The initial narratives in Genesis not only describe creation, but also introduce the Creator. As such, we can learn a lot about Him by studying those passages. One of the most significant and outstanding of His characteristics is the fact that He speaks. In fact, this is one of the most repeated phrases in the passage:

“And God said…”
(Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29)

Not only these phrases, but He is also described as naming and blessing. Clearly, this is an aspect of His nature that was important to highlight. But this is not limited to cosmic actions, for we see the same thing as He starts to interact with the pinnacle of His creation: man and woman.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
(Genesis 1:28-30)

Here, He is interacting the same way. As events unfold in Genesis, various conversations occur, and we recognize the personal nature of relating to Him. These passages illustrate both the omnipotent majesty of the One Who could simply speak creation into existence, and the fact that He speaks personally to that creation. The cosmic and the personal.

The fact that He personally interacts with His people extends beyond Genesis, through the entire Old Testament, and finds fulfillment in the Incarnation. There, Jesus formed very personal relationships with a group of people, characterized by both public and private conversations.

Of all the ways that creation could have been described, God chose for His voice to be highlighted. I think this points to His desire for personal interaction. He wants us to know from the very beginning that He speaks, that He expects us to live in personal relationship with Him, and that listening to Him is a vital part of that. We pray to Him, and He speaks to us. How wondrous!

Of course, there are many other important truths illustrated in these verses, but at the end of the day, I think the enemy delights when we ignore this one and focus on yom, or evolution, or whatever. As long as we ignore the importance of relationship with the Creator and highlight these other things, we are in danger of supporting the enemy’s kingdom, instead of our Lord’s. Jesus told us that we have to take care to focus on the important things, and nothing is more important than a relationship with Him. (Matthew 7:22-23)