The Meaning of "Let There Be"

(Understanding Divine Commands/Post 1)

Before the first sunrise and before there was a sky to stretch or soil to touch, there was only presence and potential. For instance, Genesis 1:3 records the first words ever spoken into creation: “And God said, Let there be light.” With that phrase we see that the invisible became visible, and what was waiting in silence began to move.

Ultimately, those four words changed everything because they were legislative. To be clear, “Let there be” was not a wish, a request, or a prayer; rather, it was a decree that functioned as an order issued from authority.

In Hebrew, “let there be” is yehi, which means “to exist by decree.” In this vein, it functions as language that produces reality. Here, God was not describing what He hoped would happen; He was commanding what must appear. And since His words carried the full weight of His nature, creation obeyed because the command came from lawful authority.

Notably, this moment establishes a pattern for how Heaven governs: divine command releases divine order. Nowhere in scripture do we see God create by laborious toiling. Why? Because that's not what He expects us to do. Instead, He created by legislation and the earth responded because its Maker spoke from position, not emotion.

The same is true for us.

Revelation, Not Illumination

When God said “Let there be light,” many people assume he was talking about light as it relates to the sun, but the sun was created later. With this in mind, I'd like to submit that He wasn't talking about illumination, but releasing revelation because light in this verse represents insight, discernment, and divine clarity.

It was the unveiling of order because in that instant, darkness was not destroyed; it was defined: “God separated the light from the darkness.” We see here, then, that separation marked the first act of governance since light revealed boundaries.

That is what revelation still does: it distinguishes, divides, and directs.

So when you decree “let there be light” over a situation, you are calling for revelation and commanding confusion to surrender to clarity.

Category	Reference / Source	Text or Summary	Interpretation of “Light”
Hebrew Word Study	אוֹר (or)	Means light, illumination, brightness; also used metaphorically for understanding or instruction.	Literal and figurative illumination — physical light or divine revelation.
Creation Context	Genesis 1:3	“And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” (sun created later in vv. 14–18)	The first light represents revelation and divine order, not sunlight.
Poetic Use	Psalm 119:105	“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”	Light = guidance, discernment, revelation from the Word.
Wisdom Literature	Proverbs 6:23	“The commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light.”	Light = instruction and moral understanding.
Prophetic Symbolism	Isaiah 9:2	“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”	Light = revelation and salvation through the coming Messiah.
Johannine Parallel	John 1:4–5	“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness…”	Christ as the embodiment of divine revelation and truth.
Pauline Interpretation	2 Corinthians 4:6	“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts…”	Paul directly connects Genesis 1:3 with the light of knowledge and revelation.
Theological Tradition	Rashi (Jewish Scholar)	Described Genesis 1:3 light as a primeval light of perception and understanding, later hidden for the righteous.	Light = spiritual insight or divine awareness.
Patristic Interpretation	Augustine, City of God XI.9	Saw the first light as “intellectual illumination” before physical creation.	Light = divine wisdom and revelation preceding visible order.

The Word + the Word Made Flesh

If we think about it, John 1 echoes Genesis 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” The same creative Word that spoke “Let there be light” entered the world as Christ, who is the Light of revelation to humanity.

Paul also seems to confirm this parallel in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” So we can deduce that the decree that once shaped creation now shapes hearts. What I'm saying is that every believer carries that same creative capacity because the Word now lives within us. So when we speak under divine alignment, our words carry legislative power, which functions as the continuation of yehi or in the earth.

Speaking From Authority, Not Toward It

Over the years, I've learned that understanding “let there be” changes how we use our voices. Since we do not speak to obtain permission, we have the green light to speak because permission has already been granted.

Remember, Romans 8:17 calls us “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ,” and that inheritance extends to legal language as well. Plainly, it means that we share the rights of the royal lineage and that authority is our birthright, not our reward.

This is also why Jesus could say in Mark 11:23, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed,’ and does not doubt in his heart… it will be done for him.” Did you notice that the mountain responds to authority and not volume? Did you notice that Heaven recognizes alignment and not necessarily effort?

The Function of Light

After God released light, the next verses reveal rhythm: “God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.” It should be no surpise, then, that once revelation appeared, time began because light established sequence and structure: morning and evening, beginnings and endings.

That is what divine revelation still does. When understanding comes, chaos gains boundaries, and movement gains purpose. Moreover, light creates rhythm where there was only randomness. So, if you feel stuck or disoriented, you might not need another plan; you might need light.

You might need divine revelation that separates truth from distraction and timing from haste.

The final thing that I need you to understand is that to decree “let there be light” as a believer is to partner with Christ in revealing the Kingdom wherever darkness still hides. Since

light is not just what God creates; it is who He is, when we decree light, we are invoking His nature into our environment.