In Genesis 1:1 we are introduced to the Creator. In Genesis 1:2 we are introduced to the Conqueror. This verse tells of a chaotic mass without form that is void of any content or shape. It is a dark chaos. This is the context of creation. It is into this mass that God commands light.
It is out of this shapelessness that he brings structure. It is from the void that he brings forth an inhabitable home. He dominates the chaos. He conquers it and transforms it into something functional, even beautiful. The first few sentences of the entire storyline of Scripture introduce us to a God who engages and wins over chaos.
Creation faith recognizes that the Creator is the Conqueror. It recognizes the capacity of the Almighty in the face of any and every form of chaos. Walter Brueggemann has a helpful section about this in his Theology of the Old Testament. He says,
“creation faith is the summons and invitation to trust [the Creator] in the face of day-to-day, palpable incursions of chaos. The testimony of Israel pushes toward a verdict that [the Creator] can be trusted in the midst of any chaos, even that of exile and finally that of death.”
The practical implications of Genesis 1:2 are far reaching for believers. The God we serve is no stranger to chaos. He has entered it more than once and demonstrated his sovereignty over it. For his own, he will continue to enter it and engage it. We can be confident that choas will not have the final say.