which we live is that it was created by Him.
The next thing that we learn is that the earth which He had "formed to be inhabited" was "without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." This was the state of the earth which G.o.d had created, when He began the work of His wonderful "Days," and brought what had become a scene of desolation into order and beauty, a place prepared for men to dwell in.
And now there is one more verse to find, because it speaks about those SIX DAYS in which G.o.d "made" (not "created") the heaven and the earth. "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is."
(Exodus xx. 11.)
How wonderful it is, is it not? that G.o.d should tell us so much about His work! He might have made everything in a moment, by one word, but He was pleased to take all these "Days," and to tell us about the wonderful things which he made upon each of them, and at the end of them all we read--
"And G.o.d saw everything that He had made, and, behold it was [not waste and desolate any more, but] very good."
I wish that I could look over your shoulder as you are reading, and ask you whether there is anything you want to have explained. Ah, well! I cannot, and, perhaps, if I could I should not explain to you nearly so well as father or mother would. Only be sure you ask questions, if there is anything you do not understand, that you may have it made plain to you.
I once told my children about a little girl I knew, who very much wanted to know things, but sometimes she went on ever so long without knowing, just because she was too proud to ask; she could not bear for people to find out that she did not know all that she thought a child of her age ought to know. But children of any age cannot know things without being taught, and so it came to pa.s.s that this child grew to be quite a big girl without knowing how to tell the time. Once, when her mother said, "Run and tell me what o"clock it is," Lucy ran off as quickly as if she knew all about it, and then she stood at the foot of the stairs and looked at the clock, and wondered why one hand was still and the other moved, and how grown-up people knew what time it was by just looking at their watches for half a minute. Before she had found out any of these puzzling things, all at once Lucy heard her mother"s voice calling, "Lucy, Lucy," and she ran back to her in a great hurry.
When asked why she had been so long, this poor, proud child made some excuse. And then--I am ashamed to tell it, but it only shows what becomes of pretending to know, instead of asking to be taught--she told her mother what she guessed would be about the right time.
Her mother never thought she had been deceiving her; but Lucy went back to her play with a very heavy heart, and a miserable feeling of how naughty she had been, and how G.o.d knew all about it; and this was not the last time that the wish to be thought clever--so clever as not to need to be taught like other children, but to be able to find things out for herself--brought her into sad trouble.
After having heard the story of Lucy and the clock, my children knew how much I like them to ask questions, and were sure that I would answer them if I could; and so Sharley asked me about something which she could not understand.
"When G.o.d created the heaven and the earth, did He create the angels too?"
she said. "Were there angels in the beginning?"
Now the first part of Sharley"s question I could not answer. I could only say about it, "We do not know, because G.o.d has not told us."
Remember always, that when G.o.d does tell you a thing you must believe it, just because it is G.o.d who has said it; and it is only by believing what G.o.d tells you that you can understand it. But when you are quite sure that G.o.d has not told you about something which you would like to know, you must never try to guess at it, or make up something about it out of your own head. Our thoughts and fancies may seem very pretty, and please us very much; but we are quite sure to be wrong when we try to peep at what G.o.d has not shown us in the wonderful gla.s.s of His word.
But there is an answer to the last part of Sharley"s question, and she found it in the Book of Job. When G.o.d was taking a great deal of pains to teach Job not to think himself wise or good--really not to think of himself at all--He asked him a great many questions which Job could not answer.
This was one of the questions: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.... When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of G.o.d shouted for joy?" (Job x.x.xviii. 4-7).
From this question, which the Lord asked Job, we know that at the world"s birthday, when its foundations were laid, angels were there, rejoicing in G.o.d"s works, though we do not know when these "sons of G.o.d" were created.
Angels are happy, blessed creatures; they are G.o.d"s messengers, who "excel in strength and do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word."
All we are told about angels is very beautiful. When the Lord Jesus was born, you know it was an angel who brought to the shepherds of Bethlehem, as they watched their flocks, the "good tidings of great joy," that to them was born a Saviour, Christ the Lord. How glad he must have been to fly with such a wonderful message! And how the "mult.i.tude of the heavenly host" must have rejoiced as they praised G.o.d, saying, "Glory to G.o.d in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke ii. 14).
It is beautiful to see that angels rejoiced at the world"s birthday, and also at the birth of Him who is the Saviour of the world. And there is "joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d"--the Lord Jesus Himself has told us of this--whenever anyone is sorry for his sins and turns to Him.
And there is another thing very beautiful to think of about the angels.
They are G.o.d"s ministers, or servants, who do His pleasure in serving His children here in this world; taking care of them, because they are so precious to Him.
I want you to find the verse which tells us about this "ministry of angels," and then I will not ask you to look for any more references to-day. It is at the end of a chapter in the epistle to the Hebrews.
"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews i. 14).
Remember that in the Bible the word "minister" means servant, and so to minister means to serve. And we must not forget that in the last book of the Bible we read of a "new song;" which no angel can sing, for it is known only by the great mult.i.tude of the redeemed; and though it will be sung in heaven, it is learnt on earth. Angels may join in the mighty chorus of praise to which every creature will add its voice--but it is those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ who will lead that song and say, "Thou are worthy, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed to G.o.d by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."
How much is told us in the first three verses of G.o.d"s Book? We have read that this earth, now so full of beauty, was once waste and desolate; there was no life there, and no light--for "darkness was upon the face of the deep." How long this state of ruin continued we do not know; but the next thing we are told is very solemn and wonderful--"the Spirit of G.o.d moved upon the face of the waters." Then, in the next verse we read, "and G.o.d said." The Spirit of G.o.d and the word of G.o.d are spoken of together here, where we read of His mighty working in the past in bringing the earth out of ruin and darkness into light and life and beauty; and it is by His word and His Spirit that the soul is turned from darkness to light, and is born again--born of G.o.d--now.
So that G.o.d has given us here a picture or type from which we can learn; but I hope to tell you a little more about this another time. Just now I should like you to look for a very beautiful verse (Deut. x.x.xii. 11) which compares the care of G.o.d for His chosen People to that of the eagle for her young; because the word there translated "fluttereth" is the same which in the second verse of the Bible is translated "moved," as we read, "the Spirit of G.o.d moved upon the face of the waters."
It is that Holy Spirit who alone can explain to us the meaning of such words, for it is written, "The things of G.o.d knoweth no man, but the Spirit of G.o.d."
"Songs of praise the angels sang, Heaven with hallelujahs rang, When Jehovah"s work begun, When He spake and it was done.
"Songs of praise awoke the morn When the Prince of Peace was born; Songs of praise arose when He Captive led captivity.
"Heaven and earth must pa.s.s away, Songs of praise shall crown that day; G.o.d will make new heavens and earth; Songs of praise shall hail their birth."
J. MONTGOMERY.
THE FIRST DAY.
LIGHT.
"_Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof?_"--JOB x.x.xviii. 19.
"_He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him._"--DANIEL ii, 22.
"_G.o.d, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of G.o.d in the face of Jesus Christ._"--2 COR. iv, 6.
I want you to notice, in the beautiful verses which speak of "light," that G.o.d does not at first tell us anything about Himself. He speaks to us of what He did when in the beginning He created the heaven and the earth, and of what He said at the time when the earth lay in darkness, buried beneath the waters. In the midst of the silence and darkness a voice was heard, the voice of G.o.d, "And G.o.d said, Let there be light: and there was light." This we read in the first page of G.o.d"s Book; but it is very near its end that G.o.d makes it known that the One who made the light, the One at whose word light came from darkness, is Himself Light. It is His very Nature.
"G.o.d is light." Now we learn from G.o.d"s Word that there are two kinds of light, and two kinds of darkness; let us talk a little about this.
We can well understand one kind of darkness, because we can see it: and we know it is caused by the absence of light. It grows dark when the sun, which makes our day, has set to us, and the night has come to wrap us round, as it were, in a curtain of shade that we may sleep quietly. It is dark too, not only by night, but all the day long in the deep caverns where the miner must carry his lamp to light up those dismal places where the sun never shines. This darkness, like that which rested upon the face of the deep before G.o.d spoke that word which brought the light, is caused by there being no light, and as soon as the light comes the darkness goes. The other kind of darkness we cannot see: it has to do, not with places, but with people, and we read about it very often in the Bible. It is that dreadful kind of darkness which has come through sin, and has settled down upon the heart of every one of us. This darkness G.o.d sees, and He speaks about it in His Word.