Start Here 8/6/14 Genesis 2 Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The first three verses of chapter 2 should actually be the last three verses of chapter 1 which means chapter 2 should begin with verse 4. Genesis 2:4-6 (NKJV) 4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. Before the Flood it didn t rain water vapor came up from the ground every night and watered all the vegetation on the earth. This was caused by what God did on the second day of creation Genesis 1:6-8 (NKJV) 6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. When God first created the earth He placed water on the surface in the form of oceans, seas etc. and in the upper atmosphere in the form of dense water vapor which encased the earth in a water barrier or blanket. 1
This had the effect of turning the earth into a giant closed terrarium creating a system of evaporation and condensation without the need for rain. An online encyclopedia explains a closed glass terrarium this way Within the closed transparent environment, sunlight is still able to penetrate the vegetation causing the water vapors to rise, the vapor is trapped on the roof and drops at night as temperature cools creating a cycle of water. The cycle allows for life to flourish creating a selfsustained eco-system. Such a vapor blanket would greatly change the ecology of the earth, and Henry Morris suggests several effects of a vapor blanket: 1. It would serve as a global greenhouse, maintaining an essentially uniformly pleasant temperature all over the world. 2. Without great temperature variations, there would be no significant winds, and the water-rain cycle could not form. There would be no rain as we know it today. 3. There would be lush, tropical-like vegetation, all over the world, fed not by rain, but by a rich evaporation and condensation cycle, resulting in heavy dew or ground-fog. 4. The vapor blanket would filter out ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays, and other destructive energies bombarding the planet. These are known to be the cause of mutations, which decrease human longevity. Human and animal life spans would be greatly increased. 5. A vapor blanket would provide the necessary reservoir for a potential worldwide flood. We'll talk more about the effects this water blanket or bubble had on the pre-flood world when we get to chapter six. 2
Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) 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 being. Chapter two doesn t contain a second conflicting creation account from the one given in chapter one as some liberal theologians contend. In Genesis 1 we have a quick overview of the 6 days of creation and the first Sabbath rest which God instituted on the seventh day And in chapter 2 we have an amplification of the sixth day the day man was made because the creation and ultimately the redemption of mankind is not only foundational to the narrative of the book of Genesis but is the central theme of the entire Bible. This is a common literary technique in Hebrew writing and teaching to give a quick overview of something followed by an amplification of something within the narrative. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground As we said when we studied the creation of man in chapter one the same basic elements that make up dirt are the same elements that God used to create our physical bodies. When the Bible speaks of dust, it often uses that word to speak of something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility Genesis 18:27 (NKJV) 27 Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 3
Psalm 103:13-14 (ESV) 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. What made man special and unique was not the earthen vessel called his physical body which God had made, as incredible as it was, but the breath of God He placed into it Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) 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 being. The Hebrew word for breath is ruach and it can be translated breath, wind or spirit. So when God created man He breathed into him physical life, that s true, but also spiritual life as it says in Genesis 1:27 that He made man in His own image a triune being of body, soul (consciousness) and spirit. God is Spirit (John 4) and God communed with man in the Garden Spirit to spirit until the Fall when man s spirit died ( in the day you eat from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall surely die ). At that moment man (Adam and Eve) didn t die physically (although they did set in motion the process of death) but instantly they died spiritually severing their fellowship with God and reducing man to a two dimensional being. (Explain) Define the difference between physical life (bios) and spiritual life (zoe) Once we receive Jesus our spirit is born-again or born from above. (Explain) 4
Genesis 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So out of the thousands of trees God placed in the Garden of Eden He mentions two by name the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Both become extremely important to the story of redemption as we will see. Eden means a luxury, a pleasure, a delight and suggests that this garden was a paradise on earth. And so the story of mankind begins in paradise in the Garden of Eden. That paradise was eventually forfeited and the story of mankind became paradise lost as man sinned and was driven from that Garden by God. But ultimately we read in the book of Revelation that the story of mankind will end with paradise restored as redeemed humanity will live forever in a paradise garden city called New Jerusalem So paradise lost became paradise found in the story of redemption how, what happen? It was because of a third garden, Gethsemane, where Jesus surrendered to the Father s will and then went to the cross the next day to die for the sins of fallen man. 5
Satan used a tree to kill man eternally but God used a tree to restore life to man eternally the tree of life is really the cross of Jesus Christ Galatians 3:13 (NKJV) 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. Genesis 2:10-14 (NKJV) 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel (Tigris); it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. We don t know anything about the Pishon or the Gihon rivers; and though the Tigris (Hiddekel) and Euphrates are familiar to us, we still don t have enough information to determine the exact location of the Garden of Eden Especially because the Flood no doubt changed the topography of the land causing the original locations of these rivers to be moved to their present locations As large portions of the earth s landscape were pushed down under the tremendous weight of the water pressure which formed depressions in the earth s crust that became new seas and bodies of water. As the Flood waters pushed down certain parts of the earth s crust other parts were thrust upward to form mountain ranges so that we can t use this information to locate the Garden of Eden which today could be under water. 6
And that goes for the location of the land of Havilah and Cush I think it s safe to say that the Garden of Eden was located somewhere in the area of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia means land between the rivers and is a name for the area of the Tigris- Euphrates river system which corresponds to modern day Iraq, Kuwait, the northeastern section of Syria and to a much lesser extent southeastern Turkey and smaller parts of southwestern Iran an area often referred to as the cradle of civilization. Genesis 2:15-17 (NKJV) 15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." So God only gave Adam and Eve one command, one prohibition they could eat from the thousands of trees in the Garden except for one the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why did God do this? He did it so that man could exercise his freewill in choosing to love God by obeying this one tiny little command He had given to them or he could exercise his freewill in choosing to do what he wanted in rebellion against what God had said. Now it s true that God could have forced us to obey Him but then man would have been nothing but a robot and God didn t want robots He wanted people that would love Him and obey Him of their own freewill. But freewill is meaningless without choice and love is meaningless if not freely given. 7
If a very sick man came up to a woman and put a gun to her head demanding she tell him she loved him she probably would say the words but that would hardly imply a meaningful love relationship! Jesus said to His disciples, If you love Me keep My commandments. From God s perspective true love is expressed through obedience and service. Genesis 2:17 (NKJV) 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." The Hebrew is dying you shall surely die. (Explain) Genesis 2:19 (NKJV) 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. Adam was probably the smartest man who has ever lived apart from Jesus Himself. And the reason I say that is because he had a brain given to him by God that was designed to use one-hundred percent of its capacity and then he piled into it 930 years of learning. Don t forget that God said that He made man a little lower than the angels and I think we would all agree that angels are super-intelligent beings. Ancient man was incredibly intelligent. 8
We read in Genesis 4:22 of a man named Tubal-Cain of whom it says was an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron and this was before the Flood! Archeologists have found bronze artifacts dating back before the Flood and it s a unique kind of bronze that we don t know today how they made it. Antediluvian man was extremely intelligent. Ancient Egyptians embalmed bodies with a skill we don t possess today; the same goes for building the pyramids. (Explain) Archeologists have proven that ancient man excelled in mathematics and medicine even performing brain surgery! They have found that man used wet-celled batteries and even invented a gear based computer! All of this is in direct opposition to the evolutionists who say modern man is so much smarter than was ancient man which is consistent with the theory of evolution. ( Mysteries of the Ancients ) Genesis 2:18-22 (NKJV) 18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good [the first time God said something in His creation was not good] that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 9
The big reason God had Adam name all of the animals that He had made was so that Adam could see that it was God s design to give each of them a companion causing Adam to desire a companion for himself. And so as the loneliness of his predicament begins to set in God steps in and we read in Genesis 2:21-22: Genesis 2:21-22 (NKJV) 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Now the language here is significant. She was taken from his side, not molded from the ground like Adam but taken from the side of Adam s own body. She was taken from a part of Adam so that he would be naturally incomplete until she was joined to him in marriage. Augustine said, If God had wanted woman to rule over man she would have been taken from man s head. And if God had wanted woman to be man s slave she would have been taken from his feet. But God wanted woman to be his partner, his compliment and so God took her from his side, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved so she could stand alongside him and be his companion. What exactly did God take from Adam s side to make Eve? We don t really know, and it doesn t really matter modern research into cloning and genetic replication shows every cell in our body contains the body s entire genetic blueprint. 10
God took some of Adam s DNA and changed its genetic blueprint in the creation of Eve. Nevertheless, the story that women have one more rib than men because of the way Eve was created is a myth. We also know the Bride of Christ comes from the wound made in the side of the second Adam, Jesus Christ. When God was finished with the creation of Eve, he brought her to Adam and when Adam first got a glimpse of Eve he was overwhelmed (this comes through pretty strong in the Hebrew) (v.23) This! This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! This one shall be called woman for from man she was taken! Now Adam called her woman woman is the translation of the Hebrew word isha. The word for man in Hebrew is ish the word for woman isha means taken from man. And then they were married by God who gave the bride away and performed the ceremony. And as God joined them both together she became Adam s companion and helpmeet. Now don t confuse helpmeet with helpmate. 11
She would certainly be his helpmate but the Hebrew word translated helpmeet in the KJV is a word that means someone to fill up the empty places in your life someone to stand along with you and make you complete. God created marriage so that a wife is to be a completer of her husband not a competer but a completer. (Explain) Now why did God create woman this way? Why didn t He form her out of the ground like He did Adam was she some kind of afterthought? Paul the apostle tells us He did it to establish God s order for marriage man being created first and then woman being created from man which became God s design for marriage man being the head in authority over his wife and she being under him in submission to him. 1 Timothy 2:11-14 (NKJV) 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. In our day of feminism and women s liberation these are the kind of words that cause most women in our country to go ballistic. Many of these women call Paul a crusty old bachelor who was an anti-woman male chauvinist. However, for those of us who are evangelicals and hold to a high view of Scripture we know Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit when he said these things and therefore they are not the words of Paul but the Word of God. 12
1 Corinthians 11:3-12 (NKJV) 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Since Adam had no parents to leave, the leaving of father and mother was a principle to be projected into the next generation and applied to all future generations. The Hebrew word (d ba ) behind joined (NKJV) and cleave (KJV) refers to a strong bonding together of objects and often was used to represent gluing or cementing (not tied or rubber banded or paper-clipped. ) Marriage as God has always intended it was to be permanent. It involves the total commitment and consecration of husbands and wives to each other for the rest of their lives. One flesh In the physical act of intercourse symbolically (as Paul put it in 1Corinthians) a man and a woman do become one but physically and ultimately that symbolic oneness can produce a child that is literally one flesh from the two. (Each parent donates 23 pairs of chromosomes to the child causing the two to become one flesh) 13
Genesis 2:25 (NKJV) 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. And that s because, as dispensationalists put it, this was the dispensation of innocence. Man (Adam and Eve) were like little children at this point innocent, not knowing good from evil. They claim the dispensation of innocence extended from man s creation till he sinned and was driven out of the Garden of Eden. And that will be the topic of our study next week. 14