Genesis 1:3 - Meaning and Application

Here we have a fuller account of the first day’s work. The first visible thing God created was light, not so he could see to work, for darkness and light are both the same to him, but so we could see his works and his glory in them. He also made light so we might do our work while it is day. The works of Satan and his servants are works of darkness, but the person who does what is true and good comes to the light and welcomes it, so his deeds may be shown clearly (John 3:21).

Light is one of the greatest blessings and beauties of the world. Like a firstborn child, it most closely reflects its great Maker in purity, power, brightness, and kindness. It is closely related to spirit and comes nearest to it, though we can see other things by it and know that it exists, we still cannot fully explain what it is or how it is divided (Job 38:19, Job 38:24). Let the sight of light lead us to thoughtful trust in him who is light, endless and eternal light (1 John 1:5), the Father of lights (James 1:17), who lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16).

In the new creation, the first work in the soul is also light. The Holy Spirit takes hold of the will and affections by first enlightening the mind. He enters the heart like the good shepherd, whose sheep hear his voice, while sin and Satan, like thieves and robbers, climb in some other way. Those who were darkness because of sin become light in the world through grace.

The light came by the word of God’s power. He said, “Let there be light,” and it happened at once. There was light, exactly matching the idea in God’s eternal mind. What power there is in the word of God. He spoke, and it was done, done truly, effectively, and permanently, not as a mere show or for a short purpose. He commanded, and it stood firm. With him, it was a word and a world. God’s will and good pleasure are living and powerful.

Christ is the Word, the eternal and essential Word, and the light came through him. In him was light, and he is the true light, the light of the world (John 1:9; John 9:5). The divine light that shines in holy people is also worked by God’s power, through his word and through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Spirit opens the understanding, clears away ignorance and error, and gives the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ, just as God first commanded light to shine out of darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6). Fallen man would have remained in endless darkness if the Son of God had not come and given us understanding (1 John 5:20).

The light God willed, when it appeared, he approved. God saw the light, that it was good. It was exactly what he intended and fit for the purpose he made it for. It was useful and valuable. The world, now like a palace, would have been a dungeon without it. It was also lovely and pleasant. “Light is sweet” (Ecclesiastes 11:7), and it makes the heart glad (Proverbs 15:30). What God commands, he will also approve and receive kindly. He is pleased with the work of his own hands. That is truly good which is good in God’s sight, because he does not see as people see.

If light is good, how good must he be who is the source of light? We receive it from him, and we owe him all praise for it and all service done by it.

God also divided the light from the darkness, setting them apart so they could not be joined or made one. What fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14). Yet he also divided time between them, giving the day to light and the night to darkness in a regular pattern. Darkness was not driven away forever, but took its turn with the light because it also has its use. Morning light helps the work of the day, and evening shadows help the rest of the night, drawing the curtains around us so we may sleep better (Job 7:2).

By dividing time this way, God reminds us each day that this world is mixed and changing. In heaven there is perfect and lasting light, with no darkness at all. In hell there is complete darkness, with no light at all. Between those two there is a great gulf fixed. But in this world, light and darkness take turns. We pass daily from one to the other so we may learn to expect similar changes in God’s providence, peace and trouble, joy and sorrow. We should set one against the other, adapting ourselves to both as we do to day and night, welcoming both and making the best of both.

God also separated them by giving them names. He called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. He named them as the Lord of both, for the day is his and the night is also his (Psalm 74:16). He is Lord of time, and will remain so until day and night come to an end and time is swallowed up in eternity.

We should acknowledge God in the steady turn of day and night. Let us give both to his honor, working for him every day, resting in him every night, and meditating on his law day and night.

This was the first day’s work, and it was a good day’s work. “The evening and the morning were the first day.” Darkness came before the light, so it could serve as a dark background and make the light shine more clearly. This was not only the first day of the world, but also the first day of the week. That honors the day, because the new world also began on the first day of the week, in Christ’s resurrection, as the light of the world, early in the morning. In him, the rising sun from heaven has visited the world. Blessed are we, and forever blessed, if that daystar rises in our hearts.