Gen 1:1-3 (NET Bible) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!

I have read this passage several times in my meditations on the Word. But today, I asked the question- Why did God speak during the six days of creation? The Hebrew word used is transliterated as “amar”meaning “to utter or say”. God- who is Almighty and eternal who does not need to speak,  chose to speak in the creation. And with this simple sentence, we  note that everything in the scriptures is placed there for PURPOSE.

Present at creation was God the Father, the Word- also called the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word used here is “Elohim”- which is the plural of Elohe. Not that there are several gods but the use of Elohim expressly depicts the Father, the Spirit or “Ruach HaKodesh” and the fact that God “spoke” (the WORD) clearly presents the Trinity. The apostle John channels Genesis in the first sentences of the gospel where he boldly declares Jesus Christ as “the Word”.

John 1:1- 5 (NET Bible) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it. The parallel of John’s gospel highlights the creation of light on day one-contrasting it to the actual true LIGHT Himself- announcing that Jesus Christ was indeed the Creator.

There are many today who choose to deny the deity of the Jesus- either saying He was an angel, or a created being or even just a prophet. But the actual witness to the life, death and resurrection of the Savior, John, indeed proclaimed without regret or hesitance that the same Jesus who walked on the earth clothed in flesh and blood was the same One who existed at the beginning. John- a devout Jewish- would stake his eternal future on this claim. So too, if we are believers, there must be no doubt about who Jesus is. He is the Word of God made flesh.

Man was created in the image of God – and given language. Adam “named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field” (Gen 2:20). Speech was given to the new couple. It is through speech that the creature serpent was able to spin God’s command to deceive both Adam and Eve. Speech is a gift given by God to allow us to express our creative abilities, to communicate, to praise and to sing. But the perversion of sin has caused this gift to become corrupted.

So much that James admonishes us to control our tongues. James 3:1-12 (NET Bible) Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well. And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell.

For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

The Word of God came clothed in flesh and blood to die and shed the ransom blood for us so that we can be washed from the corruption of sin. But if we call ourselves believers, we need allow GOD’s redeeming power to permeate our beings so that our speech build, create and expand – not tear down, destroy and diminish. The power of the WORD is not just to deliver us from the eternal damnation that accompanied our sinful nature, but it is here to wash us from the poison deposits within us. Poison that makes itself visible when we choose to tear down a brother or a sister with our words instead of building a hedge of prayer around them- no matter what their sin against us may be. Poison that makes itself visible when we compete with each other based on foolish pride and selfish ambitions. Poison that puts self above Savior.

The power of the WORD was in the beginning to create and came on earth to make a path of redemption where there was none. Let us take example and follow in the steps of our Savior- speaking life, speaking creatively, speaking His Word in our lives and in the lives of others. AMEN!