For the people with exams- good luck. Your proof-of-Asian card with be returned upon confirmation of a HD average.
Genesis 2
2:4-2:25
Just for fun (pick one):
- Draw an animal that doesn’t actually exist. Name it.
- God has just created the first man/woman to be your husband/wife. Write him/her a poem/song (for inspiration read Gen 2:23).
B; It’s not like you have any other choice… (trust me, this works.)
Application: deliver your poem/song as appropriate and report on the results. (No, I’m not serious… I think.)
Read Genesis 2:4-2:25
1. What is man’s purpose? What has God set for him to do?
Reference to Man’s purpose in the Garden of Eden is made explicitly inGen2:15 and Gen 2:20.
V15 tells us that Man was “work it (the garden of Eden) and take care of it”- God’s original intention was neither that we remain idle, nor that our stewardship over creation be an exploitative relationship. For many of you, exam period is either already upon you or close round the corner- time to open those textbooks and faithfully undertake the responsibilities that God has entrusted to us!
In v20, God delegates the privilege of naming the creatures of creation to Man. It was to Man that God entrusted a particular position within Creation, attached to which was a special responsibility to care and cultivate the things that God has given to us.
2. Describe the garden that God created. What is its purpose?
While God could have been content in creating an environment that provided the bare minimum necessities, He populated the Garden of Eden with all kind of trees. Moreover, all that had been created- creatures of the land, birds and trees- had been given over to man to use as nourishment.
In short, God created an environment which would meet the needs of Man not the bare minimum, but in exceeding abundance.
In the middle, God put two special trees- the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil…
3. What do you think is the significance of the two named trees?
Since Creation, God’s intention has always been to allow Man to enjoy an eternal life with Him. The significance of the Tree of Life is that Jesus’ sacrifice was not a haphazard thought on the part of God, but as a part of His plan to restore to us what He originally had intended to give to us all along.
Whether the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil actually conferred the knowledge of its namesake to whoever ate its fruit is unclear. It was certainly not the case that Adam was unable to think for himself before eating the forbidden fruit- how else could he have named the animals, or chosen what to eat from the abundant provision that God had place in Eden? Perhaps the best explanation I’ve read as to what the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented is from a commentary by a man called Matthew Henry (it’s online and free- check it out). What is good? To listen to God. What is bad? To ignore his commandments. Whatever else the Tree may have been, at the very least the choice it posed to Man in his free will whether or not to obey God’s commandments captures the moral foundation upon which every Christian should base their decisions on.
4. Why was the man naming the animals?
Partially as an indication of the authority God conferred to Man, Adam was given the opportunity to name the animals. What we should take away from this is that as human beings, we possess a limited ability to discern the mechanics and means of the environment around us, stemming from this authority. Obviously not letting this authority over the rest of creation give way to arrogance, we are nonetheless blessed with the ability to control and manipulate our surroundings.
The other reason that God had Adam name the animals was to find a ‘suitable helper (Gen 2:20). To re-iterate, up till not that point nothing in creation fulfilled the unique role until woman was formed..
5. For the first time in creation, something is not good (v18). What is not good? How does God resolve this?
‘It is not good for man to be alone…’ (Gen 2:18). As silly as it sounds, it is not an uncommon perception for non-Christians to view the Christian lifestyle as a monastic singular state of being. While singleness should not be seen as a negative (See 1 Cor 7:25-40), a majority of people will end up marrying at some point in their life.
The other point to be made here is the absolute provision that God has in store for us. Despite a suitable helper within the entire breadth of Creation unable to be found, Genesis does not record anything about Adam’s anxiety concerning God’s ability to provide. Rest easy in the knowledge that our needs are well kept in God.
6. Describe the man and the woman in relation to each other.
Consider:
How are they the same?
How are they different?
What are their roles?
What is the significance of Eve being created from Adam’s rib/side?
7. Genesis two provides us with God’s creation intention for marriage. What does this chapter tell us about marriage and sexuality?
To begin with, God created woman to fulfil the role of Man’s helper. Nothing else in the scope of Creation fulfils her position quite like she does- which goes against so much of what we are told by today’s gender-conflicted society. Does the subservient role of a woman place her in an inferior position? To take such a position must invariably lead to an equal perspective of Jesus’ character as a servant! To say that women cannot hold positions of authority in society is also flawed, in my opinion- God created Eve as a helper of Adam, not men.
In Genesis 2:23, where Adam accurately describes Eve as being of the same bone and flesh that he is, he describes the perfect attitude we are to have towards our spouse. The description that man and woman become ‘one flesh’ (Gen v2:24) has important lessons as to how we should view marriage.
Firstly, our love for our spouse is to be equal to the love that we have for our self. I think that the reason why many people balk at the idea of a woman submitting to a man is that all too often our world provides us with examples of an abuse of leadership that lead to the injury of those subservient. The leadership that is demanded from Christian men is the same sort of loving authority that Jesus has for His church, to the extent that he died for our sins. As men take up the responsibility in marriage then, we are called to make similar sacrifices in the name of Christian leadership.
Secondly the union God created was between a man and a woman. God did not mention any variation on this, so to call anything outside this example ‘marriage’ is wrong and directly contradicting God’s will.
At the same time, Genesis 2:25 points to the physical intimacy that should be seen inside a loving Christian marriage. Adam and Eve felt no shame being unclothed in front of one another. The enjoyment of physical intimacy is reserved for marriage- there is nothing unclean or dirty about this at all (although I will concede talking to your parents about this may get slightly awkward… especially if they start using sock puppets.)
Reflection/Application
8. What of God’s character do you see most strongly from chapter 2? How can you better respond to God in this?
9. What does Chapter 2 tell us about…
Work?
Worship?
Marriage?
Reflect on what this means for your own attitudes and perspectives on these things.
Spend some time in prayer.
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