Bible Knowledge Project: Genesis 2
READ: Genesis 2
Genesis two has been regarded by most scholars to be a microscopic look into the creation of man. It is another account of the creation of our first parents. Additionally, this chapter highlights the nature and importance of the Sabbath and that of marriage.
2:1-3
This section highlights the importance of the Sabbath day. That day is significant and set aside by God for the express purpose of worshiping him. On the other six days, God called his work “good.” On the seventh day, no such reference is made. Instead, he calls it holy – a day set apart from the other activities accompanying creation week. There is a second observation of significance in this section: the absence of the phrase “evening and morning,” which we find connected to the other days of creation. There is a good reason for that: the seventh day is the day of worship, and worship never ends. Man was made on the sixth day to worship God on the seventh. All of our life is to be an act of worship, and we were made to glorify God with everything we do, say, or think (1 Cor. 10:31; WSC 1).
2:4-17
In this section, we have another rendering of the creation of our first parents. Adam, who was formed from the dust of the ground, and Eve, who was made from the man, is the focus. First, note that God takes special care in creating our first parents – in creating humans. Unlike the other acts of creation, God does not merely speak man into existence but fashions him from the dust of the ground. Second, the man was made by God as body and soul. That is significant when considering the often-heard idea that the body holds no importance, but only the soul is of value. The fact is that both are important. Both body and soul are made by God and should be treated with dignity and honor. Second, note that God gives life to man. This is likely a direct act of the third person of the trinity as the life-giving member of the Godhead. Third, note that our first parents were made outside the garden and then brought into the garden where they would dwell with God. There is an intimacy displayed as the Creator desires to dwell with and commune with the crown jewel of his creation. Fourth, note the command given by God to our first parents: You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die” (2:16).
2:18-25
In this section, we find God establishing the institution of marriage. The issue is simple enough to understand. God commissioned Adam to name all the animals brought to him. As he did so, he realized that he was unique. As a result, Adam was alone among all the earth's creatures. God saw that this was not good for him and provided him a suitable helper and made Eve from his own body. As a result, God officiated the first wedding in the garden and joined them as husband and wife – one flesh, forever.
Applications:
The Lord's Day (or Christian Sabbath) has fallen on hard times in the church. It is misunderstood and devalued. Yet, Gen. 2 highlights it as essential and holy in the life of God’s creatures. It is the day of worship, and, as such, it ought to be treated that way. We should live our lives framing every aspect of it around the day God framed creation.
God took special care in making man. He did it with his own hands. He gave to man a body and a soul which will live forever. The bodies we possess today will be resurrected and glorified when the Lord returns. The body is not a throw-away device. It is vital as the soul is vital and should be treated with dignity and honor.
Marriage is an institution of God. It is not one designed by the civil magistrate. Therefore, God sets the terms regarding marriage, and they must be followed. A biblical, God-honoring marriage is between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, our culture rejects that truth and demonstrates their rebellion against God, who gave marriage as a gift for their mutual edification.
Learn:
The difference between the six days of creation week and the seventh day.
The instructions God gives: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; marriage.