1 Commentary and Questions by Leon Matheny CREATIONS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH COMPLETED GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY AND BLESSED IT ADAM AND EVE GENESIS 2:1-25 Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor
2 Creations of Heavens and Earth Completed God Rested on the Seventh day and Blessed It Adam and Eve Commentary and Questions by Leon Matheny Text: Genesis 2:1-25 1. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6. but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
3 10. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13. The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16. And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. 18. The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. 19. Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. 24. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
4 25. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV) Introduction: Outline of Genesis 2 I. God Rested on the Seventh Day. Verses 1-3, Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV) A. God finished his work of creation. B. The Sabbath Day. II. Heavens and earth created. Verses 4-7, This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (NIV) A. How the earth was watered. B. Man was made from soil. III. The Garden of Eden. Verses 8-25, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In
5 the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV) A. Location, Verse 8, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (NIV)
6 B. Trees, Verse 9, The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (NIV) C. Rivers in the garden. Verses 10-14, A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (NIV) D. Man s work. Verse 15, The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (NIV) E. Forbidden tree. Verses 16 and 17, And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. (NIV) F. The first family. Verses 18-23, The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the
7 man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. (NIV) 1. Not good for man to be alone. Verse 18, The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. (NIV) 2. Man named the animals. Verses 19 and 20, Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. (NIV) 3. Creation of woman. Verses 21-23, So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. (NIV) 4. Marriage. Verses 24 and 25, That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV)
8 Commentary: Genesis 2:1-3, By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV) I. God Rested on the Seventh Day. A. God finished his work of creation in six days and then he rested on the seventh day. 1. God did not rest because he was tired, because we read in Isaiah 40:28, The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not go tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 2. The idea is that it was a rest of sanctification or completion. a. Seven times in Genesis God looked at what he had created and said that it was good. b. That is, it was perfect, just what he wanted. B. God set an example for all men to rest one day out of seven. 1. In Exodus 16:23-29, God gave the Sabbath Day as a day of rest for Israel as they were coming out of Egypt. a. Exodus 16:23-29, He said to them, This is what the LORD commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until
9 morning. So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. Eat it today, Moses said, because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any. Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out. b. Throughout the Old Testament we see Israel observing the Sabbath Day as a holy day of rest. c. In the four records of the gospel story, we see Jesus as a Jew respecting God commands about the Sabbath, but in Colossians 2:9-23 Paul explains that the law of Moses has ended and we are not to be judged by the commands of that law which includes the Sabbath Day. i. Colossians 2: 9-23, For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in
10 the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
11 ii. Especially note verse 16, Therefore do not let any one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. iii. The principle of working six days and resting one is still valid, but in Christ there are no rules about a day of rest. Genesis 2:4-7, By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (NIV) II. Heaven and earth created. A. The first detail given in these verses is about how the earth was watered. 1. There is no record of rain on the earth until Genesis 7:4 when the flood came. a. Genesis 7:4, Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.
12 2. According to Genesis 2:6, the earth was watered by a mist or underground steams. a. The water coming from the ground to water the earth is a reference to the cycle of watering the earth that happens today. i. In those days there was no rain. ii. There must have been a dew that fell on the earth to water it. B. The second detail of creation has to do with how man was created. 2. God took some soil from the ground to make man s body and then God gave man the breath of life and man became a living being. a. Nothing is said here about man becoming an eternal or immortal being. b. It is not until Christ comes that we are promised eternal life in him. i. John 6:40, For my Father s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ii. Matthew 19:29, And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
13 c. God is still involved in making humans. i. Every person is a special creation of God, and that life must be respected. ii. Psalm 139:13-16, for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Genesis 2:8-25, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the LORD God had formed out of
14 the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV) III. The Garden of Eden. A. Location of Garden is in the East. 2. Genesis 2:8, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (NIV) 2. Eden means a place of pleasantness. 3. The Old Testament often refers to the Garden of Eden or the Garden of the Lord as a very pleasant or beautiful place. a. Genesis 13:10, Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) b. Joel 2:3, Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the
15 Garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste nothing escapes them. B. Some of the trees were beautiful in color, shape or fragrance, while others were good for food, such as fruit, nuts and dates. 1. Genesis 2:9, The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2. The tree of life, looking at it from a purely physical standpoint, may refer to those trees with medicinal qualities such as herbs and plants with healing qualities. a. The use of these trees may have been intended to preserve man s health and continued vital energy. b. Revelation 22:2, On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. c. The Tree of life may also have been a seal of immortality that would come in Christ. 3. Then there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. a. Man at first was innocent, no knowledge of evil. b. This tree was a test to see if man would obey God and remain sinless in God s grace or disobey God and learn that he was a victim of his own failure to obey and begin to blame others for his actions.
16 c. Man came to know evil by his actions and thus faced the penalty of death. d. Man had now given in to the works of the flesh and was no longer under the control and influence of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. i. Genesis 2:16-17, And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. C. The rivers that watered the Garden of Eden give us a better idea of its location and size. 1. Genesis 2:10-14, a river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 2. Eden could have been a vast area that included parts of present day Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and maybe Egypt. 3. That part of the world today looks much different than the description of the Garden of Eden in verses 10-14.
17 4. Eden was a beautiful place and rich in minerals, which shows us God s love for the first family in providing them a wonderful place to live. D. From the beginning it was God s plan that man should work the garden and take care of it. E. Creation of woman 1. Genesis 2:18-23, The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. (NIV) 2. God understood that man needed a mate, but he had man go through this process of naming the animals to show him that none of the animals would be a proper mate. 3. When in verse 20 we read, But for Adam no suitable helper was found. We see this is true.
18 a. Man needs a special created human mate to be his helper, and man must have realized this after the task of naming the animals was over. b. Adam s mind must have been supernaturally enlarged to be able to give names to all the animals. c. God performs an operation on Adam to remove part of his side. i. The Hebrew word in verse 21 could mean rib or flesh. ii. When Adam said in verse 23, This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh he was saying that Eve was made from his body and therefore part of himself. iii. She belonged to him and he belongs to her. iv. Eve was a female man or literally a she man, a woman which means a man with a womb, capable of reproducing young. v. Adam could see that unlike the animals he had been naming, she was in person and in mind like him. vi. She was suitable to be his companion. v. What a wonderful day that must have been for Adam who had lived alone on the earth, but now has a wife who is like him. F. Marriage of a man and a woman.
19 1. Genesis 2:24-25, That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV) 2. As this first family is formed the Scriptures give us the foundation for all marriages in the future. 3. Jesus in Matthew 19:4 and 5 quotes from Genesis to explain the God concept of marriage. Matthew 19:4-5, Haven t you read, he replied, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? 4. The first principle is that man (both male and female) should leave parents and form a new family. a. Their first responsibility now is to each other, to love and care for their mate for life. b. Paul describes this relation in Ephesians 5:21-33. i. Ephesians 5:21-33, Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
20 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. 5. The second principle is that the man and his wife should become One flesh. a. This involves at least two ideas. i. The two are now one body in that they have no separate or independent interests, rights, privileges, cares or concerns regarding their marriage, but are equally interested in all things regarding their relationship. ii. The man is to consider his wife a part of himself and care for her as he would himself.
21 iii. Ephesians 5:28-29, In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church iv. One flesh also refers to the intimate physical relations of husband and wife that will result in the birth of a child like both the man and his wife. v. Paul gave instruction about this in I Corinthians 7:2-5, But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6. The third principle of marriage is stated in verse 25, The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. a. First there may have been no need for clothing, since the temperature of the air was the same as their bodies.
22 b. Second, no sin had entered the world at that time and no part of the human body had ever been used improperly, so there was no shame, for shame can only arise from a consciousness of sinful or improper use. c. The same feelings of no shame should exist between the husband and his wife in their intimate relationship today. d. Hebrews 13:4, Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure. e. In our sinful world of so much perversion I know that this is difficult, but for the Christian living by God s principles this should be our goal.
23 QUESTIONS Genesis 2:1-25 1. What did God do on the seventh day? 2. When did the first rain fall on the earth? 3. How was the earth watered? 4. Out of what did God make the first man? 5. When God breathed into man he became a being.
24 6. What present day countries may be the location of the Garden of Eden? 7. How would you describe the Garden of Eden? 8. Name the four rivers in Eden. 9. What was man s responsibility in the garden? 10. What were the two trees that were given names?
25 11. From which tree was Adam told not to eat? 12. Who gave each of the animals a name? 13. Out of what did God make the woman? 14. How do the last few verses of Genesis describe marriage?
26