NOTHING BUT THE BEST
Genesis 2:4-25
When God does something, He does it first rate. When He created the heavens and the earth, He did it first class. Man will never cease to marvel at the beauty and wonders of God’s creation. When God provided a Savior, he gave His best: His only Son, Jesus Christ. When God meets man’s needs His always gives the very best.
Chapter 2 beginning with verse 4 marks a new division in the book of Genesis. Chapter 1 was simply an introduction establishing the origin of creation. After the introduction the Book of Genesis is divided into 10 sections each beginning with the statement, “This is the history/generations/story of”. Each of these divisions build upon one another to lead us from the first man and woman to the establishment of God’s people Israel.
Chapter 2 upon first reading appears to give a different account of the creation of man, but actually they are two versions of the same. Chapter 1’s objective is to establish the fact of the creation of man within the scope of the six days of creation. Chapter 2’s objective is to begin a detailed history of man from the very beginning.
In verses 4-6 God clearly explains that creation was not complete without man. The plants of the field and herbs of the field addressed in verse 5 were of the type which required cultivation. God gives two specific reasons why these plants and herbs had not grown: they was no rain, therefore a need for irrigation), and there was no man which was needed for cultivation. Clearly, God’s word is establishing the fact that creation needed man. Therefore , God created man from the earth itself to irrigate and cultivate the land.
But man would be different than all other creation. Man would be God’s most precious creation because only man received God’s breath of life, and only man would be created in God’s image. And God only wanted the best for His special creation.
GOD PROVIDED ......
A PERFECT HABITAT FOR MAN TO LIVE ABUNDANTLY(2:8-14)
God had created a creation which He described was very good, but apparently not good enough for his special creation man. The text instructs us that God planted a garden for man to dwell. When I think of a “garden” two thoughts come to my mind: beauty and provision. Some gardens are planted simply for the beauty. Each year, visitors from all over the world come to enjoy the beauty of Cypress Gardens. I know it is one of my favorite places. When I walk through such a garden and admire the beauty of nature I sense God, the Creator, nearby and a tranquility in my soul. I have never had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii but I understand the beauty of islands is breath-taking. Some people plant gardens not for the beauty, but for the provisions to be harvested from the garden. I love to garden although I have not had the opportunity over the last few years. There is something special about working the land, planting a seed, and watching it grow into a fruit producing plant. The text teaches that both these purposes were met by the garden God planted for man. In it he was blessed with...
Perfect Beauty, and
Abundant Produce
A SPECIFIC MINISTRY FOR MAN TO LIVE PURPOSEFULLY (2:15)
God did not simply place man in a beautiful environment and left him with nothing to do. Instead, He gave Adam the responsibility of tending the garden. Although this was before the curse and there were no weeds or pests to worry about, he was needed to cultivate the land for the plants of the field and the herbs. Also, he need to prune the fruit bearing plants from their lush growth.
From the very beginning we discover the importance of responsibilities and duty. Even in a perfect environment God understood the value of work. This gives purpose to man and value to his life. Responsibilities give a person a reason to get up each morning. If one was placed in the most beautiful paradise on earth with nothing to do, then soon that would grow tiresome. Now, admittedly I would not mind trying it for a week or two, but after a while I would go crazy.
God wants us to have purpose and meaning in our lives. Therefore, He has given each of us responsibilities to perform starting even with Adam
A FREE WILL FOR MAN TO LIVE VOLUNTARILY (2:16-17)
Inside the garden, the text specifically informs us that God placed two special trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. One tree, the Tree of Life represented the possibility and the reality of eternal life. He that ate of that tree could live forever. God blessed Adam by giving him full access to the Tree of Life.
On the other hand, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented Man’s Free Choice. When God created man He gave Adam a free will, an opportunity to make decisions for himself. This is one of the characteristics that separates man from the rest of the animal kingdom. Man lives by the decisions he makes. Animals depend simply on their instincts. Why did God give man a free will? Because God is love and God created man to be an object of His perfect love as He created man for relationship. God wanted a love relationship with man where not only would He love man, but man would have a choice to love God in return. God could have easily created man with an instinct to love him in return, but the purest love is when it is done by choice. (And love is a choice, not simply a feeling.) Therefore, God took a risk by making man a free moral agent, because man could choose not to love him.
To validate the fact that man had a volition, the power to choose, God placed within the Garden a tree called the Knowledge of Good and Evil and restricted man from eating of its fruit. Through this tree God gave man the choice to obey or disobey him. When Adam was first created he only knew and experienced good, but if he ever ate of the forbidden tree then he would immediately know and experience evil. God warned him that on the day that ate of the tree he would surely die. The Hebrew form is better translated, “dying you shall die.”
In his love, God did not create us to be robots, but free moral agents.
A SUITABLE COMPANION FOR MAN TO LIVE COMPLETELY (2:18-24)
The first thing that God said was not good about His creation was the fact that man was alone. When God created the animals, he created them male and female. This apparently became obvious to Adam when he was given the responsibility to name the animals. Of all the animals none would suffice as a comparable companion.
In wanting to fill this void in Adam’s being God put Adam in a deep sleep an from his side created a suitable companion for him. Although our modern translations use the word “rib” a better rendering of the Hebrew word is simply “side”. It is interesting that God did not create woman from the dust of the ground as man, but from a part of the original emphasizing the closeness and the unity of their relationship. Also, God created her from his side and not head nor feet to emphasize the equality in their relationship.
And no doubt, it is easy to understand why she was called woman. Can you imagine the first time Adam laid eyes on his new companion, the first and only perfect woman (although Wanda Sue comes mighty close). I am sure all he could say is “Woe!!!!Man!!!!!.
And consummated his committed to his new companion through what we understand as the first marriage vows before God and all creation.
AN INNOCENT SPIRIT FOR MAN TO LIVE PEACEFULLY (2:25)
Can you imagine the peace of living a life that included no shame, no regrets, no guilt, no “what ifs”, no if onlys, no need for any apologies, and no embarrassing moments. This is exactly the peace that Adam and Eve first experienced. They knew no sin, no shame and experienced no guilt. That is God’s perfect will for man. Not bad.
CONCLUSION
When God created man, he wanted on the best for man. As a matter of fact, when we read about Eden we are given a good example of what heaven is going to be like. But as we will see next week that man gave it all up for sin. He lost that which God desired for him.
