Genesis 1:2 – Eternal Spirit of God

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”  Genesis 1:2

From the first verses in scripture, God hints at the Trinity. That God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God are all present in creation, are all uncreated and eternal, and are separate and distinct from one another. God’s name in the Hebrew of Genesis 1 is in the plural, Elohim. Consider how we speak of an individual person. Although we are both body and spirit, we do not refer to an individual in the plural, or as body and spirit existing separately. This indicates the existence of the Trinity from the beginning.

This verse introduces the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. Notice that “waters,” is in the plural. This means that during creation the Spirit of God was present over the earth, not in one place but in multiple. In verses like Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” we see that the Spirit of God is truly everywhere and our personal walks of faith can attest to this truth.

The fact that the second verse in the Bible speaks of the Spirit of God’s eternal existence and omnipresence should spur us to reverently seek relationship with Him. Following Jesus’s ascension into Heaven, the Holy Spirit first indwelt followers of Jesus during Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Peter describes the Holy Spirit as “the gift,” to believers (Acts 2:38). God unifies His church through our baptism “by one Spirit so as to form one body,”  (1 Cor. 12:13). In John 14, Jesus says to the disciples “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you,” also saying that the Spirit “lives with you and will be in you.”  The eternal, omnipresent Holy Spirit, has been given to us as a gift from the Father in the name of Jesus, to not only be with us but to dwell in us. What a precious gift, from our loving Elohim.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, we thank you that you are with us always. Help us become more aware of your presence. Help us to pursue fellowship with You, guidance from You, and to defer to Your leading.