DISCOVERING the MISSION of MANKIND—Genesis 2:4-25
Attention:
A zoning board had just been set up in a new community. A homeowner went to the office to request permission to build a small tool shed in his backyard.
"Do you have a plan?" asked the director.
"Oh, yes," said the owner, who showed him a map of his neighborhood, the dimension of his yard, & a sketch of the shed.
"That looks fine," said the director. He pulled out a piece of paper, wrote a few words on it, copied it, & said, "Here’s your permission."
A month later, a neighbor in exactly the same situation also wanted permission for a shed in her yard. She went to the director, got as far as a secretary, & made her request. "Thank you, Mrs. Smith," said the secretary, taking the documents.
"Telephone me in two weeks & I’ll let you know what the director’s decision is, or what further steps are necessary."
"But," groaned Mrs. Smith, "a month ago my neighbor got permission right away."
"Oh, yes," said the secretary, "but that was before we finally got organized."
The Zoning Board had a mission.
God has a Mission for mankind.
Have we discovered our part in it?
Need:
God had a mission for mankind.
& He still does.
How is mankind’s mission to be experienced/entered/engaged/found/discovered?
1—Mankind’s mission is bound-up in....
His HISTORY (:4)
Explanation:(:4) Past
:4—“This is the history of the heavens & the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth & the heavens,”
What follows(2:4—4:26 or possibly 5:32 & beyond) is an account of the creation which focuses upon man’s creation & his subsequent fall. This does not describe a different creation, nor is it written by another author. It is a more detailed & very specific account based upon man’s part in creation. What was described somewhat sketchily within the 6-day framework, is now fleshed out, yet each of the descriptions informs the other—much like the synoptic gospels inform one another.
What follows is a writing which informs the reader of the “history” or the unfolding of the heavens & earth when they were created. This records the legacy of that creation.
It is stated here that the covenant God of Israel—to whom this would have first been addressed—YHWH(LORD God), was the very One who had both “created” & “made the earth & the heavens.”
Earth & heavens are flip-flopped in this verse probably as a hint to the reader or hearer that the focus is changing from ‘day-by-day’ to something more detailed.
All of the first chapter refers to this same God in non-technical terms as “God”(Elohim) a singular plural which is commonly used to describe a god in general terms, either true or pagan.
“Book/Written”—rpo say’-fer—1) Book—n m.—2) Missive, document, writing, book. Strong—properly, Writing (the art or a document); by implication, A book:-- Bill, book, evidence, X learn[-ed] (-ing), letter, register, scroll.
“History/Generations/Account”—hdlwt to-led-aw’—Descendants, results, proceedings, generations, genealogies. Strong—(plural only) Descent, i.e. Family; (figuratively) History:-- Birth, generations.
“Created”—arb baw-raw’— To create, shape, form. Strong—(absolutely) To create; (qualified) To cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):-- Choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).
“LORD God”(See :5)—hwhy yeh-ho-vaw’—“The existing One”(Jehovah/YahWeh).
“Made”(See :18)—hse aw-saw’— To do, fashion, accomplish, make. Strong—To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.
Argumentation:
Col. 1:13-23—“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Illustration:
Used car dealers/Notorious for selling handsome or beautiful sharp-looking junk/Buy one & its like flushing money down the toilet/ Why CARFAX exists!/HISTORY is important
Your history—the real one. Not the one you present to others.
Your history is with God.
Application:
?Your Mission bound-up in the reality of Man’s HISTORY?
?Your Mission bound-up in God’s will?
2—Mankind’s mission is bound-up with....
His FUTURE(:5-6)
Explanation:(:5-6) The Fall—Rain, Plant, Herb, Cultivation
:5—“before any plant of the field was in the earth & before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, & there was no man to till the ground;”
At the beginning of this account, neither shrub, nor “plant” “of the field” was present.
No domestic/cultivated(implied thru tillage) shrubs had been enabled to reproduce by seed, as there was no rain. Neither had there “grown” any grasses or herbs for the same reason.
“Rain” must have been vital to the establishment of cultivated plants both woody & herbaceous.
Neither was there a “man” present “to till the ground,” as he had not been created yet.
Evidently tillage was just as vital as rain, even at that time, to maintain the establishment of certain cultivated plants & herbs.
Part of man’s mission/ministry would be to “till”(cultivate) “the ground.”
“Before”—Mrj teh’-rem—Before, not yet, before that.
“Plant/Shrub”—xys see’-akh—Bush, plant, shrub. Strong—A shoot (as if uttered or put forth), i.e. (generally) Shrubbery:-- Bush, plant, shrub.
“Field”—hds saw-deh’—Field, land—1a) Cultivated field, 1b) Of home of wild beasts, 1c) Plain (opposed to mountain), 1d) Land (opposed to sea). Strong—from an unused root meaning to spread out; A field (as flat):-- Country, field, ground, land, soil, X wild.
“Herb”—bse eh’seb—Herb, herbage, grass, green plants. Strong—from an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); Grass (or any tender shoot):-- Grass, herb.
“Grown”—xmu tsaw-makh’—To sprout, spring up, grow up. Strong—To sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative):-- Bear, bring forth, (cause to, make to) bud (forth), (cause to, make to) grow (again, up), (cause to) spring (forth, up).
“LORD God”(See :4)—hwhy yeh-ho-vaw’—“The existing One”(Jehovah/YahWeh).
“Caused it to Rain”—rjm maw-tar’—To rain.
“Man”(See :24)—Mda aw-dawm’—Man, mankind. Strong—Ruddy i.e. A human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.).
“Till”(See :15)—dbe aw-bad’—V. Qal infinitive construct—1) To work, serve—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To labor, work, do work, 1a2) To work for another, serve another by labor, 1a3) To serve as subjects, 1a4) To serve (God), 1a5) To serve (with Levitical service). Strong—To work (in any sense); by implication, To serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.
“Ground”(See :6)—hmda ad-aw-maw’—Ground, land. Strong—Soil (from its general redness):-- Country, earth, ground, husband[-man] (-ry), land.
:6—“but a mist went up from the earth & watered the whole face of the ground.”
No intermittent rain had fallen at that time, however, a predictable mist or flow of water rose from the ground to water the entire surface of the ground.
There is discrepancy as to the meaning of da ade. MacArthur claims ?per Cassuto?, that “Literally, in the Hebrew, it says, "But the waters of the deep"--the waters of the deep, & I’m giving you the literal translation--"went up from the earth & watered the whole face of the ground.”.... “And what it means is a spring. It literally means something that gushes up out of the ground.”
*Gen. 13:10—“And Lot lifted his eyes & saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.”
“Mist”—da ade—Strong—from the same as dwa ood (in the sense of enveloping); A fog:-- mist, vapor.
“Went up”—hle aw-law’—V. Qal Imperfect third masculine singular—To go up, ascend, climb.
“Watered”(See :10)—hqv shaw-kaw’—Verb Hifil Perfect third masculine singular consecutive—To give to drink, irrigate, drink, water, cause to drink water. 1a) (Hiphil)—1a1) To water, irrigate,1a2) To water, give drink to. Strong—To quaff, i.e. (causatively) To irrigate or furnish a potion to:-- Cause to (give, give to, let, make to) drink, drown, moisten, water.
“Face”—Mynp paw-neem’—Face.
“Ground”(See :5)—hmda ad-aw-maw’—Ground, land. Strong—Soil (from its general redness):-- Country, earth, ground, husband[-man] (-ry), land.
Argumentation:
Acts 1:1-8—“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do & teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days & speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Rom. 1:1-4—“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, & declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Rom. 3:23-26—“for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
1Jn. 1:8-10—“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, & His word is not in us.”
Gal. 6:7-8—“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
Illustration:
Family disrespect of parents & others/Before there were TVs, Computers, Facebook, Mobile Phones, iPods/Back when kids had to be home in order to keep up with them/Children can now escape their parents wishes in an instant & at any place/What is their FUTURE?/Lost without Christ!
Application:
?Your Mission bound-up in the reality of Man’s FUTURE?
?Your Mission bound-up in God’s will?
3—Mankind’s mission is bound-up with....
His BREATH(:7)
Explanation:(:7) the Breath of Life—God-given
:7—“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, & breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; & man became a living being.”
Man was formed from pre-existing material. It was either the same material as that which composed “the ground” or it was closely associated with “the ground.” The sense of the word “dust” seems to focus on its being fine, dry & dusty.
When YHWH “formed” man, He “breathed” “the breath of life” into man’s very nostrils. In other words God personally gave life to his creation. This life is brought about by the personal desire & action of God. Just as 1:26-28 signifies a unique relationship with God, so does the very breath of God here.
As a result of God’s action, man thus “became” something he had not before the breath....He became a life-sustaining soul.
We are vastly more than the sum of our parts!
“Formed”(See :8, 19)—ruy yaw-tsar’—V. Qal waw Consecutive third masculine singular—To form, fashion, frame. Strong—To mould into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively, To determine (i.e. form a resolution):-- X earthen, fashion, form, frame, make(-r), potter, purpose.
“Dust”—rpe aw-fawr’—Dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish “Breathed”—xpn naw-fakh’—V. Qal waw Consecutive third masculine singular—To breathe, blow, sniff at, seethe, give up or lose (life). 1a) (Qal) To breathe, blow.
“Nostrils”—Pa af—1) Nostril, nose, face; 2) Anger. Strong—properly, The nose or nostril; hence, The face, & occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire:-- Anger(-gry).
“Breath”—hmvn nesh-aw-maw’—Breath, spirit. Strong—A puff, i.e. Wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) An animal:-- Blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.
“Living”(See :7(“Life”))—yx khah’-ee—N. Common masculine plural absolute—2) Relatives; 3) Life (abstract emphatic)—3a) Life—3b) Sustenance, maintenance.
“Being”—vpn neh’-fesh—Soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
Argumentation:
Ps. 100:3—“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, & not we ourselves; We are His people & the sheep of His pasture.”
Isa. 64:8—“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, & You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
Gen. 3:19—“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.””
Job 33:4—“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Ps. 103:8-14—“The LORD is merciful & gracious, Slow to anger, & abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
1Cor. 15:47-50—“The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; & as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh & blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.”
Illustration:
Computer/Consist of many minute & precisely designed parts/Separately they are important but only as they come together in the computer/They are still of no consequence until
Application:
?Your Mission bound-up in the reality of Man’s BREATH?
?Your Mission bound-up in God’s will?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The Zoning Board’s mission inefficiency
Action:
Mankind’s mission is bound-up with....
1. His HISTORY (:4) Past
2. His FUTURE(:4-6)
3. His BREATH(:7)the Breath of Life—God-given
Presented 10/31/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
