Our Preeminent Messiah
2/1 Reading Portions: Genesis 33; Mark 4; Esther 9-10; Romans 4
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2/1 Reading Portions: Genesis 33; Mark 4; Esther 9-10; Romans 4
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
BEGINNING
The first word in my Hebrew Bible is בראשׁית (bre-SHEEYT). It literally means “In a beginning.” While certainly there is currently no other heavens and earth in the created universe, and therefore, our Hebrew pronunciation (ba-re-SHEEYT), and its subsequent English translation, “In the beginning,” would be correct. Nevertheless, the Bible is a prophetic book from Genesis to Revelation, and its content is all about God’s Messiah, as it is written:
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10
Indeed, Jesus Himself said that the Scriptures are about Him:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me,” John 5:39
Thus, I submit to you that “In a beginning” is an equally outstanding translation of the Hebrew word than what we have come to recognize and memorize from our English Bibles. Jesus is preeminent in the creation of the universe because Jesus is preeminent in all things (Col 1:17). He is the beginning for all things and is the beginning for all His redeemed saints. Surely, in the beginning, Jesus created from nothing all things that exist (John 1:1-3; Heb 1:2). Yet He is a beginning for you and me who have been saved by His grace through faith, for we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Jesus must be a beginning for us in our thoughts; else our minds will wander. Jesus must be a beginning for us in our speech; else we will not speak as the oracles of God. Jesus must be a beginning for you and me in our actions; else the best of our good works will never bring Him honor. Jesus must be a beginning for you and me in our attitudes; else every thought, word, and deed falls short of God’s glory.
Finally, there is a new heaven and earth coming, whereas this old world will pass away (Rev 21:1). It will far surpass the first creation, and the Lord Jesus Messiah will be revealed even more wonderfully than we can conceive; for Jesus is also the beginning for that glorious age to come. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When we dwell on the beginning
And think there’s only one,
It just might be we are sinning,
Forsaking God’s own Son.