Sunday, September 23, 2018 Lesson: Genesis 2:4-14; Time of Action: Nobody knows; Place of Action: Eden Golden Text: 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 (Genesis 2:3). I. INTRODUCTION. For each of us, home may look a little different. For one person, it may be a cottage set back off the road. For another, it is a stately house in the middle of town. For another, it is that little house in a quiet cul-de-sac. For Adam, the first home was something completely different. It was not a house somewhere. In fact, his home was a garden. Eden was a lush paradise filled with life. There were streams of water in it with lush plants and flowers, and trees stretching toward the sky. Animals walked placidly through the foliage. It was an outdoor utopia where man could live in peace delighting in its splendor. In its account of creation, Genesis chapter 2 fills in some specific details related to the creation of mankind and his existence. II. LESSON BACKGROUND. Genesis 1:1 opens the Bible by
declaring that In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. It does not try to prove God; it simply declares that He created everything. After revealing that the earth was without form and void, Genesis continues to say that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (see Genesis 1:2) indicating that God s Spirit was instrumental in creation. Verses 3-4 tell us that on day one of the creation, light was diffused. On the second day, there appeared vapor above the earth and water below (see Genesis 1:6-8). The third day, at God s command, the land, seas and plant life appeared (see Genesis 1:9-13). The sun, moon, and stars became visible on day four (see Genesis 1:14-19), and sea life and fowls appeared on the fifth day (see Genesis 1:20-23). On the sixth day, God spoke land animals into existence (see Genesis 1:24-25) and also created man and woman in His image (see Genesis 1:26-27). Then in Genesis 1:28-31, we are told that God blessed the man and the woman, commanded them to reproduce, gave them dominion over all the animal life, told them that He had provided every herb and fruit bearing tree for their food, and then declared that everything He had made was good. Our lesson begins with chapter 2:4, so verses 1-3 are not a part of the text. However, in chapter 2:1, the writer tells us that after the sixth day, the heavens and the earth were finished and everything in them. Then in verses 2-3, God rested on the seventh day after He had completed His work, and blessed and sanctified the seventh day. Our lesson begins with verse 4.
III. HOW THINGS BEGAN (Genesis 2:4-7) A. Additional details of the creation (Genesis 2:4-5). 1. (vs. 4). Our first verse says 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. The phrase These are the generations is the first of repeated generation statements that Moses used to introduce new sections of information in Genesis. This statement can also be translated as this is the history of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. The last part of this verse, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens can also be translated as the days that the Lord God created the earth and the heavens. Up to this point, Moses has called the Creator Elohim which is the Hebrew word for God identifying Him as all-powerful. But in this verse Moses adds the name Yahweh which is Hebrew for Lord or Jehovah to form the name Yahweh Elohim or Lord God. The name Yahweh or Jehovah in English means the Covenant keeping One. It is often used when referring to God s relationship to man. Note: Some Old Testament scholars have claimed that this section of Genesis chapter 2 is a second account of creation written by a different author whose message conflicts with what s found in chapter 1. There is nothing in these verses that prove that theory for in these verses, Moses tells the same creation story but he adds details that we need to know in order to understand events that
happen later. 2. (vs. 5). This verse says 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 conjunction And connects this verse with the previous verse, adding to the fact that the Lord God created the earth and the heavens. In addition, God made every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. Speaking chronologically, this takes us back to before there was plant life, before Adam was created. At that time there were no plants or herbs growing. The plants and herbs were produced on the third day (see Genesis 1:9-13) before the sun was made on the fourth day (see Genesis 1:14-19). The earth did not bring forth its fruits on its own, but purely by the almighty power of God, which formed every plant and every herb before it grew in the earth. Two reasons are given why there was no plant life: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. In other words, God created plant life before there was either rain to water the earth or man to work it. God did not form Man until the sixth day (see Genesis 2:7). Let s consider a moment the statement and there was not a man to till the ground. This is important because it demonstrates that man was created by God for a purpose. Even in Eden it was God s intention that man be active and working. In other words, being in paradise, whether on the earth or in heaven, man will still be involved in some kind of meaningful activity (see Matthew
19:28; Revelation 7:15). B. Additional details of the earth s first moisture (Genesis 4:6). This verse says But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. Before there was rain, God made a mist like a shower coming up from the earth that watered the whole surface of the earth. C. Additional details of the first man (Genesis 4:7). This verse says 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. Again, Moses refers to the God as the Lord God or Yahweh (or Jehovah) Elohim, combining His name as the One who has a personal relationship with man, and as the all powerful Creator. Moses writes here that God formed man of the dust of the ground. The word formed is important because it explains how God created man. The Hebrew word for formed is yatsar and it refers to molding something the same way that a potter molds something from clay. He carefully and lovingly shapes his object into what he wants it to be. God did the same thing with man who is the work of a divine Artist and not the accidental results of some type of evolution. With the same infinite power that God made the world out of nothing, He made man, His masterpiece out of next to nothing dust of the ground. God made man from the dust that is upon the surface of the earth. It was probably not dry dust, but dust moistened with the mist that went up (see Genesis 2:6). Man was not made of gold-dust, or powder of pearl, or diamond dust, but plain
common dust, dust of the ground. That s why man is said to be of the earth (see I Corinthians 15:47). As descendants of the first man, we are also of the earth, and of the same mold. Note: There is such a closeness between the earth and our earthly parents that our mother s womb, out of which we were born is called the earth (see Psalms 139:15), and the earth in which we must be buried, is called our mother s womb, (see Job 1:21). Our foundation is in the earth (see Job 14:19), our makeup is earthly, and the fashioning of it is like that of an earthen vessel (see Job 10:9). Our food comes from the earth (see Job 28:5), and our fathers are in the earth just as we will be. Having formed man s body from dust, God then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. All the other living creatures also had breath, but God s breath gave Adam his life. His body came from the earth, but his life came directly from God. Our bodies are only worthless shells until God brings them alive. When He takes away His lifegiving breath, our bodies return to dust (see Genesis 3:19). Made of dust, and with the breath of God, Adam became a living soul. Unlike the animals, man could relate to God spiritually because he partook of His Spirit. The word soul refers to the inner life of man, the seat of his emotions, and the center of human personality. The soul is the man. The body would be worthless and useless if the soul did not animate it. When man became a living soul he became a person, a human being, distinct from all other animals. Note: Man was made in God s image meaning that as a person he has emotions, sensibility and a will. Man possesses self-
consciousness and a sense of purpose, whereas animals are controlled by their instincts. Man has an intellect so that he can think creatively. A sense of right and wrong helps man to make choices and know he is accountable to God (see Romans 2:14-15). IV. HOW THINGS WERE MAINTAINED (Genesis 2:8-14) A. Additional details of the garden (Genesis 4:8-9). 1. (vs. 8). This verse says And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Moses now tells us that the Lord God gave man a dwelling place, a home if you will. We are told that He planted a garden specifically for man eastward in Eden. This does not refer to the creation of plant life in general, but to the planting of specific plants in the Garden of Eden. The word garden refers to an enclosure that was in or within the boundaries of the land area of Eden. No one knows precisely where Eden was situated, but many scholars believe it was located somewhere around the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia an area roughly corresponding today to most of Iraq, Kuwait, parts of Northern Saudi Arabia, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran-Iraq borders. The word Eden means pleasure or delight suggesting that this place was a pristine, beautiful home the man and woman would enjoy.
The last part of this verse says and there he put the man whom he had formed. In other words, God Himself put Adam in the Garden of Eden. There he could fellowship with God in an environment perfectly suited to meet his needs. Note: Man was made outside of paradise; for after God had formed him he put him into the garden. He was made from common dust, not from paradisedust. He lived outside of the Garden of Eden before he lived in it so he would know that he owed all the comforts of his paradise-state to God s free grace. The pleasure and delight man received from his first home was exceeded only by its simplicity. The place appointed for Adam s residence or his first home was a garden; not an ivory house, nor a palace overlaid with gold, but a garden furnished and adorned by nature not by art. The heaven was the roof of Adam s house, and never was any roof so wondrously ceiled and painted. The earth was his floor, and never was any floor so richly inlaid. The shadow of the trees was where he rested, and under them were his dining-rooms, his lodgingrooms, and never were any rooms as marvelous as these. 2. (vs. 9). This verse goes on to say 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. Genesis 1:9-13 tells us that the tree of life was created on the third day, so this verse gives the details of how the trees that grew there were created. Moses wrote that God made every tree in the
garden to grow out of the ground; trees that were pleasant to the sight or appealing to the eyes, and also good for food. God delights in creating things for our enjoyment. Among the trees God made, He put two in the middle of the garden: the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life would have given immortality to anyone who ate its fruit (see Genesis 3:22). The tree of life will appear again in its abundance in the New Jerusalem (see Revelation 22:2). The tree of knowledge of good and evil which was also in the middle or midst of the garden was the one tree whose fruit was forbidden for man (see Genesis 2:17). Adam would certainly know what evil was if he dared to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit. B. The main river in the garden (Genesis 4:10). This verse says And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. God called a river to flow out of Eden for the purpose of keeping everything in the garden well watered. Adam would have no worries about a source of water for the garden. As this river proceeded from the garden, it divided into four heads or four other rivers. C. The river Pison (Genesis 4:11-12). 1. (vs. 11). This verse says The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. Moses tells us that the first river that came from the river that flowed out of Eden was
called Pison. This river also flowed around or compasseth the whole land of Havilah. Like the river Pison, the location of the land of Havilah is uncertain. However, some think that it was east of Palestine in Northern Arabia. Still others think that it was in Mesopotamia. Fortunately, it isn t necessary to master ancient geography in order to understand the spiritual lessons of these early chapters in Genesis. What we do know about the land of Havilah according to Moses is that it was a place where there is gold. 2. (vs. 12). This verse says And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. Moses goes on to say that the gold of that land is good indicating that this area of Havilah contained a high quality of pure gold. In addition to the gold, there was also bdellium and the onyx stone. We don t know for sure whether bdellium was a precious stone like gold or an aromatic gum resin. But since it is mentioned here with the onyx stone, it is likely that it was a precious or valuable stone. Exactly what the onyx stone was is also uncertain. It is believed to have been a valuable stone either black and white or brown and white. David included onyx stones with the materials he gathered for the Temple construction (see I Chronicles 29:2), and Job considered God s wisdom to be a greater possession than even the precious onyx stone (see Job 28:16). It s interesting that Havilah had gold, and spices, and precious stones; but Eden had something that was infinitely better, the tree of life and communion with God.
D. The other rivers (Genesis 2:13-14). 1. (vs. 13). This verse goes on to say And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. The name of the second river that flowed from the river out of Eden was Gihon. It is described as flowing around or compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. Although we cannot be sure of its location, it was probably different from the Ethiopia of today. It probably refers to what was once called Cush, probably located in southeast Mesopotamia. Many Bible translations have the name Cush instead of Ethiopia mainly because the rivers mentioned here are located in the Middle East in the area of Mesopotamia around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which flow through modern day Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. 2. (vs. 14). Our final verse says 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. The third river that flowed from the river out of Eden was called Hiddekel which is the ancient name for the Tigris River. Moses said that this river flowed or goeth toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river named was the Euphrates river. Both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were in parts of Assyria and Babylon what is now present day Iraq. Note: It should be noted here that it is difficult to identify the exact locations of the Pison and the Gihon rivers as well as the land of Havilah and ancient Ethiopia or Cush. The reason may lie in the fact that the Great Flood would have caused massive
changes to the land areas making the exact location of these rivers and countries today uncertain. What is certain is that these were real rivers and real places or the Bible would not have named them. V. Conclusion. God gave the Garden of Eden to man as their dwelling place, and He continues to give what is good for humanity. The garden was a beautiful place that God designed for man s complete security and enjoyment. Eden is long gone, but we have been promised an even better place in our Father s house (see John 14:2-3) with a river of life flowing from the throne of God and His Lamb, watering the tree of life forever (see Revelation 22:1-2). ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***