“The One who spoke is the One who sustains.”
Basil the Great
Title: When God Spoke Light
Hook: “When You spoke light, we came alive.”
A gentle folk worship piece, slow and sacred, shaped by the creation narrative.
Welcome to the First Breath of the New Year
All Scripture Is In Black and Italicized for easy spotting. (looks like this)
Welcome, friends. Thank you for being here and taking interest in my writing. HopeScribed will grow and change in beautiful ways this year, and I am grateful you are part of it.
The past three years have turned my life upside down. God has moved mountains I did not expect, and loss has shaped me more than I ever imagined. The passing of my mother to cancer was the moment everything shifted, and it opened the path that brings me here with you today.
For many years, I ran from God’s calling. Earlier in my life we would have been talking about recovery and raising children, and both of those seasons shaped me deeply. That was where surrender first began in my life. What a journey it has been so far.
So, take your Bible, pull up a chair, grab a drink, maybe a blanket on this cold January day, and come with a ready heart. We are stepping into a RELATIONSHIP this year and that RELATIONSHIP will change you if you slow down enough to listen.
Unlike last year where I made a post daily, I have decided to simplify and provide a single weekly post that as the week goes on you can come back to for more details. So, I hope to see you here throughout the week and next week. Don't forget to leave a comment. It is how we both grow. This is a 2-way road. I am not above learning. I love it to be honest. Participate please it makes this a lot more engaging for both of us. Please share with 1 person you feel should hear this word. But most of all pray, read and connect with God. He has all the knowledge. I am simply sharing what I see when I am studying.
If you truly hear what God is saying this year, you will not be the same by the time this season of learning closes
In the beginning, there was no sunrise, no sky to cradle it. Only deep waters, still and patient. No footsteps echoed, no breath stirred the air, no horizon broke the endless expanse. It was the world before the world, the hush before the first sound. Then a Voice moved through the formless void, and darkness discovered its edge. Light bloomed at the sound of God’s words, and day drew its very first breath.
This Breath traces the unfolding of Creation, moving as the story moves. Light breaks into the dark and the waters are drawn together. Land emerges, and seeds rest, holding life within. Sun, moon, and stars mark the dawn of time while birds take to the skies, and animals roam the land. Humanity rises from dust, filled with the Breath of God. Everything flows in order; steady, intentional, day and night, until all stands good and complete.
Many have been taught to see this story as revolving around debates or timelines, yet the text itself doesn’t argue instead it reveals. It doesn’t hurry to explain every detail about God but instead lets us witness His movement, hear His voice, and notice His order. In this telling, creation isn’t a chaotic clash but a deliberate act, infused with peace, steady rhythm, and deep purpose.
In a world buzzing with noise, confusion, and constant motion, we’re reminded that God doesn’t wait for the chaos to fade before He acts. He speaks right into it, bringing order where there’s disorder and light where darkness has settled. For those who’ve walked through trauma, feel scattered, or sense life has lost its shape, this truth remains: God works slowly, steadily, and with intention. You weren’t an accident of a night of passion misplaced. You were created on purpose and when life feels shapeless again, He still speaks light.
Light didn’t fight for its place; it appeared simply because God spoke. Darkness had no choice but to yield. Each sunrise is a quiet reminder that His voice still cuts through places where shadows linger—within the world, and within you. Even now. Even here.
As the first breath fades, creation stands whole, balanced, and beautiful. Light settles into its place, and darkness keeps to its edge. Seeds lie in quiet anticipation while the waters find their calm. Dust holds the very breath of God and the world, well it stands poised, ready for the unfolding of what comes next.
So lets start with a very basic question What is the point of Genesis? Is it a Science Lesson?
Genesis 1 is not teaching chem or physics. It answers
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Who orders reality?
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Why does the world make sense?
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Why does life reproduce?
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Why does time have rhythm?
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Why do humans have responsibility?
It's cosmic wisdom literature structured as ordered creation. What we see is:
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Creation as ordered intelligibility
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Reality as governable, knowable, bless-able
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Humanity placed inside a system that already WORKS
Genesis 1 says that the universe is not random, not hostile and not divine. It says it is structured for Life UNDER God.
Breathe 1 Scripture
TS2009 Style • Continuous Narrative • Genesis 1:1–2:3
Insights:
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Badal- separation creates order.
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Darkness is potential; light brings clarity and function
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This is the first cycle of time a moment of separation because before anything can be given a purpose it first must be defined,
Separate/Divide
Hebrew: Badal
First appears: Day 1- "God SEPERATED the light from the darkness"
Core Meaning:
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TO Distinguish
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To Set Boundaries
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To Create Definition
What it is NOT:
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Conflict
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Destruction
Theological Function:
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Separation is HOW order Begins
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God creates meaning by DISTINCTION
Before Time Existed
In the beginning Elohim brought the heavens and the earth into being. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the Ruach of Elohim moved over the surface of the waters. Elohim said, “Let there be light,” and light came to be. Elohim saw the light, that it was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. Evening came, and morning came, the first day.
Genesis 1 moves from Chaos ➡️Order➡️Fullness➡️Function
Before God fills anything, he defines it. This is the birth of:
Time, Rhythm, Identity
In day one several key words appear that we need to discuss. It is very important that we look at the audience and how they would have heard these very words when they were passed down from generation to generation. Yet they managed to keep a precise story we can rely on today. On the left side as, we go I will list these words. If we run out of space, they will be placed in a collapsible at the end.
Days 1-3 Ordering the Domains
These days create spaces.
Day 1- Light/Darkness
- Separation: light from darkness
- Result; time (evening and morning)
- This is not sun-based time yet
It's ordered rhythm
Think binary distinction- yes/no, on/off, day/night
Day 2- Sky/Water
- Separation of waters above and below
- Creation of space
- The dome (raqia) is a boundary, not an object
THIS ESTABLISHES:
- Vertical order
- Habitable space
Day 3- Land/Sea+Vegetation
This day has two acts:
- Waters gathered
➡️dry land appears - Vegetation introduced ➡️reproduction begins
Here we see:
- Grouping
- boundaries
- Self-propagation
Time: Evening and Morning
Hebrew: erev (evening) / boqer (morning)
Pattern note:
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Darkness is mentioned first every day
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Light follows
Meaning:
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Time is cyclical, not chaotic
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God establishes rhythm before productivity
God defines time before He demands fruitfulness.
Day One
Elohim said, “Let there be a space in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” Elohim made the space and separated the waters under the space from the waters above the space, and it came to be so. Elohim called the space the heavens. Evening came, and morning came, the second day.
Appear / Be Seen
Hebrew: ra’ah (רָאָה)
Meaning:
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To become visible
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To be revealed
Insight:
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God does not create land from nothing here
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He reveals what was already there
God often reveals before He adds.
Day Two
Elohim said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and it came to be so. Elohim called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters He called Seas. Elohim saw that it was good.
Elohim said, “Let the earth sprout grass, plants producing seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to their kind, whose seed is in them on the earth,” and it came to be so. The earth brought forth grass, plants producing seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit whose seed was in them according to their kind. Elohim saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning came, the third day.
Gather
Hebrew: qavah (קָוָה)
Core meaning:
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To collect
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To bind
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To draw into order
Result:
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Dry land appears
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Habitable space emerges
Order appears when chaos is gathered, not erased.
Day Three
Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs for appointed times, days, and years. Let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,” and it came to be so. Elohim made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, and He made the stars. Elohim set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. Elohim saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning came, the fourth day.
This is the first time the text emphasizes:
"According to its kind"
That's not modern biology
it's ordered reproduction
According to Its Kind
Hebrew: min (מִין)
Meaning:
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Boundaries in reproduction
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Order in diversity
Not modern biology
It is about stability, not taxonomy.
Day Four
Elohim said, “Let the waters swarm with living beings, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the heavens.” Elohim created the great sea creatures and every living being that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. Elohim saw that it was good, and Elohim blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and increase, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” Evening came, and morning came, the fifth day.
Signs, Seasons, Days, Years
Hebrew words:
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Signs: oth
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Seasons: moed (appointed times)
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Days: yom
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Years: shanah
Important note:
Moed later refers to feast times.
God embeds worship rhythms into the cosmos.
Day 4 focus:
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Time becomes measurable
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Sacred rhythm enters creation
Day Five
Elohim said, “Let the waters swarm with living beings, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the heavens.” Elohim created the great sea creatures and every living being that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. Elohim saw that it was good, and Elohim blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and increase, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” Evening came, and morning came, the fifth day.
Bless
Hebrew: barak (בָּרַךְ)
First appears Day 5.
Meaning:
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To empower for success
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To enable increase
Key distinction:
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Blessing is not approval
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Blessing is capacity
Blessing is God’s permission to grow.
Day Six
Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth living beings according to their kind, cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kind,” and it came to be so. Elohim made the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. Elohim saw that it was good.
Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Elohim created man in His image, in the image of Elohim He created him, male and female He created them.
Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful, and increase, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living being that moves on the earth.” Elohim said, “See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed. It shall be food for you. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creeping thing on the earth in which there is life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it came to be so.
Elohim saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came, and morning came, the sixth day.
Be Fruitful
Hebrew: parah (פָּרָה)
Meaning:
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To bear fruit
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To expand life outward
Applies to:
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Animals
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Humans
Fruitfulness is expected, but it follows order.
Day Seven
Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their array. And in the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
And Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart, because on it He rested from all His work which Elohim in creating had made.
Something I want to draw attention to is WHEN Sabbath was created. Because the way our brain often works the last recall is where the focus remembers. With Scripture it is important to allow first mentioned to be the defining factor.
To use the Sabbath as an example, our recall tends to shift this date to Jewish people to observe. Why? Because the times Sabbath was mentioned after this it was always Jewish.
But what we will see is that it was created for all humankind. It was given even before the rules were given. It was established pre-fall. This says it is creation based not mosaic. Here we learn the expectation to REST in GOD never left.
What the Sabbath is
(before law, before Israel)
Sabbath is not first a command. It is first a pattern.
“By the seventh day God completed His work… and He rested (shavat)… and He blessed the seventh day and made it holy.”
— Genesis 2:2–3
Shabbat (שָׁבַת)
→ to cease, stop, desist
Not “relax from exhaustion,” but intentional stopping
Qadash (קָדַשׁ)
→ to set apart for a distinct purpose
God did not rest because He was tired. He rested because creation was complete, and stopping declared that completion.
How Gentile believers should observe Sabbath
This is where balance matters.
Sabbath is:
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Not legalistic
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Not optional
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Not uniform in expression
Core principles:
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Intentional cessation
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Trust based stopping
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God centered reorientation
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Restoration of soul and body
Whether that is:
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Saturday
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Sunday
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or a consciously set apart rhythm
The heart posture matters more than the clock. but the clock still matters.
Jesus did not abolish Sabbath — He redefined it
Jesus’ words: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” — Mark 2:27
That is not abolition. That is restoration of intent. He confronts:
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Pharisaic control
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Performance based righteousness
Jesus repeatedly heals on Sabbath to show:
Sabbath restores life — it does not suspend mercy.
“Lord of the Sabbath” matters
“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
If Sabbath were ending, that title would be meaningless. Instead, Jesus claims authority over it, not dismissal of it.
“But Paul says…” clarification without distortion
People often cite:
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Colossians 2:16
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Romans 14
These passages address:
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Judgment
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Legal enforcement
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Festival hierarchy
They do not say Sabbath is abolished.
Paul argues:
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Sabbath is not a salvation requirement
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Sabbath is not a tool for spiritual ranking
Sabbath is not how you earn righteousness It is how you live from righteousness
Personal Note: A Word About Sabbath Rest
As Christians in today’s corporate church culture...especially here in the States...we often treat “church” as something reserved for Sunday. But a simple look at the languages of Scripture shows clearly which day God set apart as the Sabbath.
And here is the part that matters... God established the Sabbath before there were nations, races, denominations, or religious divisions. It was created for all humanity, not a single group.
So what is the true heart of Sabbath honor in light of Christ? To put it simple.
The Sabbath is an invitation to rest in the peace, love, joy, and presence of God. It calls us to step away from tasks, lists, schedules, chores, and especially the screens and devices that drain our attention and rob us of connection—connection with God, with our families, and with the strength we need for the week ahead.
I want to challenge you this week...Try adding this piece of God’s love back into your routine and see what happens. It does not require changing denominations or joining another church. Honestly, if you have children, you already know that Sunday mornings can be some of the most exhausting hours of the week. That does not feel like Sabbath rest.
But from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, you have the freedom to create a holy space in your home. Evening and morning make the first day...that is the biblical rhythm.
During that time, you can choose to honor God in ways that bless your family:
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studying the Bible with your kids
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visiting elders or neighbors
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putting on worship music and dancing together
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sharing stories of God’s goodness
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cooking meals that nourish your bodies
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letting your home breathe in the presence of God
You can make it joyful.
You can make it simple.
You can make it sacred.
As we continue through Scripture this year, you will begin to see the personality of God more clearly. His humor. His tenderness. His wisdom. We often imagine Him as rigid or demanding, but so much of that is human tradition wrapped in the language of reverence. The Sabbath reveals something else entirely: a God who delights in giving rest to His people.
In the next section we are going to pull out some other aspects that is often overlooked in our reading patterns. If we plan to break the chains we have to start over and become like children ready, eager, hungry for God.
Darkness is always mentioned first
This is not accidental. In Hebrew narrative, what is named first often frames the reality, not what is valued more.
Genesis 1:2 sets the tone
“Darkness was over the face of the deep…”
Darkness is not called evil.
It simply is — unordered, unfilled, unnamed.
Throughout the days:
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Evening (erev) → morning (boqer)
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Darkness → light
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Potential → fulfillment
Creation does not start with perfection.
It starts with formlessness that is about to be ordered.
God works from darkness, not around it.
Darkness is a womb, not a threat
In Hebrew thought, darkness often functions as:
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Hiddenness
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Waiting
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Gestation
Think:
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A seed in the soil
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A child in the womb
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Israel in Egypt
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Jesus in the tomb
None of those are endpoints. They are preparatory spaces.
So, when Genesis says, “evening and morning,” it’s saying:
Life moves from hiddenness into revelation.
Light follows — it is given, not seized
Light is never produced by creation itself.
It is spoken into being. That matters.
Light is:
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Gift
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Direction
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Meaning
Which means:
Illumination is God’s initiative, not humanity’s achievement.
Now — blessing
This connects directly to barak.
Hebrew barak ≠ approval
In English, we hear “bless” and think:
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“God likes this”
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“God endorses this morally”
That is not how Genesis uses it.
Barak means:
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To endow with capacity
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To empower toward a function
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To enable increase
God blesses before moral testing even exists.
Proof from the text
God blesses:
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Sea creatures (Day 5)
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Humans (Day 6)
Animals are not moral agents.
They cannot be “approved” or “disapproved.”
So, blessing cannot mean:
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Moral endorsement
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Spiritual favor based on behavior
It means:
God equips life to do what it was designed to do.
Blessing without approval elsewhere in Scripture
This pattern continues.
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God blesses Israel → Israel still rebels
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God blesses kings → some become corrupt
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God blesses land → people misuse it
Blessing = capacity
Approval = alignment
They are related, but not identical.
Darkness first, blessing later
Notice the order:
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Darkness exists
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Order is spoken
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Life emerges
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Blessing empowers expansion
Blessing is not given to perfection.
Blessing is given to potential.
This is huge.
God does not wait for flawlessness to empower life.
This is powerful. It is life changing. Why?
Because when we first come to Jesus... truly come... our experience often mirrors the opening moments of creation.
Genesis does not begin with light. It begins with darkness.
When we come to Christ, we do not arrive polished, ordered, or complete. Our lives are often unformed, undefined, and chaotic. That is not failure. That is Genesis.
Western thinking tells us darkness means the end:
“I’m finished.”
“I can’t come back from this.”
“I can’t change.”
“I can’t live this Scripture shaped life.”
“I can’t be holy.”
So, we soften the call with excuses:
“After all, I have grace.”
“God will take it away when He’s ready.”
I’ve used those excuses more times than I care to admit.
But Scripture tells a very different story.
Darkness is not the conclusion.
Darkness is the starting point.
It is the place where God does His greatest work. And this... not comfort, not compromise... is true freedom.
When the scales fall from our eyes, we begin to see how many of our assumptions were shaped not by Scripture, but by the enemy and by culture.
Light Is Given, Not Earned
When we give our lives to God, we often feel like we are still standing in darkness. Our minds tell us nothing will really change.
Then we hear promises:
“Life will be better now.”
And it will be — but not in the way we expect.
The moment you leave the enemy’s side; you become a threat. And a threat does not always face chaos immediately. Sometimes distraction is far more effective.
The whisper comes quietly:
“You don’t really have the ability to change.”
“You’re still early in your walk.”
“It will happen eventually.”
“You’ll drop it later.”
The church often labels this grace.
But this is not the grace the early church preached.
Grace in Scripture is not permission to remain bound. Grace is power to move forward.
My Confession and the Lie I Believed
It has been several years, and I am ashamed to admit that I still struggle with vaping.
Not because others don’t know. Not because I hid it from God’s people. But because I finally recognized the lie.
I believed God would take it away when He was ready, instead of recognizing that He had already given me the ability to walk free.
Genesis shows us that darkness is not the end.... it is the beginning.
But instead of stepping into blessing, we often step into chains dressed up as grace.
Manmade grace excuses bondage.
God’s grace breaks it.
Blessing Does Not Mean Approval
When we see the word blessing in Scripture, we often think gift or reward. But in Hebrew, barak does not mean approval.
It means:
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to endow with capacity
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to empower for function
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to enable growth and increase
In other words, when we come to God, He gives us the full ability to serve Him... not later, not eventually, but now.
Society says:
“It’s okay, you’ll get there someday.”
God says:
“I already made you able.”
This requires a shift in our hearts — from
“God will take this away when He’s ready”
to
“I am ready to surrender this fully to God.”
That distinction matters.
Blessing vs Approval
We search for purpose. We search for peace. But Scripture tells us something radical...
The moment God steps into our lives, the trajectory changes.
God does not wait for us to know everything.
He blesses before moral testing even begins.
Blessing is capacity.
Approval is alignment.
Blessings come regardless of where we stand. Approval comes when we honor God, obey His Word, and tear down the compromises the world taught us to tolerate. That is why Scripture says:
“Every good gift comes from God.”
Satan also offers gifts... but his are fleshly:
Money.
Power.
Titles.
Possessions.
Idols.
God’s gifts look different:
Strength.
Endurance.
Peace.
Growth that cannot be explained away.
So, the prayer shifts from...
“Bless me”
to
“Approve me.”
The Final Truth
This is fire for anyone who is struggling.
Our minds say:
“I’m bad.”
“I don’t deserve this.”
“I’ve failed too much.”
God says:
“I empower you anyway.”
God’s blessings move us toward Him.
Satan’s gifts keep us comfortable, distracted, and focused on self.
God is not waiting for us to get it together.
He is waiting for our yes.
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