What does the Bible say about order vs chaos?

God is a God of order. He "is not the author of confusion." Disorder and confusion belong to the kingdom of Satan and darkness; but, He that is clothed with honour and majesty, who "covereth Himself with light as with a garment," cannot permit disorder in His kingdom. It would be utterly inconsistent with light, and derogatory to majesty. And as to His divine wisdom, it expresses itself in that perfect order which characterises all His counsels and works. It is this principle of divine order that pervades the universe. May we consider the heavens, which declare the glory of God, and the firmament, which showeth His handiwork, where He has set a tabernacle for the sun, and ordained the moon and the stars though there is no speech nor language with them, and though their voice is not heard, yet "their line is gone out through the earth, and their words to the end of the world." And to what, next to the glory of God, does their silent language testify? That God is a God of order.

Each of these vast luminous orbs, suspended in the skies, rises and sets in its appointed time — not a minute or second too late — and keeps its assigned place, or moves in its appointed sphere, without deviating one inch to the right or to the left. There is no confusion, no clashing. "He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down." All is perfect order. Or may we look at the lower creation around us, it is the same perfect order. Everything is in its appointed time and place, so beautifully described in Psalm 104.

From out of this state of chaos and darkness in which the earth then lay God brought it, first introducing light into it by His word, and then formed seas and dry land, and furnished it with plants and living creatures. In this earth, thus prepared and furnished, man, made after the image of God, is placed as lord of all that was in it. Its fruits are given him for food; and God rests from His work, and distinguishes with His blessing the day which saw His labours closed. Man enjoyed the fruit of God's work rather than entered into the rest; for in nothing had he taken part in the work.

The first four days, God brings light and order out of darkness and confusion: light, the first day; the expanse as a scene of heavenly power over the earth, the second day; then He divided what was formed and orderly, on the one hand, from the moving powerful but shapeless mass of waters, on the other, and then ornamented the ordered habitable scene with beauty and fruitfulness on the third. The symbols of directing power were set visibly in their places on the fourth.

When that time arrived God began to bring order into the chaos and restored His creation so that the earth which is now and the heavens above came forth. The Spirit moving (brooding) upon the waters and His Word were the agents through which it was accomplished. Read John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-16; Heb. 1:2-3. We do not follow the historical account and the six days' work, but call attention to the correspondency between the first three days and the last three. The seventh day stands by itself.

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Here was, in good truth, a scene in which God alone could act. Man, in the pride of his heart, has since proved himself but too ready to interfere with God in other and far higher spheres of action; but, in the scene before us, man had no place until, indeed, he became, like all the rest, the subject of creative power. God was alone in creation. He looked forth from His eternal dwelling-place of light upon the wild waste, and there beheld the sphere in which His wondrous plans and counsels were yet to be unfolded and brought out — where the Eternal Son was yet to live, and labour, and testify, and bleed, and die, in order to display, in the view of wondering worlds, the glorious perfections of the Godhead. All was darkness and chaos; but God is the God of light and order. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Darkness and confusion cannot live in His presence, whether we look at it in a physical, moral, intellectual, or spiritual point of view.

"The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." He sat brooding over the Scene of His future operations. A dark scene, truly; and one in which there was ample room for the God of light and life to act. He alone could enlighten the darkness, cause life to spring up, substitute order for chaos, open an expanse between the waters, where life might display itself without fear of death. These were operations worthy of God.

God can bring order out of that where chaos has reigned. Scripture opens with the announcement of this, when the earth was being prepared for man's use (Gen. 1). And Scripture closes with a fresh and final proof of it, when, after the heavens shall have passed away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth also and the works that are therein be burnt up, God will make new heavens and a new earth wherein will dwell righteousness (2 Peter 3; Rev. 21). Similarly can He work in the midst of the confusion wrought by men upon earth. In the early days of Christianity this was manifested, as the mistakes and shortcomings of His people became occasions for a ministry of truth suited for the time in which it was vouchsafed, and suited for our day also. He who brought order out of chaos brings blessing out of the disorders and failures of His saints.

Everything has gone to pieces! The position is hopeless! These were the thoughts that pressed themselves upon one's spirit some years ago at a time of crisis. Graciously God spoke — tenderly calling attention to that which was unaltered, unchanged and unchangeable. Something of the majesty of God's command in Genesis 1 flooded the soul — "Let there be light. And there was light." "For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:9). Instantaneously, at the word of God, light dispelled the darkness which lay on the face of the deep, chaos was dismissed and order established, resulting in a scene in which God could carry out His own thoughts and designs. The subsequent intrusion of man's sin, with its devastating consequences, could not thwart those designs, for the blessed God who is mighty in power excels also in wisdom and in love. Sovereign mercy, abounding grace, infinite love, surpassing kindness will triumph — yea, have already triumphed — every feature of sin and disorder with their resultant chaos shall be banished for ever from God's creation, He will "head up all things in the Christ" (Ephesians 1:10, New Trans.); His unclouded glory will fill the scene and myriads of the redeemed will find their eternal portion in the enjoyment of, and response to, eternal love.

And order shall succeed judgment, as judgment succeeds long-suffering. In its time, this shall surely be, as now confusion surely is. His hand will form and mould a scene of order in the days of the coming kingdom. And of this order He has already, by His Spirit, again and again, in the progress of His grace and wisdom, given pledges and samples. And as we look at this for a little, we shall have to say, How beautifully things take their proper place, when the Spirit of God comes to regulate them! And this is done, as I may say, noiselessly — as creation of old assumed all its order under the same Spirit.

The outstanding feature in all these Scriptures is that of works! In the first a halt is called and Job is instructed to hearken, stand still and consider the wonderful works of God. Whenever God has something important to communicate He calls man to stand still and listen. The wonderful works in creation (revealing God) are described in Job 37-39. Everything in creation is an evidence of God! In Romans 1 we read that the things that are made evince His eternal power and Godhead, so that men everywhere are left without excuse. No one can plead ignorance. Every whit in creation declares the Glory of God. Nothing has appeared by chance, but by design and that of God. Gen. 1:2, shows that chaos and darkness were everywhere and the Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the waters and everything was brought into order by the word of God, and finally life appeared. God's power is shown in every line of creation and as a copestone to creation, God formed man. His work being accomplished He rested on the seventh day. "The sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). From Ezekiel we learn that there were other created intelligences. Satan was presented in the guise of the King of Tyre. In such a dignified person pride was resident and as a consequence he fell and with him vast hosts of angelic beings. In an early moment in the world's history that mighty being had introduced himself into God's fair creation and inserted a lie in the minds of our first parents and they succumbed to his temptation. The beautiful harmony which had been established was spoiled by Satan. The devil's ingenuity has always been directed to securing his own glory! The seed which he sowed in men's minds was soon manifested by the fruit thereof. Creation came to be marked by the works of the devil. Murder and general wickedness were rampant, so that God had to sweep His creation with a flood; but that did not eradicate the works of the devil. The earth which emerged from the cleansing power of the Flood soon manifested a continuance of the features which had permeated the antediluvian world.

What the first verse declares is the fact of God's creating the heavens and the earth when they began to exist. There is no intimation that this was part of the first day's work, nor of the space of time elapsing between the creation, as in verse 1, and the earth being found, as in verse 2, in the condition there described. Innumerable ages may have intervened, for anything the narrative says to the contrary. But at a given epoch the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. How impossible that the darkness could ever have enlightened itself, or that chaos could reduce itself to order! Equally impossible that light and order can be educed from the deeper darkness and more dismal confusion of man's fallen state by any power inherent in himself. But the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In like manner does He, as the source of all that is to be produced in those born of Him, act upon their souls. But it is to impart what is not there, not to develop what already exists. "Let there be light, and there was light." So "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." It was by His word "God said, Let there he light," etc. So it is by His word that He shines into the sinner's heart.

But, in creating, God created not a confused and disorderly mass; He created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. The heavens, in fact, were never thrown into confusion — the earth was, as we see in Gen. 1:2; but this was after the beginning: how long is not said. Thousands or millions of years may have elapsed. It answered no moral end to reveal what science would investigate or conjecture. Only it is revealed, as befitting the divine character, that He is not a God — not a creator — of confusion. The confusion of the earth was subsequent, the reason or cause being unexplained as the interval or the history. The fact is distinctly revealed; and nobody would have failed to discern it, if philosophers had not misled the divines who are vain of standing well with the men of science. Geologists differ fundamentally to this day: some insisting on catastrophes, followed by renewals; others contending for continuous action of forces gradually operating. If there be a measure of truth in both, scripture leaves room for all, without straining the six days, which are wholly distinct from the immense ages that preceded man.