The Climax of the Created Order

Introduction

Over the last few weeks we have looked at how God is the Creator of all things.

We discussed the order and control God had over His creation, and we talked about how God’s created order was building to something.

We talked about how each stage of creation falls under either the creation of space or the filling of that space.

God’s creation was not without order and meaning.

God had a plan for how He would create all things, and in Genesis 1 we saw how God executed His plan.

In Genesis 2, we find the culmination or the climax of all that God had created.

The first couple of verses that we are considering this morning quickly recount the first 5 days of creation.

We note now that God created all of the plants to fill the earth, but then He states that there was no one yet to till the ground.

It is important to recognize that God created the world to be inhabited by man.

This idea is not very popular in our own day.

Many believe that the presence of humanity in the world has resulted in more bad than good.

Many of the so-called eco-friendly minds believe the human race to be more of a parasite to the earth rather than a benefit.

Ive stated multiple times that we are going to be focusing on worldview through this series, and I believe that a biblical worldview would never have us to believe that humanity is a parasite.

As we examine these passages, I hope that we will be able to recognize the amazing truth that God made the world to be kept by humanity.

We are meant to cultivate God’s creation and to make much of what He has blessed us with.

I want to look at this passage through the lens of two ideas that I believe are central to the understanding of this text.

These two ideas are that of responsibility and relationship.

Through examining these two ideas, we will understand much better what God would have us to know of the creation of man.

Today we are going to look at this passage through the lens of the responsibility given to man.

First lets take a look at...

The Responsibility to Cultivate the Ground

We can recognize the first hint of responsibility that God gave to man through examining the problem that God addresses prior to His creation of man.

Lets look at Genesis 2:5

Genesis 2:5–6 KJV 1900

And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

We see here that God made the plants that filled His creation, and He provided the mist that would water the ground to give it growth, but by saying that there was not yet a man to till the ground, God pointed to the fact that the plants would not reach their full growing potential in their natural state.

Man was created to have the responsibility of cultivating the plants of the ground so that they grew in the most profitable way.

God did not create the world to operate on its own; He created so that humanity would have the resources to make much of what he was given.

Our job is to take the plants of the field and to cultivate them in such a way that they grow with peak efficiency.

Notice also how this passage differs from the common understanding of human history.

Many would suggest that mankind did not cultivate the plants of the field for thousands and thousands of years.

They say that the first humans were cave dwellers who were traveling gatherers and rather than cultivating, they simply moved from place to place chasing after the natural growth of food.

While many early civilizations may have operated in this way, field cultivation was not an evolution out of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that came thousands of years later.

God’s word states that this has been the way of mankind from the very beginning.

You have a responsibility to make much of what God has given you.

You may not ever plant a garden, but how are you cultivating other resources that God has provided?

How are you making the most of God’s creation?

How are you a benefit to the production of your society? Have you accepted this responsibility to make much of what God has given?

The Responsibility to Obey God

After creating man, God gave to him every tree of the garden from which to eat, all but one.

God told the first man that of the tree in the middle of the garden (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), he shall not eat of that one.

Adam was responsible to this command as it came from his Creator.

Adam’s obedience or disobedience to this command was placed under the weight of his life.

In saying that Adam would surely die if he ate of the tree, God was also implying that if he did not eat of the tree, then he would live.

God created all things to be enjoyed as life sustaining.

Adam was given more than he could ever need to fill his need for food.

In a way, Adam was also responsible for eating of all that God gave him.

Adam was to enjoy that which God had provided, and he was to avoid that which God had kept from him.

Adam was responsible for finding his fulfillment in the things which God had given him.

The inclusion of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden has been a topic of much debate.

Some wonder why God would even put it there if He was just going to keep its fruit from Adam?

One possible answer to that question lies in this idea of responsibility.

Would Adam uphold his responsibility to obey God’s command, or would he fail in his responsibility and disobey God?

Adam was given the responsibility to be obedient; that was one of the requirements for Adam as God’s creation.

The inclusion of the tree was the means in which God chose to display that responsibility.

As creatures of God, we are all accountable to obey the commands of God.

Our allegiance should be given first to God, as He is the ultimate authority.

The Responsibility to Name the Animals

God brought all the animals to Adam to see what he would name them.

Adam gave every animal a name, and verse 21 says that whatever name Adam gave them, that would be their name.

These are the creatures that God had made, and He entrusted the task of naming his creatures to Adam.

This responsibility is especially important when you consider what it means for someone to be the namer of a thing.

For Adam to be given this task, God was entrusting Adam with being the caregiver these creatures.

Adam would be responsible to look after these animals.

Adam became responsible for their wellbeing, and he would be their master.

This, along with the cultivating of the ground is the first ways in which Adam had dominion over all that God had created.

Adam was not to be a cruel master, but he was to care for all that God had given him.

In a way, Adam’s success or failure in his responsibilities effected the whole of the created order, because he was given the responsibility to care for the creatures of God.

Adam did as he was instructed by God.

He gave all the animals names, and in doing so, Adam accepted his responsibility to look after the creation.

We are all to be responsible caregivers to God’s creation.

All of God’s creatures fall under our care.

How we treat the creatures that God made is directly correlated to how we view this responsibility given to us by God.

We are to be good stewards of the animals of God’s creation.

You may notice that cattle is mentioned here, this means that from the beginning, animals were meant to be used for the benefit of humanity, but we must do so with care and respect to that which God has given.

The Responsibility to His Wife

This final responsibility in the passage that we are considering is that man is to cleave to his wife as though she were part of his very being.

Adam was created to be responsible for all that God had commanded of him, his wife was given so that he would have assistance in the things that God required of him.

Notice God had already given the man all of the responsibility prior to giving him a wife.

God was gracious in giving Adam a helpmeet, but ultimately the responsibility rests on the man to do as God has commanded.

God says that when a man is married he is to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.

This means that in marriage the man is accepting the responsibility to support his family, not needing to rely on his parents to prop him up any longer. He is now the provider for himself and his new wife.

The wife should also not have to rely on her parents to provide for her any longer, she should be able to entrust her husband to cleave to her and provide for her.

She also need not take alone the responsibility to support herself.

Though she may do what she can to help in the support, she is now working along side her husband as one flesh to accomplish the task of supporting the family.

Men, any responsibilities that your wives take on for the family are truly your responsibilities first, she is there to help you in the things that God is holding you accountable for.

We as husbands should shoulder the weight of responsibility in our marriage.

Our wives are wonderful blessings from the Lord, they are not our servants.

Treat her as though she is an extension of yourself. Live sacrificially for her, and do not let her help to you go unnoticed.

Ladies, you are to stand by your husband and assist him in his duties.

Do what you can to allow him to be successful in upholding the responsibility that he carries.

Whether he knows it or not, your husband carries a heavy responsibility before his Creator.

He will have to answer to God for where he fails in that responsibility.

Be a suitable helpmeet for him.

Prop him up where he is weak, support him when he grows unsure, and remind him when he is not recognizing that responsibility.

The way this responsibility plays out in the marriage relationship will look a little different for every marriage.

What is important is that man and woman is to work together to accomplish the same goal.

The wife may do most of one type of task while the husband does most of another type of task.

This allows both to give adequate attention to those tasks that they are accomplishing.

In our marriage, Hannah does most of the housework because she is a stay-at-home mom.

She cares for these things while my attention is addressed elsewhere, but we are both working toward the success of our family.

This is what works for our family, I never have the right to feel as though the housework is not my job.

If I am available, and there is housework that needs to be done, I should step in and work. After all, isnt it ultimately my responsibility anyway?

However it works in your marriage, make sure you are working together toward the same goal.