Genesis Chapter Two

Read Genesis 2:1-3

v.1 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.”

God, in his revelation to Moses, summarized the tremendous events in Genesis chapter one simply as “THUS” these things “WERE FINISHED”. These tremendous works so great that He caused David to write:

“WHEN I CONSIDER THY HEAVENS, THE WORK OF THY FINGERS, THE MOON AND THE STARS, WHICH THOU HAST ORDAINED; WHAT IS MAN, THAT THOU ART MINDFUL OF HIM? AND THE SON OF MAN, THAT THOU VISITEST HIM?” Psalms 8:3

We look at the night sky and marvel, we look at the intricate design in a flower petal and wonder at the power of the intellect that was required to put all of this together. How can it be that men say that this all happened by chance and that there is no God? How can there be those that deny the an Almighty Designer in the current debate of the term “intelligent design” as applies to science and the origin of the universe.

v.2 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

God rested from his work on the seventh day. This is verified in many ways, especially through the sanctification of the Sabbath under the Mosaic Covenant and even in the New Testament we find it mentioned as God’s day of rest.

Hebrews 4:4 “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.”

And though we do not find it as a commandment until the Mosaic Covenant it is thought by several commentators that the seventh day was observed as a day of rest even in the times of the patriarchs. Some of these would also use this as an excuse to honor the Sabbath today as well. But under the covenant of Christ we do not have an example, a commandment, any authority or even a suggestion that we should honor any day except the first day of the week.

v.3 “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

When he made His covenant with the Israelite nation he gave them a commandment to do the same.

Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

Exodus 31:16-17 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”

Who must keep the Sabbath? The children of Israel were to keep it. We find the words perpetual and forever in these verses. Does that mean that the Sabbath should be kept by the descendants of Israel until time ends? No, it was part of a specific covenant or contract between God and Israel that has since been fulfilled, completed and whose authority has been removed. Jesus, the son of God, fulfilled, completed the covenant that God made with Israel and replaced it with His covenant, a covenant that is extended to all mankind.

Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

Romans 10:4 “⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

Read Genesis 2:4-7

v.4 “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,”

Now God has Moses to backtrack a little and give us some more detailed information about His creation. So again we find confirmation that God existed before the earth and made all the things that are found in the universe. In his prayer psalm Moses writes:

Psalms 90:1-2 “LORD, THOU HAST BEEN OUR DWELLING PLACE IN ALL GENERATIONS. BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS WERE BROUGHT FORTH, OR EVER THOU HADST FORMED THE EARTH AND THE WORLD, EVEN FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, THOU art GOD.”

v.5 “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

The psalm on the providence of God describes the phenomenon of plants and herbs that God brought upon the earth this way:

Psalms 104:14 “HE CAUSETH THE GRASS TO GROW FOR THE CATTLE, AND THE HERB FOR THE SERVICE OF MAN: THAT HE MAY BRING FORTH FOOD OUT OF THE EARTH;”

But at that time there was no man to till the ground and there was no rain upon the earth.

v.6 “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.”

The earth was watered by a mist. Living in Louisiana we should understand how this works as we frequently have dew heavy enough to make the gutters and downspouts run water. We find no mention of rain, as we know it, upon the earth until the time of the flood.

v.7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Several things we observe from this verse. First of all this shell of clay in which we live is just that, a shell of clay which in death returns to it’s source:

Genesis 3:19 “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Then God breathed into us the breath of life, gave man a living soul, a spirit that is eternal and that will never cease to exist. When the shell of clay ceases to function:

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7

Yet man in his foolishness spends much of the wealth that God has provided him maintaining, beautifying and enhancing this clay shell that will perish in its own good time from the effects of age and use. Not that we shouldn’t work at keeping our bodies healthy and vigorous because they are the temple of God (I Corinthians 3:16). But I submit that we, because of our vanity, go far beyond just keeping ourselves healthy and clean.

Read Genesis 2:8-17

v.8 “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

So for the provision of his crowning creation God himself planted a garden “EASTWARD IN EDEN”, eastward from where? We’re not told but since Moses wrote the book of Genesis in the Sinai region we could assume that it is eastward of that location. There are a variety of theories with most scholars that I have read placing the Garden of Eden in current Iraq or in the head of Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers empty into the sea. The fact remains that we just do not know. In addition; the face of this earth was altered drastically by the events that accompanied the flood as we will discuss when we study Genesis, Chapter 9. We do know that when Cain was banished from among other men he was sent eastward from the garden.

Genesis 4:16 “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.”

v.9 “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

In this garden God provided for man every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. But God also included two other trees; trees not needed for food as that need was furnished. Do we have any idea why God did that? Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically but share these thoughts with me. Man was created as a “free moral agent”, a creature that could reason, love, hate, worship, etc. as he chose. Wouldn’t it be logical that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed in the garden for the purpose of giving man the right to choose, to exercise his God given free intellect? God wants our love, honor and obedience because we want to give it, not because we are compelled to do so. God also needed a means to test man’s ability to resist temptation; He needed a means to test Adam just as all men are tested. Adam must be given the opportunity to choose, otherwise he is but a robot, manipulated by a higher power and the giving of his love means nothing. As to the purpose of the tree of life, I have no clue except I know where it is today. Do you?

Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

v.10 “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.”

The scripture says that “A RIVER WENT OUT OF EDEN” but does that means that the river flowed out of the garden? If so, how would it water the garden when the water is flowing out of the garden? I think that to understand this verse more fully we should think of this river as flowing into the Garden of Eden and thereby watering the garden; not a river flowing out of the garden. This would be a river with four major sources as described in the following verses. A Saudi archeologist named Juris Zarins who was at Southwestern Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri developed a theory that placed Eden in the Persian Gulf at the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. (Dora Jane Hamblin, Smithsonian Magazine, Volume 18, No. 2, May, 1987) A location that would match Genesis 2:10 if these four rivers flowed into a single stream that watered God’s garden. The problem with Dr. Zarins’ theory is the word Ethiopia in verse 13. This is translated from the Hebrew Gush or Kush which is the Hebrew name for the people who live in what we know today as Ethiopia. However, Dr. Zarins’ points out that during the time of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness “the Kashshites (or Ethiopians) were in control of Mesopotamia” that part of this world known as Saudi Arabia and Iraq today; at the time that Moses is thought to have written the book of Genesis. And so the discussions continue.

v.11-12 “The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.”

Havilah was the name given to the current lands in southern Iraq, Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia. The river named Pison would be found today as Wadi Rimah and Wadi Batin. Wadi is the Arabic word for a dry riverbed that carries water in times of rain. Wadi Batin flows into the Euphrates between the city of UR and where it empties into the Persian Gulf. This land was known then for its gold and precious stones. The riches of the area of Eden in these precious stones is confirmed by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 28:13.

v.13 “And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.”

Not only does the name Ethiopia give the scholars problems with the location of Eden but the river named Gihon does also. Our Dr. Zarin gives this name to a river that flows into the Euphrates from the east at about the same spot as Pison comes in from the west, between Ur and the Persian Gulf. This river is called Karun today and is actually located in what we know today as Iran.

v.14 “And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.”

No one has any doubt about which rivers are the Hiddekel and Euphrates. In fact some translations use the name Tigris instead of Hiddekel and the name of the Euphrates River has never been changed since the beginning of recorded history.

v.15 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Man was given a purpose, work to do. Though some folks would argue this premise, man has to have work to do; he has to have purpose, goals, plans, and all of these things in order to be happy. And so we have another way that man is different from animals. Many animals and birds work in order to feed themselves and their offspring by searching out that which God has provided. Man requires more than that. Man, when he is idle, gets himself in trouble, either with each other or with God and frequently with both. God made no exception in the Garden of Eden.

v. 16-17 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

God gave man free rein in the garden, with one exception. He was not to eat of one certain tree; that called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Again as noted earlier, man needed a commandment to test him, to give him the opportunity to exercise his own decision making capability. Man was given an opportunity to exercise his ability to reason, his freedom to choose whether he love God or not. After their rebellion God led the Israelite nation in the wilderness for the same reason:

Deuteronomy 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

Those who obey will be blessed:

Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

Read Genesis 2:18-25

v.18 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

“IT IS NOT GOOD THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE…” Man was created as a gregarious being. He needs to be able to exchange knowledge and affection with those of his own kind, to inform and to be informed, to love and to be loved. God knew better than man how he was made and what his needs were. God in his infinite wisdom knew that he needed to provide a help or companion “MEET” or appropriate for him. At our best in this world we still have need of others. So God brings all creation before Adam:

v.19 “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”

God brings all of his creation to Adam to see what Adam would call them and Adam gave them all names.

v.20 “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”

So when Adam had named all cattle, fowls and beasts of the field none were found to be an appropriate companion for Adam.

v.21 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;”

So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; a sleep equal to that caused by anesthesia in a modern operating room. Then while Adam slept, God designed and prepared Adam a companion, one that was “MEET” or appropriate for him.

v. 22 “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”

Woman, a new creature, soul and spirit; was made from the body of man and given to Adam to be his wife. Just as he had named all other creatures, Adam named her as well:

Genesis 3:20 “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”

Now there are some exceptions to God’s arrangement, just as there are to most all things in this world. There are men and women who chose not to marry for a variety of reasons. The most notable of those people that comes to mind immediately is the Apostle Paul. However, most men and women need this kind of relationship to live happy, healthy lives and thus the marriage relationship is predominant in scripture.

Proverbs 18:22 “Whoso FINDETH A WIFE FINDETH A GOOD thing, AND OBTAINETH FAVOUR OF THE LORD.”

Proverbs 31:10 “WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS WOMAN? FOR HER PRICE is FAR ABOVE RUBIES.”

Hebrews 13:4 “MARRIAGE is HONOURABLE IN ALL…”

v.23-24 “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

In the wisdom of man and the minds of many the bond between a mother and father and their children or a child with his parent is the greatest bond on earth. But in the wisdom of God there are two that are greater, not that parents or children are to be neglected but if circumstances force a choice then the order of choosing has been given to us by God. Our greatest bond and highest order of obligation is to God and His son Jesus Christ:

Luke 14:26 “IF AN man COME TO ME, AND HATE (love less) NOT HIS FATHER, AND MOTHER, AND WIFE, AND CHILDREN, AND BRETHREN, AND SISTERS, YEA, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”

The second greatest bond and second highest order of obligation is that of a husband to his wife and a wife to her husband. Jesus reinforces that when he quotes Genesis 2:24 in his answer to the Pharisees about putting away or ending a marriage:

Matthew 19:5-6 “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? ⁶Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

v.25 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Just like a toddler getting ready for their bath who escapes his mother’s grasp and streaks across the house; man and woman at this point are completely innocent. After all they do not yet know the difference between good and evil.