Genesis Series # 1 CHCC: January 7, 2007
God, the Great Provider
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:15-23
INTRODUCTION:
As we enter into a new year with a new schedule, working some new ideas into our services, I thought it would be good to start a new sermon series from the book in the Bible that tells all about “beginnings” That is what “Genesis” means, and since I’ve never preached a series from this book before, we will explore some of the major stories contained in the 50 chapters of this important Old Testament book.
Looking at Genesis, it is common to focus on Chapter 1 which gives a timeline for the 6 days of creation, and is often the focus of the debate between science and the Bible. Genesis 1 gives rise to such questions as the actual age of our planet, the question of evolution vs. creation, and other questions about origins. We dealt with some of this information in the “Why? Series” when we talked about how design points to a designer. But if you have taken a look into the Bible Study book written by Max Lucado you will notice that his first lesson didn’t cover chapter 1 of Genesis. It concerns itself with chapter 2. therefore, so will I.
Some people assume that chapter 1 and 2 of Genesis give two contradictory creation accounts, but in actuality, chapter 1 gives an overview of the entire creation event in general, while Chapter 2 reviews creation with emphasis on the culminating event – the creation of man and woman. And, as we know everything else in creation was created FOR man and woman) If Genesis 1 and 2 were a symphony, chapter 1 would represent the first movement played by the entire symphony, and chapter 2 would be a duet played by two lead instruments. In this way we can make more sense of Genesis 1 and 2 looking at them together.
I recently acquired a remarkable DVD called “the Privileged Planet.” Based on a book of the same title written by two scientists, Jay Richards and Guillermo Gonzales. The hour long DVD shows the uniqueness of our planet in the universe and how everything that was needed to sustain life here was finely tuned into our home here on earth. Over 20 different factors that are required for life to exist here happen to be just exactly the way they need to be for life to exist. Take a look at a short segment of this program and see what God did when he lovingly and carefully created this planet
Ch. 11: Portion of VIDEO showing what is necessary for LIFE on earth
1. God Provided the Perfect Place Genesis 2:8-14
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And 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.
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 [e] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [f] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
From the video we see that God made all of creation to sustain life – but more than that, he personally designed a special Home – the Perfect Place for Adam.
The Garden of Eden provided one stop shopping for all of Adam’s needs. Everything he needed to sustain life was there in the garden. The climate there was perefect, tropical so no clothing was needed, but shaded and not too hot for comfort. No rain at that time to chill the bones, no seasons to provide temperature extremes. It was somewhat like the temperature on Oahu in Hawaii. In the 70’s every day all year long.
From the rivers mentioned in the text we can locate Eden somewhere in modern day Iraq which we know does not have an Eden like climate today. So what was provided there was special and custom designed for Adam and Eve to enjoy. God provided the perfect place out of love and care for his special creation.
2. God Provided a Purpose Genesis 2:15
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Creating the earth and all life forms on it was God’s special project showing His creativity and design. But the man he made for fellowship with himself was able to enter into God’s work by naming all the animals God made. God honored Adam’s decisions by allowing every animal to carry the name that Adam gave it. The man, Adam, was also given the work of working and taking care of the Garden. He was given a job to do that filled his time with purpose and allowed him to enter into God’s work and share it with the creator himself.
Adam entered into God’s work, but since he was God’s final creation on the 6th day, his first full day of existence was the day God took time off as a Sabbath day. God celebrated completion of creation by ceasing from his labor and taking a holiday, and the newly created man was privileged to enjoy that holiday with the creator. The word “Sabbath” literally means “to cease to do.” Or “to rest.” We notice then that God worked six days and then rested, while Adam started out at rest with God and then from that rest he began his work.. We, too, are enabled to work for God on the basis of the rest He has provided from the beginning.
It is a funny thing I have observed about boys. They love to do things, and they especially love to do what ever they see their fathers doing. They want to help. And the wise father will figure out a way to let the son help out in some way that is consistent with his age and skill level.
I saw Chris Simpson helping little David draw pictures on colored paper. David lamented his lack of ability, but Chris kept approving of what he had drawn and helping him to make other things on paper. I could tell that David wanted to hear everything his daddy said to him about himself. He wanted that affirmation so desperately. I can also visualize God’s delight in hearing the names Adam came up with for each animal as Adam used his imagination to create names for each of God’s creations.
3. God Provided true Partnership Genesis 2:16-25
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 of it you will surely 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 beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. 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 of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam [g] 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 [h] and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [i] 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, [j] ’
for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
• With Himself (Adams connection with God was not a forced partnership, and we know that genuine partnership requires freedom to make decisions, to choose to connect or disconnect. In making man like God he had to give man the freedom of choice, and the most basic freedom of choice is the choice to obey or disobey. We wonder sometimes, why God found it necessary to place a “temptation tree” in the garden. Why give man a chance to fall in the first place? Why wouldn’t a loving God remove temptation from the scene altogether so that Adam could live forever in Eden? The answer is that god was not interested in making man into a robot – God wanted a genuine, mutual relationship, and that required that he give Adam freedom to make decisions of his own.. Admittedly, that was taking Quite a risk! Because we are free moral agents, we have the privilege to connect or depart from God’s presence. And likewise, Eternity in Heaven will be populated by people who have chosen to be there with God. Those not desiring to be there with God will not be there. That is the ultimate freedom of choice.
• With Others: God could have been jealous and desired that Adam would only relate to Him, but he lovingly realized that Adam was incomplete by himself. His aloneness was short of perfection, so God formed a special partner to compliment and complete Adam. God did not make a carbon copy of Adam, but a person unlike Adam to fill in the gaps and provide strengths were Adam was weak, to give him someone to care for and care about. She was everything he couldn’t be and brought to the forefront everything he needed to become. She was gentle to offset his roughness. She was a multi-tasker, to offset his narrowly focused mind. She had different opinions than his and sometimes she was even right. She had a stronger aesthetic sense than he had, stronger intuition, stronger ability to nurture, stronger nest-building instincts, Oh, the perfect mother she would make. God, in love had provided himself as loving creator, and had provided a helpmate to complete Adam and make him all he could ever become.
CONCLUSION:
So far everything’s perfect. The earth and the inhabitants of that earth have the perfect environment, the perfect provision, the perfect jobs to do, the perfect companionship everything is flawless. So what is going to come along and mess all that up? Oh, the freedom of Choice! Why do we have to have the freedom to choose?
It’s a little like the show “Deal or No Deal” with this one twist. The TV show has about 30 suitcases and the contestant must choose the one they think is worth a million dollars and figure out whether to keep it or “deal it away” for a certain amount of cash. In the garden of Eden all the suitcases except one were winners. And God even went so far as to name the loosing choice. Eat from any tree in the garden except the one in the midst of the garden. If you eat of that tree you will surely die. What a deal! 29 winners and only one looser and a warning ahead of time which choice was the losing one. How could they mess that one up? We’ll talk about it next week.
