I used to think, like many today, that day one of creation began with the creation of light. Why? Because here for the first time we find the phrase, “Let there be” – a phrase conspicuously absent in verse 1. This has led many to conclude that creation week began in verse 2 rather than verse 1. But is this warranted? Was it necessary for God to speak the words, “Let there be,” as if this were some sort of divine word formula? No! As we shall see later in our study, the command, “Let there be,” is also nowhere to be found in the creation narrativeof the seventh day. Must we therefore remove the seventh day from creation week?Furthermore,man himself was “formed” and not spoken into existence!
The truth is, God may very well have used these words. The point is, the absence of the express command, “let there be,” proves nothing. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” therefore, should suffice as our starting point for day one of creation week.