If Genesis 1 is a primer on God -- a sort of "Deity 101: the truth about Jehovah, the Creator God of the universe" -- then Genesis 2 is a primer on humanity. The passage continues the creation account, and in so doing shows us much of God, but it also restates the making of man and woman on the sixth day.

Through the text, we will read of God's intention for human beings -- His desires for human life. The chapter will help us answer questions like these:

• Why are we here?
• Does God have a purpose for me?
• How can I live a healthy work-rest balance?
• Are we more valuable than animals? Why?
• What is the difference between men and women?
• Why is marriage important?

And though we don't live in the sinless conditions of Genesis 2, it still calls out to humanity. We are shadows of what we find there, but Christ and His blood cry out to us and make a way for us. He longs to bring us back to -- and way beyond -- the glories of Eden.

So this passage is helpful to the modern Christian who knows Christ has redeemed and is redeeming them, because it helps them catch a glimpse of what Jesus wants to cultivate in their lives.

But before looking at creation from man's viewpoint, we have the seventh day of creation. It wasn't an actual day of creation, of course, for God created on the first six days. But the seventh day is included, and it wraps up the creation account from God's perspective. And in it were some important lessons for Israel, and also for us.

Day 7 (2:1-3)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.

Finished Creation

These three verses are beautiful by themselves; they show the perfect completion of creation. God has made and moved the elements, but here He is presented as the blesser and sustainer of all He made. He finished creating, and now He will enjoy all His work that He had done (1, 2).

Because of the finality of creation, the seventh day receives special treatment in the paragraph. It doesn't follow the order of the first six days, where God spoke something into being and assessed it, all within the evening and morning of that day.

Instead, the seventh day breaks the mold and becomes the day God rested on and the day He blessed and made holy (2-3). Allen Ross even points out the structure of the verses gives the number seven a special place:

"There are thirty-five words in the Hebrew text of these three verses, a multiple of seven. The three middle clauses (2:2a, 2:2b, and 2:3a) in the original have seven words each, and the adjective “seventh” is within each clause." -- Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 103.

All this emphasizes how God finished His work that He had done in creation (1, 2, 3). God was done creating.

For the ancient Israelite, the lesson was clear. No Egyptian gods (in their past), Canaanite or Babylonian gods (in their future) were responsible for any part of creation. God, it says, created the heavens and the earth (1), a way of saying there was nothing else to create. God made it all. He is the creative force, the great artist and innovator and sovereign power who spoke all that is into existence!

God Rested

And after God finished His work that He had done (2), He rested (2, 3). The word for rest, from which the word for "the Sabbath" comes, means to cease.

It isn't as much a word about how to recuperate from exhaustion, but ending work in order to enjoy its completion. It's the word used when the manna ceased (Joshua 5:12) or Job's friends stopped answering him (Job 32:1). So God ceased.

God, of course, was still acting and moving, working, on the seventh day. He was sustaining life and holding the universe together. To say God rested is an anthropomorphism, a way of explaining an action of God in human terms. But He was no longer creating. That work was done, so God stopped and began enjoying what He made. And it was through the ceasing or resting God communicated He was done, read to enjoy the universe He authored.

God's Temple

Some have even seen the cosmos as the true temple of God, with future tabernacles and temples serving as a microcosmos. God's true throne isn't found in a building, but in the universe itself. He made all this to enjoy. He decided He would live here with His people.

“Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?” (Isaiah 66:1, ESV)

All this helps us understand God's original purpose in creation, and the ultimate destiny of those He redeems by the blood of Christ. God is spirit and omnipresent, so He decided to make a physical space for physical people to enjoy Him. The galaxy was meant to be a place of community. Deity and humanity were meant to intermix here on earth.

This helps us understand the new heavens and earth God will bring about for all believers. The "new cosmos" will be a place God dwells, and we with Him, enjoying Him forever, resting with and in Him.

God Blessed

Notice also that God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (3). Remember this, because the Sabbath (or the seventh) will become a major theme throughout all of Scripture. Before the fall, in perfect creation, Sabbath-rest was the description of the world's condition.

After the fall, however, Sabbath-rest became something God's people sought after. On the seventh day of the week they were to cease from their work. Every seven years they gave rest to the land. When they went into the land of Canaan, they fought for rest over their enemies. And now Christians enter into God's rest by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:8-10).

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV)

We will have plenty of time to develop the theme of "sabbath" as we move through Genesis and the rest of the Old Testament, but remember it first as an activity of God. He sabbathed. He ceased. He rested. And then He blessed the seventh day.

So when Israel came along and began practicing the Sabbath, they were imitating God. You could say it this way: It is godly to practice sabbath rest.

The Bible says little, however, on what someone should have done on the Sabbath. We know they weren't supposed to work. We also know it was a day to recognize God. We also know the early church began worshipping on Sunday, evidence they felt Jesus was their new and perpetual sabbath rest. So, for us today, whenever we take time to appreciate God, we are tapping into His Sabbath for our lives.

A Sabbath Life

I wish more Christians would embrace the concept of Sabbath in their daily lives and rhythms.

Though I have never been a stickler about a particular day, I have always thought it God-honoring to take a day for rest each week. On that day, Christina and I have tried to get away from the hustle of our regular responsibilities to connect to our Lord, each other, our family, and our friends.

Additionally, I have always felt keeping a daily appointment with God is a way to experience His Sabbath rest in my everyday life. If His goal was to create space in which humanity could enjoy Him, I want to enter into His presence and partake of Him. Daily, for me at the start of each day, His rest enters my heart.

I also think it's good to take longer breaks. I am a proponent of rest-based vacations. Rather than going on a thousand little adventures throughout the year, a way to get some excitement into my life, I have instead sought to live an exciting life every day. This requires seasons where I go away to recharge and get strength for the next seasons to come.

And I have also wished many Christians would condense their lives to focus on God. I want to say "slow down," but many believers today misunderstand that message. They think it means dialing everything they do back by five or ten percent. But I think many Christians would benefit from simplifying their lives, stop committing to so many things, and stop hustling so hard to acquire things which perish. Instead, begin seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

All this is a way to trust God, because it takes dependence on God to forsake everything the world prioritizes in order to seek Him. You have to trust He'll take care of you. For Israel, when all the other nations were out working their fields on the seventh day, they had to trust God would take care of their needs. And when we take an hour out of our day to seek His face, we must trust Him in a similar way.

Views Of Creation

Now this concludes the account of the seven days of creation. In thinking about these days, it is fitting and right for us, considering the prevalence of the evolutionary theory in our western world, to spend some time contemplating how we should treat the Genesis account.

We've already thought about how belief in a personal, powerful, and good being, who is without cause, and who caused all we see and know, is reasonable.

But let's think for a moment about the various views Christians hold regarding creation. I should say, I believe intelligent design can be argued for without Genesis 1, and I don't think it's right to subject Genesis to the "mania for science" to which our age has succumbed. God created. We can leave the discussion of how to other places. Genesis 1 should be appreciated for what it is. All that said, there are two prominent views in the Christian community:

• The young-earth view which holds to a 24-hour interpretation of the word "day" in Genesis 1.
• The old-earth view holds to a universe and earth, which are billions of years old, meaning the creation account describes a process of billions of years. Some in this camp still think of the "days" of creation as 24-hour days, but with long periods of time in between each day.

Each view has positive and negative merits, but let me be clear: Only a view which denies the historicity of the Genesis account, or says it is filled with errors, is incompatible with true Christianity. This means believers of both of these views, old or young earth, if they hold to the truthfulness of the account, should be friends, allies for the gospel. Both believe in the supernatural creation of life. Both oppose naturalism. And both reject the concept of common ancestry, believing instead, God created the species distinct from one another.

Though differing on the age of the earth, both camps should not see it as a test for orthodoxy, and they should confess the fact of creation is more important than the timing of creation. Naturalistic evolution is the true enemy to both their views. Creationists are merely debating the details, but at least they hold to ex-nihilo creation in the first place.

That said, let's look at these two major views, I will lean on various scholars here, especially The Doctrine Of Creation, by Douglas Potter and Norman Geisler.

Young Earth

Young-earth creationists insist the "days" of creation are six successive 24-hour days, making a total of 144 hours of creation. Their reasons for thinking this way are as follows:

• First, "day" in Scripture is usually a 24-hour period of time.
• Second, every time days are numbered in the Old Testament, it is a reference to 24-hour days.
• Third, the "evening and the morning" statements in Genesis 1 indicated 24-hours.
• Fourth, the establishment of the lights on day four started the day, night, and seasons we operate under today, signifying literal 24-hour days.

But for these first four reasons, the old earth creationist would point out there are exceptions to how "day" and "evening and morning" are used in the Bible, so it's not impossible Genesis is recording another of those exceptions.

• Fifth, the six days on with one day off Jewish workweek is said to mirror creation, but there are times in Scripture when a numerical comparison is unit-for-unit, not minute-for-minute. One example of this is the forty years of wandering after forty days of spying out the promised land.
• Sixth, plant life, the first of which was created on the third day, cannot survive for millions of years without solar light, which came on the fourth day. But light was created on the first day as well, perhaps meaning the appearance of the solar system was not visible until the fourth day.
• Seventh, plants cannot live without animals for millions of years because they depend on carbon dioxide. But not all plants and animals are interdependent, and it's possible the ones that need each other were created together.
• Eight, an old earth implies death before Adam, and the Bible teaches sin brought death (Romans 5:12). But Romans teaches people died as a consequence of sin. And we know at least plants died before the fall, for Adam and Eve ate from the garden.
• Ninth, the old earth view holds to macroevolution, depending on long periods of time for life to develop. But ancient theologians - people such as Augustin -- thought long periods of time were used for creation, and they believed this many centuries before macroevolution was theorized.

Old Earth

Old earth creationists think the "days" of Genesis describe long periods of time, and there are certainly places in Scripture it is used this way, including the seventh day of creation, the one in which God is resting (and still is, Hebrews 4:3-5).

They also point out the growth of vegetation over the whole earth on the third day would've taken longer than 24-hours.

And the sixth day includes too many events for one 24-hour period of time. The land animals were created. Adam was created. The garden was cultivated. Adam looked for a mate. The animals were named. Then Eve was created.

Then there's the science the old-earth creationist appeals to. They point to the speed of light and the distance of the stars from earth, the rate of expansion of the universe, the fact early rocks have been dated to be billions of years old, and that the rate salt runs into the sea indicates multi-millions of years for current salt levels in the ocean.

But the young-earth creationist would counter that we don't know if each of these measurements is a constant. Perhaps the ocean was created with salt in it already, or the rate accelerated at the flood. Perhaps lead deposits in the rocks already existed at creation, or maybe an event occurred in times past which accelerated the rate. And perhaps God created light rays when He created the solar system, enabling them to hit earth at the right moment.

Other Views

There are other views, as well.

• The Revelatory-Day view thinks Adam or Moses received a vision of how creation occurred, and the vision took 144 hours to unfold.
• Various Gap-theories have placed a gap somewhere in the Genesis 1 account to allow long geological periods.
• The Ideal-Time view says God created everything with the appearance of age, which many counter would charge God with deception.
• The Alternate-Day-Age view says each day of creation was 24-hours but was separated by billions of years, allowing for the long geological ages modern science demands.
• And the Literary-Framework view believes Genesis 1-2 were ancient literary devices which used terms like "days" and "evening and morning" to cover certain periods of time, like chapter 1, 2, 3...etc.

With all this said, it is hard for me to imagine the word "day" being used in an unnatural way in Genesis 1, which would make creation a more recent event, though I acknowledge there are obstacles with this view.

Science And Scripture

Science and Scripture are not in conflict, no matter how much people try to present the case that way. It's not either no God at all or six 24-hour days of creation.

Science and Scripture are not independent of each other, with the Bible as a mere religious book which is incompatible with science because it transcends reality and is merely a spiritual book.

And many brilliant scientists are Christians:

I live a short walk from MIT, the sacred temple of scientific endeavor in the United States. Stop a student in the “infinite corridor” that meanders through its buildings and ask if he or she thinks there are any Christian professors at the Institute, and the answer will likely be no. Yet the roll call of Christian professors at MIT is impressive. I have already mentioned nuclear science professor Ian Hutchinson, professor of aeronautics and astronautics Daniel Hastings, and electrical engineering professor Jing Kong, none of whom was raised as a Christian.

But there are more. Artificial intelligence expert Rosalind Picard, who invented the field of affective computing, became a Christian when she was a teenager. Chemistry professor Troy Van Voorhis came to Christ when he was a grad student at Berkeley. Biological and mechanical engineering professor Linda Griffith became a Christian when she was already an established scientist. Other Christians include professor of mechanical and ocean engineering Dick Yue; chemical engineering professor Chris Love; professor of biological engineering, chemical engineering, and biology Doug Lauffenburger; history professor Anne McCants; and even neuroscientist and former MIT president (the first female president of the Institute) Susan Hockfield. The list goes on. And it extends far beyond MIT to leading Christian scientists across the world. If science has disproved Christianity, no one has thought to notify them! - Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Nobel Prize-winning physicist William Phillips said:

I see an orderly, beautiful universe in which nearly all physical phenomena can be understood from a few simple mathematical equations. I see a universe that, had it been constructed slightly differently, would never have given birth to stars and planets, let alone bacteria and people. And there is no good scientific reason for why the universe should not have been different. Many good scientists have concluded from these observations that an intelligent God must have chosen to create the universe with such beautiful, simple, and life-giving properties. Many other equally good scientists are nevertheless atheists. Both conclusions are positions of faith. - https://www.fairobserver.com/culture/does-science-make-belief-god-obsolete/

Science does not explain God, nor does it explain origins. But Scripture doesn't fully explain origins either, meaning it does not answer our every question as to how it all took place. There are good and faithful Christians, orthodox and fundamental in their beliefs, who hold to some type of evolutionary process which God used to form matter. There are some hurdles to overcome in views like theirs, but they are Christians who hold to a high view of Scripture nonetheless.

Man Created (2:4-7)

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

The Generations

Here, the narrative shifts when it says these are the generations of... Other translations say it this way:

• The history of the heavens and the earth (NKJV)
• The records of the heavens and the earth (HCSB)
• The account of the creation of the heavens and the earth (NLT)\

This phrasing indicates a new section in the record. Some take it as a clue about the construction of Genesis, that some sort of record keeping was put down, and Moses had access to those records when he wrote the book. The next section, for instance, begins in chapter 5.

“This is the book of the generations of Adam...” (Genesis 5:1, ESV)

Noah follows:

“These are the generations of Noah...” (Genesis 6:9, ESV)

Perhaps this is the way the book of Genesis was organized. What is clear, however, is that we are in a fresh section which details creation from man's perspective. It is a different angle on part of the sixth day. We've watched the blimp camera view of the creation, but now we get a chance to see the on the field action.

The LORD God

But, before moving on, we should also notice the fresh title given to God. Throughout the chapter, He will be called "The LORD God" (4). This is the combination of two titles for God: Elohim and Yahweh. Elohim stresses the creative and sovereign power of God. Yahweh expresses the covenant making and keeping nature of God, the One who reveals Himself to humanity.

Putting both titles together forms "The LORD God", with Lord showing up in all-caps in most English translations as a way to let you know it is Yahweh who is spoken of there. And this double title tells us the God of creation is also in close relationship with humanity.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

The Earth's Conditions

First, we must notice the timing of man's creation. No bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up (5). This does not mean wild vegetation hadn't yet grown. God had already created vegetation on the third day. The focus here is on the field (5). Since there was no rain on the land and no man to work the ground, farmed vegetation had not yet occurred (6). In other words, though creation was yielding produce, no one had yet arisen to cultivate what God created.

Second, we must note God had not caused it to rain on the land (5). Instead, a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground (6). And many have deduced that pre-flood conditions, including the canopy God placed in the heavens, meant no rain was required. The Israelites, the original readers of Genesis, knew what rain was, but this passage makes it seem as if rain wasn't part of the original creation.

An Ominous Foreshadowing

So the ground was not worked and the rain was not known. Both statements could serve as an ominous foreshadowing of the results of the fall. After sin entered the world, the earth would bear thorns and thistles, and by the sweat of his brow man would eat bread (Genesis 3:18-19). And, because of man's depravity, the day would come when God would judge the world through an outpouring of rain, flooding His world (Genesis 6-8).

Here, in this passage though, sin has not infected the world. The ground needs cultivation and work, but it is effective work without toil. The earth needs watering, but God does so with a mist or waters coming upon or up on the land. Many translations make it sound less like mist and more like underground springs or streams.

“But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land.” (Genesis 2:6, HCSB)

From The Dust Of Earth, But With The Breath Of Life

With conditions perfected, God made the first man from the dust from the ground (7). Everything had been readied, so now God fashioned humanity from the soil, the raw material of the earth. Man came from the dust of the earth.

But humanity is different from the rest of creation. Like all of creation, we come from the raw material of the earth, but are different in that God has put in us the breath of life (7). So we are earthy -- the name Adam relates to the Hebrew word for ground -- but God has put special breath into us.

We are not like the animals. We are natural creatures -- we came from the dust -- but we are also spiritual beings whom God gave the breath of life:

“But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.” (Job 32:8, ESV)

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” (Proverbs 20:27, ESV)

We have spiritual thoughts (Job 32:8) and active consciences (Proverbs 20:27). We are designed to express His image, to love, and to know Him.

So humans are from the dust of the earth, but with the divine breath of life in them. And I think every human being leans toward one or the other. Vast portions of our society think satisfaction will come by leaning into their earthiness. Bodily appetites and desires fill their minds. But God has made us with a desire for Him. He is the only One who can satisfy our thirsty souls, for we have the breath of life in us.

Where is your life trending, towards the dust or the breath? Let your spiritual person develop. By the grace of God, and because of the blood of Jesus, we can now know God, unlocking this side of who we are.

The Garden (2:8-17)

8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Garden Of Eden

The first man's home would exist in a garden in Eden (8). It would serve as the perfect setting for man's test of obedience. But we must note a couple things about this garden.

First, use the context's definition of a garden. It had trees and fruit (9). And get the idea of a western garden out of your mind. The kings of Moses' era built elaborate parks which looked more like landscaping than potted plants and raised garden beds. They were large spaces filled with many natural elements. Fruit trees, shade trees, streams, and pools would litter the space.

Second, notice the location. It is a garden in Eden (8). Eden itself was not the garden. Eden was larger than the garden. In a moment, we are going to get a geographical description of Eden and it's location. It is a massive space. The geography would have changed quite a bit after the flood, so Eden is now lost. But the word Eden means "garden of abundance," so we often think of it as the garden of Eden.

Two Trees

In the garden, God placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (9). We will think about these two trees later in the text, but notice here how God put man whom he had formed in this location (8). Adam was to work the ground, but also enjoy the food of the garden. And the food of these two trees would eventually test our ancestor, Adam.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. 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 keep it.

A Good Location

The description of the world Adam was placed in is one of abundance. If humanity was to subdue the earth and bring it into subjection, like God had said, this description shows us a wonderful word for us to occupy.

I will leave it to others to debate its location. My personal belief is that too much has changed topographically since that pre-flood world for the description to mean much in our modern era. But the major rivers -- the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates -- made that area prosperous and fruitful (There are, of course, modern rivers by the name of Tigris and Euphrates, but that only means the names survived). Gold and other precious gems and metals were found there (12).

Interestingly enough, when one reads the end of Revelation, they discover the tree of life, other trees, a river of life, and precious gold and gems (Revelation 21-22). The eternal state will have some similarity to the first state. Paradise will be restored, better than before, in the new heavens and earth Jesus is preparing for us (John 14:3).

Adam's Work

So the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (15). Now, because the ground was cursed at the fall, mankind's work became considerably more difficult after sin entered the world (Genesis 3:17-19). The ground began yielding thorns and thistles at that point, but before the fall, work was still part of God's plan.

Adam was called to cultivate the gift God had given him. The earth was his to enjoy. He was called to work, and so are we.

And Adam's work likely had a spiritual component to it. His work was a way for him to worship God. In fact, some scholars believe work would be better translated to worship and obey. Like the later priests in God's tabernacle, Adam was the man on God's ground, serving and loving His LORD.

So Adam's work was actually his worship, a way for him to serve God in His holy tabernacle called earth. And I wonder if we could use this passage as a means to energize our work environment. You see, for as much as my sermons are filled with talk of church life, family health, or personal holiness, a major bulk of your time will be spent working. It would be a crime for us to act as if the Bible says nothing regarding our attitudes and perspectives in the workplace. No, the workplace is a worship-place.

Notice Paul's exhortation to the working class in the Colossian church:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24, ESV)

In another place, Paul calls this:

“rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man...” (Ephesians 6:7, ESV)

Believers are to consider their work as being done for Jesus, not for their manager or employer or customer. Our work -- the quality and goodness of it -- is a form of worship. To see the boss as a symbolic stand-in for Christ should fill the Christian with deep inspiration for the work at hand.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.”

God's Command

The first thing we must notice is how the LORD God commanded the man (16). He told Adam what was good (and bad) for him. He told Adam he had a choice -- life or death.

And, for ancient Israel, a similar decision existed. God commanded them as well, and they could choose life or death. Near the end of Moses' life, he said:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live...” (Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV)

So, in one sense, Adam's story would help Israel and every other generations of believers. God gets to command us, and His way is best. Adam's life demonstrates the evil of neglecting God's command. We should listen to Him.

You Shall Surely Die

And the consequence for disobedience, the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was death (17). In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die, God said (17).

Of course, when Adam did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he did not die right away. Death, for him, was eventual, not immediate. And because he and Eve covered themselves and hid from God, many have speculated God only meant spiritual death.

It is better, though, to see death's full package. Physical and spiritual death came to humankind as a result of sin. Spiritual death was immediate. Sickness and decay were also immediate. The world was cursed immediately. And, eventually, all of them would succumb to physical death.

And Adam would have understood the grave nature of this warning. He could not have comprehended everything death would entail, but he knew it severe and unwanted. The fact of the warning itself indicates man knew the meaning of the word. Perhaps, as some theologians believe, the Scripture allows for death in the animal kingdom before Adam's fall. Somehow and someway, Adam knew death was a severe outcome.

The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil

But what are we to make of the trees in Eden? Let's begin with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (17). The question: what does it mean to be knowledgeable about good and evil? It cannot mean Adam was not yet morally aware, for it seems impossible to live out and be made in the image of God without knowing goodness and love. Besides, how could God hold Adam accountable for a moral failure he was not yet awake to. It also cannot mean omniscience or universal knowledge.

A clue is found in the temptation Satan brought to Eve:

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5, ESV)

It's possible that man's condition before the fall was one of childlike trust in God. He knew there was good and evil, but he went to God for those definitions. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then, paved the way for life without God. His commands and opinions were no longer sought, though they were still needed. Man began thinking he could live without His creator.

If this is what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil provided, then it screams of the independence from God so many in our fallen world crave. People want to cast off the yoke of God's morality and judgements. They don't want Him to declare what is good and evil, but to find out for and define it themselves. It is the debased mind described by Paul (Romans 1:28-32):

The Tree Of Life

But what about the tree of life? Some have thought it a wellspring of everlasting life. This is based on God's directions to lock the garden of Eden away from humanity after the fall.

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22, ESV)

Based on this, some have thought the fruit of the tree of life, just one bite of it, would lead to never ending life. And God didn't want us to live in death forever, so He kept the tree of life from us.

But others have seen the fruit of the tree of life as a sustainer of life. The idea here is that regular access to the tree of life could extend life, sort of a constant counteracting of the natural aging process the fall brought on.

And though I don't know, I do know the tree of life will be our forever possession.

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1–2, ESV)

There, with its fruit of the month, it seems the tree of life is meant to be continually consumed. Health and healing come from interaction with that tree.

The Choice

What should be obvious, though, is how God gave man a choice. Life or death. And, because the choice had to be real, man was given the ability to choose death, to choose against God. The temptation was real, because the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was attractive (Genesis 3:1-7).

Today, another tree of life is offered to humanity. The cross of Christ is called a tree in Scripture (Galatians 3:13). It is the exact opposite of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was planted by God, but the cross was planted by man.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was beautiful, but the cross was ugly.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden by God, but the cross is God's invitation.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil keeps us from God, but the cross makes a way to God.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil resulted in sin and death, but the cross results in righteousness and sanctification.

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil banished man from paradise, but the cross leads us to Paradise.

Choose life!

Woman Created (2:18-25)

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Adam: A Single Man

The first word I would like everyone to notice is the word "then" (18). Adam is about to get married.

Now, not every human being is called to a married life. But the pattern of Adam's life is instructive for everyone who is called to marriage. He found his purpose and mission in God before God brought his spouse to him. He was loving and serving his God, cultivating the garden the Lord put him in. And I think he was satisfied and had the joy of God upon his life.

Paul said:

“I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.” (1 Corinthians 7:7–8, ESV)

I am a firm believer singleness can be a gift. It is often the unmarried contingent in the church who best exemplifies the love and community Jesus made possible in the new humanity He created -- the church.

God Saw Adam's Aloneness

But it should be noted that God saw Adam was alone. He said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him" (18). This is meant to stand out to the reader. God had said everything He made was good (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Now, for the first time, God saw something that wasn't good.

God has made us like Himself. He is in perfect relationship within Himself, because He is a trinity. But Adam was not a trinity, and though he was in fellowship with God, enjoying God and serving Him, there was no other human for him to know and love and serve and care for.

So God set out to cure Adam's aloneness. He would now complete His creation of humanity by forming woman.

The Perfect Fit

But the way God shaped Eve is noteworthy. He did not shape her from the dust of the ground, as He had with the first man. Instead, God took from the man's side and formed her from that material. We will read of this in a moment, but I mention it here because our text says, "I will make him a helper fit for him" (18).

The wording is significant. It means she would correspond to him. She would be his perfect compliment, his opposite, his over and against counterpart. In other words, she would share his nature. Whatever Adam received at creation, she also would receive.

This is important for our understanding of the sexes. First, though God chooses to be known by masculine pronouns, His image is only accurately seen and known through both male and female genders. Part of Adam was taken from him and placed in Eve. God's image was found in her too. She would complement what he lacked.

Second, though Eve was created after Adam, the fact she came from him indicates the genders were meant to live in perfect harmony with each other. God made our sexual and reproductive anatomy in perfect compliment to the other, but this complementarian view extends way beyond biology. Emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, the man and woman were meant to be perfect fits for one another.

Third, this helps us dispense with a wrong understanding of the word "helper" (18). God did not make a servant for Adam. She did not come from his feet, nor his head, but his side, representing the together relationship they would share. God was not making someone to do Adam's laundry, but someone to cure his aloneness.

19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

So God gave Adam the task of naming the animals, likely of the species indigenous to Eden. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them (19).

In the ancient world, and to a lesser degree in our world, to name someone or something is to express dominion over them or it (19, 20). And God had asked Adam to express his dominion over the creation. Here, he does so through naming the animals, serving as God's representative on earth.

But the job God gave Adam also served as a way to highlight his utter aloneness. There was not found a helper fit for him (20). So God had seen the aloneness of the man, but now the man would also see it. The animals came, male and female, but there was no female for the man. He would begin to understand, "I am alone."

21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

A Deep Sleep

So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man (21). Notice the order of events:

• God thought Adam's aloneness wasn't good.
• God made him see his need.
• God put him to sleep.
• God fashioned someone.
• God brought the woman.

Too often, when someone perceives their aloneness, a hunt ensues. And, look, I believe there is a responsible and godly way to pursue marriage. But this pursuit often becomes and all-consuming fire, another god in place of the true God. It shouldn't, though.

• Resource: https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/21-questions-to-help-you-sift-through-an-online-dates-christianity

While Adam slept, God took care of His son. He provided for His boy. And if you are living the single life and want to be married, commit it to God. Take care of your responsibilities in life, and let God take care of His.

23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Adam, upon seeing Eve, knew she had come from him. He knew they completed one another and would, together, bear the image of God. He knew she was of an altogether different category. He was Man (23). She was Woman (23).

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

A Forever Pattern

Now, Adam had no father and mother to leave, but this is held out as the forever pattern (24). First, there is separation from the family of origin. Second, there is a holding fast of his wife (24). Finally, they shall become one flesh (24).

This one flesh relationship is a constant throughout Scripture. The phrase is sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments. It expresses the idea of one man and one woman as a spiritual unity together. In marriage, the two become one.

Adam always knew Eve came from him, and was part of him. He would nourish and cherish her (Ephesians 5:28-29).

Paul exhorted Christian husbands by pointing to the oneness married couples have with one another. They are one flesh, made so by God. Paul went back to the original marriage to demonstrate his point, quoting Genesis 2:24. Husbands are to sacrificially love their wives by living out their new oneness.

Christian couples are one. Just as the church is in union with Christ, so husbands and wives are joined to one another. One error that floated around the Roman Empire was that men should have three women in their lives — a wife, a soul-mate, and a mistress. No marriage could remain healthy with that erroneous Roman perspective. The Song of Solomon, however, along with the rest of Scripture, paints a different picture; one of married love where one woman is everything her man needs. She is his lover, his sister, and his friend.

25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

The First Marriage

Sinless and unbroken, Adam and Eve had a beautiful innocence about them. They were both naked and were not ashamed (25). The implication is that shame would come due to the fall, but Adam and Eve didn't have it. They were to enjoy each other in every way, including sexually.

And, as much as the comment might shock us, it would have especially jarred ancient Israel. They were part of a much more bashful society, and the rest of the Old Testament rebukes various forms of nakedness. But, in the garden, in their blissful married state, God put His seal of approval on their nakedness.

The common view in our world is that Christianity is repressive and anti-sex, but, though Christians might adopt anti-biblical views on sex, the Bible is thoroughly pro-sex. Consider the following verses:

• Proverbs 5:18–19 (ESV) — 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.

• Song of Solomon 1:2 (ESV) — 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine;

  • Song of Solomon 4:6 (ESV) — 6 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.

Modern translators dance around 1 Corinthians 7:3 a little bit, using phrases like marital responsibility, duty, due affection, and the giving of conjugal rights. The NLT gets down to it:

• 1 Corinthians 7:3 (NLT) — 3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.

So Scripture is clear. God is interested in promoting the sexual life of heterosexual married couples. To Him, sex inside marriage is beautiful. It was part of His original and untainted creation (24).

One reason it's beautiful inside marriage, but not outside it, is that inside marriage it is intended to be safe, build trust, serve someone else, lead to a family, and be marital glue. Because of sin, it might not be these things inside a particular marriage, but outside marriage it is never these things.

If you are married, do not invite impurity into your marriage. Don't allow lust or pornography or abuse or neglect or atrophy into the marriage bed. The fire of sexual love belongs in the fireplace of marital commitment. If put in any other place, the fire harms, but in its proper context, it warms and helps.