I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light.I saw the earth and, behold, it was waste and void, and the heavens, and they had no light.I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
3 sermons cite this verse
… And God's people are yet again driven out to the east and listen to what Jeremiah chapter four, verse 23 says. When that happens, listen to this language. I looked on the earth and behold, it was without form and void and to the heavens and they had no light. That sounds like the creation account. earth without form void heavens no light but this is not talking about creation of the world this is talking about this land when god's people had been driven out of it they were not inhabiting it anymore it was empty and they were back in the wilderness and this is the whole story of the Old Testament. God wanting his creation, desiring his creation to experience his delight, his pleasure on the earth, in the land, in Eden, in the promised land. But over and over again, God's creation continually turning from him and experiencing the wilderness separated from God over and over and over again. You say, well, why are you showing us this? I thought you said God designed creation for a glorious purpose. This story does not sound glorious. Well, here's what's glorious. The Old Testament of the Bible is not the end of this story. Because one day, God, listen to this, the creator himself comes to the creation. …
Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of darkness; the devils are the rulers of the darkness of this world. But Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom of light; the designs of his kingdom are carried on by light; his people are not of the night, nor of darkness, but are the children of the light, as they are the children of God, who is the father of lights, and as it were a boundless fountain of infinite pure and bright light. 1 John i. 5. James i. 17. Man by the fall extinguished that divine light that shone in this world in its first estate. The Scripture represents the wickedness of man as reducing the world to that state wherein it was when it was yet without form and void, and darkness filled it. Jer. iv. 22, 23. “For my people is foolish, they have not known me: they are sottish children; and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil; but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” But God in infinite mercy has made glorious provision for the restoration of light to this fallen dark world: he has sent him who is the brightness of his own glory into the world, to be the light of the world. “He is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, ” i. e. every man in the world that ever has any true light. But in his wisdom and mercy, he is pleased to convey his light to men by means and instruments; and has sent forth his messengers, and appointed ministers in his church to be subordinate lights, and to shine with the communications of his light, and to reflect the beams of his glory on the souls of men. …
We read in Scripture of two creations, the old and the new: and these words of the fourth command are to be taken as of the same force to those who belong to the new creation, with respect to that new creation, as they were to those who belonged to the old creation, with respect to that. We read, That “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” and the church of old were to commemorate that work. But when God creates a new heaven and a new earth, those that belong to this new heaven and new earth, by a like reason, are to commemorate the creation of their heaven and earth. The Scriptures teach us to look upon the old creation as destroyed, and as it were annihilated by sin; or, as being reduced to a chaos again, without form and void, as it was at first. “They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void: and the heavens, and they had no light!” i. e. they were reduced to the same-state in which they were at first; the earth was without form and void, and there was no light, but darkness was upon the face of the deep. …