Gen. 1:2
Without form and void: Here, the lifelessness before Creation is emphasized. Elsewhere, the Bible talks of God quickening things. That means that He makes them alive. He loves to make all things new; indeed, His mercies to us are new every morning. (Lam. 3:22-23) Whether we choose to accept them or not, they are there for us.
This shows the glory of God as a Creator, one who takes great joy in His creation. As people, we may get joy out of writing something, or out of teaching someone a skill. However, this pales in comparison to the joy God feels over His creation. God is love. And, He has a special love for everyone. It hurts and disappoints Him so much when we fail to do what He calls us to do.
Here, however, we see the world before any of that creation has occurred. It is a mass of chaos. God is in the business of making order out of chaos.
He does this in many ways. In the solar system, for instance, the planets were formed to move around the sun in predictable obits, instead of zigging and zagging everywhere. This is done through gravity. Here on earth, He creates families. Where people refuse to act as parents should, His Spirit moves others to intercede and be the emotional father or mother that child needs. He creates governments, yet assures people that obedience to His laws is the most important thing to Him, and that He will be with those who must live with ungodly rulers. There are two notable examples in the Book of Daniel alone – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who were saved from the fiery furnace after they wouldn’t bow to the emperor, and Daniel, who was saved from the mouths of lions after he prayed to God in defiance of the ruler’s orders. There are many other ways in which God creates order out of chaos, so things will run smoothly.
Here, we see Him making order out of the chaos of a lifeless, formless world. He does this by His Spirit moving over the face of it. The Holy Spirit is shown as Creator here, as He is in Job 26:13, just as God the Son is shown in John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17, and Hebrews 1:3, and as God the Father is shown in many places.
