Our work today begins in Genesis 2:4. Here we see the declaration that this is the account of the heavens and earth when they were created. Now the verses we have studied so far were a summary of the seven days. What we are going to look at today, in chapter 2, will be a breakdown of day six. God considered the details of day six to be so important that He has recorded them here for us. But first, there is another important fact we need to understand recorded for us in verses five and six.
Verses 5-6 tell us that in the original creation there was no rain. Even before there were plants or anyone to tend the plants, God created a system of streams that came up from the earth and watered everything. If you have ever studied geography you will know what an amazing water system we have on earth with streams feeding rivers and rivers feeding oceans and ocean currents feeding the weather and maintaining the earth’s temperatures. God truly created an amazing system. But back then, these streams came up and watered everything on the earth. There was no need for rain. Earth must have been a warm and misty place in those days. God felt this fact was important enough to be recorded here and we will understand more about why when we study Noah and the flood.
Verse 7 begins addressing the events of day six where God brings man into existence. The details of man’s creation are laid out in the remainder of this chapter. Verse 7 begins by telling us that God formed man from the dust of the ground. There is nothing particularly special about the ingredients of our bodies. We contain nothing that cannot be found in the earth… water and some minerals. Thinking about it reminds me of a Star Trek™ episode I once saw where an alien race referred to the humans as ‘ugly giant bags of mostly water’. The Star Trek staff is to be commended for what was undeniably a very funny moment but isn’t that really an accurate description? Take a few minerals from the ground, mix them with a lot of water, and you have a human being.
The Bible says man was made from dust. So how did he go from a pile of dust to being a living human being? Verse 7 tells us. God breathed life into him. We often see, in science fiction, people building things that spontaneously come to life. Do not ever believe that it might be possible. It is God who breathes in life. The Bible tells us, also, that when God’s breath of life is gone, we will return to dust (Genesis 3:19). And we know that to be true, that when life is gone, our bodies decompose back to their base components.
We have talked previously of the omniscience of God. Though God had created a pure and sinless creation, He knew that this would not always be so. He knew there would be a need for a plan of salvation. Here, in the earliest parts of the Bible we will see this first man, Adam, used as an illustration of the Christ (Romans 5:14, I Corinthians 15:45-49). It is made known in this passage from I Corinthians that we all bear the image of Adam and will return to dust. However, we can also bear the image of Christ through His salvation. This is good news.
Verse 8 tells us that God had planted a garden named Eden and that is where he put the man. Verse 9 tells us that God put all kinds of wonderful trees in this garden for the man to enjoy but it tells us also of two trees in particular which were in the middle of the garden. What two trees were these? Record these two trees in your journal.
Verses 10-14 tell us of the rivers coming out of Eden. There was one river watering the garden which then broke into four others. What rivers were they? Now, before you begin trying to locate the junction of these four rivers on the map thinking you will then know the location of the Garden of Eden, I must tell you that the great flood in Noah’s time changed the lay of the land and only two of those rivers exist today. I would not even swear to you that the two rivers which still exist run as they did in Adam’s time so put the maps away. Just know that there were four rivers and the place was well-watered.
Why did God put man in the Garden of Eden (verse 15)? Man was not only to live in the garden but to take care of it. This is another indication that ecology should be important to us. In verses 16-17 God gives man His one restriction for living in the garden. What was it? God could easily have kept the man from bothering this tree or kept it totally from his reach but instead He put it where the man had to choose each day whether or not to obey God. Man would have to exercise his free will each day in the garden. Why do you suppose God did that? I believe that it is nothing special when someone obeys you if they have no choice. God wanted man’s voluntary obedience. God wanted man to obey Him out of love. What would happen if the man did not obey (verse 15)?
Now remember, there were two special trees in the middle of the garden. What was the other one? According to verses 16-17, could man eat from this one? Man, in the Garden of Eden, had access to the Tree of Life. This is important. So long as man was in the Garden of Eden, he had eternal life. In God’s original creation, man was created without sin and he had access to the Tree of Life. Now I want to show you something else important. In Revelation 21 we are told about Zion, the Heavenly city where those who have received God’s salvation will spend eternity with Him. But look in Revelation 22:2 and see what is also there in this eternal city… God’s redeemed will once again have access to the Tree of Life.
In verse 18 we see God’s compassion as He recognizes man’s loneliness. What does God decide to do for the man? Now verses 19-20 talk about how all the animals and the birds had also been made out of the ground and they had been brought to Adam for him to name but there was none among them that was a suitable helper for him. So, in verses 21-22, God makes the woman. How does He make her? This story always reminds me of surgery. God takes the removed human tissue (a rib), makes a woman, and takes her to the man who has never seen a woman before. Verse 23 tells us what he says.
The first man sees the first woman and he recognizes she is something special. She is a part of him. They are of one flesh. Let’s look at what is happening in verse 24. A man will leave his father and mother. This tells me he is not living at home anymore. He is united with his wife. This implies some sort of public recognition of their relationship. They become one flesh. Obviously, sex has entered the picture. I think verse 24 is pretty clear. On day six, God has created marriage. God has created the perfect mate, woman, for the man and given them the gift of marriage. What exactly is involved here in this special relationship of marriage and ‘one flesh’? Marriage is a very intimate relationship where God considers two people, a man and a woman, to have become one. Here are some things the Bible tells us about that relationship:
- It is exclusive between two people - Malachi 2:13-16
- It is meant to be permanent - Mark 10:6-9
- It is the correct context for sex – Hebrews 13:4
Why, you might ask, do we need to protect the sanctity of this marriage relationship so vehemently? We mentioned briefly, a little earlier in our study, that God used Adam as an illustration of Christ. In many places in the Bible, we see the marriage relationship as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. Read Ephesians 5:25-33. We must keep marriage pure so that it remains a worthy representation of Christ’s relationship with the church. God gave marriage to mankind as a gift while they were still without sin. He already knew, when He put them in the garden with free will, that they would mess up and He already had a plan for man’s salvation. The man represents Christ who will provide a way for that salvation and the woman represents the church (those who will accept that salvation). Marriage is a picture of God’s love for us (Romans 5:8).
Verse 25 tells us something else about this first marriage. What is it? Have you ever seen a small child run through a room full of people totally naked and not think a thing of it? They can do that because of their innocence. The first man and woman, living in the Garden of Eden, were naked and had no shame because, as we have learned previously, they were innocent. They had no reason to be ashamed. God had created them without sin. Day 6 of creation was a beautiful day indeed.
Write Psalm 8:3-9 in your journal.
Responding to God: Thank God today for the gifts of rain and the breath of life. Praise Him that He had a plan for our salvation even way back at the beginning of time. Spend time in prayer with Him concerning your free will and how well you are obeying Him out of love. Ask His forgiveness for any areas He calls to mind. Commit yourself to taking better care of God’s creation. If you are married, do you have a third person threatening your marriage that you need to take out of the picture? Do you need to ask God to help you heal your marriage and to help you to keep it together? If you are not married, do you need to address sexual immorality in your life? Ask God for His help in conquering any of these sins if you find yourself struggling.
Further Research: If you would like to learn more about God’s eternal city, Zion, read the following:
- Isaiah 60
- Isaiah 65:17-25
- Revelation 21:1-22:5
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