What Is Man?

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing to move through the book of Genesis and today we find ourselves in chapter two.

There’s a transition that takes place in our passage and we are introduced to this idea of “paradise: the garden of Eden.”

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Paradise?”

I think different people probably have different pictures. But everybody has something. The idea of “utopia” exists for every human being even if the particulars of that picture might look different for one person over against another.

We have this innate craving, deep within, for a place where there is no more crying, no more pain, no more brokenness, evil or injustice - the absence of hostility and death. That’s paradise.

Not only does every person have an idea and craving for paradise. I think every person would also say that whatever paradise is, THIS ain’t it.

In other words, every human longs for a paradise that they know has been lost.

C.S. Lewis popularized the argument from desire which basically makes the same claim.

“If I find within myself a desire that nothing else on this earth can satisfy, it must mean that I was made for a different world.” - C.S. Lewis

Paradise and God’s presence are inseparably linked. People have a yearning for paradise because they have a yearning for God.

So how we rediscover paradise? When was it given, how was it lost and how do we find it again. Those questions are addressed by our message today.

The truth is, the world as we experience it today isn’t the way God originally designed it to be. When paradise was originally given the daily experience of mankind was drastically different than it is today.

Thankfully, the paradise that was lost due to sin and unbelief can today be regained through repentance and faith in Christ.

Read the Text

Let’s take a closer look at that idea in Genesis 2:4.

In it we will discover that divine paradise is about God’s people, in God’s place, fulfilling God’s purpose, under God’s protection.

Genesis 2:4 (ESV)

These are the generations

of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

The first verse of our passage begins with a Hebrew word translated “toledot.”

This is followed by a poetic description of God’s creation of the universe.

The ESV translates it “generations” and in the Greek version of the OT it’s the word “genesis.”

This “toledot” or “genesis” marker is used in this book to designate major sections or transition points in the book. (Gen 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 19; 37:2)

Here it’s a summary statement of Genesis 1-3. It’s Moses’ way of telling his reader, “here’s how it all went down when God created this universe.”

Genesis 2:5–7 (ESV)

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

God’s People

So the first thing we see about Paradise in this passage is it’s a special place for “God’s people.”

Usually the phrase “God’s People” refers to some kind of covenant relationship between God and those who follow him. (aka God’s people and those who aren’t) That’s not how I’m using the word today.

Rather, in Genesis 2 we see that God has a special relationship with humanity that is different from all the other animals and living things in creation.

This special relationship is put against the backdrop of an incomplete creation. “No bush. No plant. No rain. No man.”

Genesis 2 opens up with a picture of disorder and desolation. The earth is desolate, dry and uninhabitable. “No shrub. No plants. No Rain. No Man.”

Water was springing up but had no direction or structure.

Image a dessert wasteland with no life or beauty.

Or a flooded plain with no structure or design. That was the earth before God’s creation of mankind.

Moses notes that there was no “man” to work the land or cultivate it’s potential and that’s why God created the man from the dust.

Again, the emphasis isn’t just on what God is going to do (bring chaos into order) but HOW he’s going to do it (creating man to cultivate his garden).

Some people get stuck here because they try and make the creation account in Genesis 1 fit this description in Genesis 2. The two are totally different animals.

That doesn’t mean they contradict one another. They complement and complete one another but they are not meant to be read as two totally different creation accounts.

Genesis 2 is zooming in on the theological foundations of God’s creation of mankind: where, how and why God created man the way he did.

The theological foundations of this special relationships can bee seen in three different ways: (1) God’s covenant name, (2) the verbs used to describe man’s creation: “formed” and “breathed.”

Covenant Name

This “special relationship” between God and man can be seen in the inclusion of God’s covenant name in Genesis 2.

In Genesis 1 the name of God was always “elohim.” (which is actually a plural form of the Hebrew word for “God” in general).

In Genesis 2, however, the word “elohim” is preceded by the Hebrew “yahweh” (LORD God) which is God’s Covenant name between Him and the people of Israel. This was the name God gave Moses at the burning bush, “I am who I am.” Yahweh!

This would’ve been a reminder for God’s people that the who who created the universe is also the one who holds you lovingly in the palm of his hands.

The one who redeemed you is also the one who sustains the universe by the Word of His power.

Important Verbs

The second way this special relationship is highlighted in in Gen 2:7. We saw something similar in Genesis 1.

Man is both like the creation but also UNLIKE the creation in important ways.

Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

From this verse you certainly see that man is a “creature.” He is brought from the ground.

In fact there’s a play on words in the Hebrew between Adam (man) and Adamah (ground).

It’s a poetic way of saying man has a symbiotic relationship with the dust. He is a grounder. From the dirt.

Formed of Dust

Yet at the same time man is “FORMED” from the dust. It’s a special word not used to describe God’s creation of any other creature.

It’s used often in the context of a potter and the clay. God’s creation of man was special and unique.

We see this uniqueness in the creation of certain body parts like the eye.

We see it in the uniqueness of our voices and our laughs.

You can take almost any human organ and say with the Psalmist “I praise you Lord for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Breath of Life

This idea is amplified when you see that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature...”

The words “living creature” aren’t all that special applied to man. It’s used often to describe the life of the sea animals and the land animals.

But only man is said to receive the “breath of life” and have that breath “breathed into his nostrils.”

You can’t breath into somebody’s nostrils without kissing them on the nose. (only a handful of people I’d let breath in my nostrils and they’re all VERY SPECIAL to me!)

This is symbolic of the intimacy between man and God. The special love and nearness of God for those who’ve been made in his image.

We were made by God for intimacy with God. He wants to know us and for us to know him.

Just like a dad who kisses the head of his new born baby so that when he wakes up from his sleep the first face he sees is the one who loves him more than anyone else in this world so does the face of God meet our eyes and the breath of God meet our lips in at act of steadfast love.

God’s Place

So we see Paradise can only be experienced by “God’s People” because they’ve been given a special relationship with him.

The second thing we see in this passage is that Paradise is found in “God’s place.” Paradise is not just the gift of “God’s life.” Paradise is also the gift of “God’s presence.”

In Genesis, this is laid out using the symbolism of a garden. The Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:8–14 (ESV)

8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

The Word Eden is the Hebrew word for “life” and this place prepared for God is a place of life and life abundant.

It’s a place of God’s presence and fullness and goodness and beauty. Notice all of the things are a mentioned to describe this garden of God.

God is the one who plants this garden and what he plants in this garden was planted intentionally!

Trees and Fruit (that are living giving and empowering)

Rivers that flow and then separate to the corners of the earth

Gold, precious stones, minerals, everything you could desire

It’s wonderful, beautiful and majestic, all the blessings of God are found in this place.

All for God’s people to enjoy and use according to His good guidance.

Temple or Garden?

It’s important to point out that this garden isn’t the Garden of Man but the Garden of God. He planted it and it is filled with HIS presence and HIS blessing.

These blessings are the very presence of God and his provision to meet every need of mankind who he placed in garden.

One commentator said the Garden of Eden isn’t just a piece of Mediterranean farm land but as an archetypical Sanctuary or Temple.

Like the temple, the Garden is a place where God dwells and man is invited to worship and exalt Him.

Interestingly, the features that are mentioned of the Garden in Genesis 2 are later mentioned to describe the Tabernacle and Temple architecture later on in the OT.

These parallels suggest that the Garden is to be understood as a cosmic Temple.

The inside of the temple was often inlayed with wood and overlaid with gold. (same as mentioned in the garden)

Carved into the wood of the temple was picture of vegetation, palm trees, fruit, and rivers. Why? Because it’s pointing them back to the Garden of Eden.

The Gate leading into Eden is on the East side. Unsurprisingly the sacred and divine Gate to enter into the temple is located on the EAST SIDE.

So when Adam is put into the Garden the idea is that he’s so much more than a gardener. He’s a priest in God’s temple.

The presence of God filling the paradise of Eden.

The food tastes soo good. The colors are so beautiful. Everything is overwhelming. And it causes man to look at the provider of that goodness and rejoice in and glorify him.

Four Rivers

Notice the one river that flows out of Eden and then separates into four different rivers.

Water is always a symbolic picture of life but here it is especially powerful.

Throughout the Old Testament the Rivers that flow from the presence of God are always echoes of this image here in Genesis 2. Let me know you a few examples.

Psalm 46:4 (ESV)

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

Rivers are the source of life flowing from the very throne of God.

Ezekiel 47:12 (ESV)

12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

Isn’t that interesting? It’s flowing from the Sanctuary here in Ezekiel but in Genesis 2 it flows from the Garden.

It’s a throwback to Psalm 1:3 “He [the righteous man] is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

You see the connection? The life giving water of God helps the righteous man or woman proper in keeping with God’s divine blessing.

Finally this imagery of a river shows up in Revelation 22:1-2

Revelation 22:1–2 (ESV)

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

All of this is a throwback to Genesis 2.

And let’s not forget Jesus’ words in John 7:38-39

John 7:38–39 (ESV)

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So this presence of God that was enjoyed by Adam in Genesis 2 and is “promised” to the righteous in Psalm 1 and Psalm 46 and Ezekiel 47 and realized in it’s fulness in Revelation 22.

That life giving river of God’s presence can be experienced today through repentance and faith in the person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit can cause rivers of living water to flow from our hearts.”

Were the rivers in Eden literal? I believe so! But they also communicate the life-giving power and nourishment that is found in God’s presence.

Two Trees

But it’s not just rivers that a present in this special place of God’s presence. There are also two trees: the tree of life in the middle and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:9 (ESV)

9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The first tree mentioned is the tree of life. The idea is that this tree was necessary to sustain and perpetuate physical life.

Kinda like a fountain of youth or tree of youth. Whatever was growing on this tree was of such spiritual and physical value that it would’ve enabled man to live in the presence of God forever. (beyond superfood. Supernatural food!)

God provides the tree of life to make death unnecessary. As soon as Adam and Eve are cut off from this tree then death becomes the inevitable result. (they are cut off by flaming swords to never again eat from the tree of life)

The tree of life is a reminder that in God’s paradise the fear of death was never meant to be a thing.

Man was mortal, yes. Dependent on God, absolutely. But not a slave to death. The tree of life enabled man to live in the presence of God forever and ever. It sustained the physical body in an unusual way.

The Menorah

Interestingly, this picture of a “tree of life” also shows up in the Old Testament temple. There’s a table set up in the temple Sanctuary and a menorah set on top of the table.

It’s crafted to represent the branches of a tree and that tree harkens back to the tree of life. Life is found in the place of God’s presence.

Next to the menorah was the bread of presence. A reminder that the people of God are dependent on God for their daily sustenance.

In the inner room of the OT temple was the Holy of Holies. Inside the holy of holies was the ark of the covenant. Inside that box was the 10 commandments (intended to govern God’s people in God’s place in God’s presence)

All of this is pointing back to Paradise as it was originally given in Genesis 2. We weren’t just made BY God as his special people. We were also man FOR GOD to enjoy his presence.

For God’s Purpose

But Genesis doesn’t stop there. Paradise is found by God’s people in God’s place but it’s more than. God’s people in God’s place are called to fulfill God’s purpose.

What is that purpose? In a word, WORK. Gen 2:15

Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

God’s people in God’s place fulfilling God’s purpose - that’s where paradise in found.

God’s purpose for man in the paradise he made is summed up in two words: work it and keep it.

When I say “work” I mean it in the broadest sense possible.

Some of us work in a vocational sense. (9-5 M-F)

Some of us work as students or in an educational sense.

Some of us work in the sense of making a home or raising our families

Some of us work in a vocational calling to ministry.

It doesn’t matter the specifics of your daily activities but rather the way you see the activities in which you engage. Do you see it as “working” and “keeping” the garden of God?

Working & Keeping

These two words are interesting. The Hebrew word translated “work” is שָׁמְרָֽ (ob.dah) and the word translated “keep” is שָׁמְרָֽ (sha.mar).

The only other place in the Old Testament when these two words are used together like this is in the book of Numbers when it comes to the activities of the priest in the OT temple. (Numbers 3:7-8)

So again we see these priestly and temple overtones in Genesis 2.

Adam is not just a “King” in that he exercises dominion over the creation. Now he is also a “priest” in that he serves or cultivates the creation. He’s a priest on behalf of God in God’s temple.

Real quickly this description of work reminds us of some really important truths.

Our Work is a blessing from God. (Work was given prior to the fall. It’s part of our original design. We worked before the fall and will work after the fall. We should embrace it!)

Our Work is an act of worship. (Work is not fundamentally about serving ourselves as much as it is worshipping God. Even as a bread man or plumber you can engage in work as worship. You are serving the Lord in how you do your work.)

Our Work is sacred stewardship. (This can be seen in that word ‘keep.’ In the OT temple the priests were to ‘keep’ the temple by making sure the sacred didn’t contaminated by the profane. It was keeping a watchful eye on God’s domain so that his holiness and the holiness of his people was maintained.)

Our Work is a visible testimony. (As we saw in Genesis 1:26-27 we are created in God’s image to mirror and represent the reality of God on this earth. The way that we work testifies to the goodness and glory of God. Working poorly or lazily spoils our witness and subtracts from God’s glory and ought to be rejected. Christians ought to be the hardest working, most creative people on the planet because our work is a witness!)

Eden was a garden kingdom of God’s presence for his people to fulfill God’s purpose: working and keeping his garden for his glory and our good.

When you think of paradise in this way then one of the most important works we can do (regardless of our specific location) is to leverage every opportunity in the work place to advance God’s mission by making disciples through our work.

God’s paradise can be experienced today through the Holy Spirit when we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we leverage the opportunities we have at work to advance that Gospel then God’s glory is revealed and our purpose as special people is achieved.

God’s Protection

The final aspect of paradise in Genesis 2 is the element of God’s protection. We are God’s people in God’s place fulfilling God’s purpose under God’s protection.

Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Ultimately, paradise is lost because mankind removes himself out from under the divine protection of God.

Human freedom was given to man as a gift. But the gift of free will entails the freedom to reject God’s protection by disobeying his word.

It’s easy to read this passage and look over the fact that God gives Adam an invitation to eat from EVERY TREE OF THE GARDEN. We often focus on the one tree Adam wasn’t forbidden to eat but we shouldn’t neglect the embarrassment of options he was given before that prohibition.

God gave Adam a beautiful amazing and fulfilling garden to satisfy his soul but there was ONE tree he wasn’t supposed to eat from: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The warning? The day you eat of it you will surely die. Literally it reads “dying you will die...”

Death that is irreparable. Not instantaneous death but eventual nonetheless. And not just physical death but a spiritual death and relational death in man’s communion with God.

Today this death is experienced by all of those who persist in their rejection of God in a place called hell.

Why a Choice?

Why did God give Adam and Eve this choice? Have you ever asked that question? Why did God give man a choice to obey or not obey?

I don’t presume to know the mind of God so I’m not for sure. One thing I do know is that love cannot be proven until it is tested.

If God made us with the capacity to love then we must necessarily posses the ability to choose and the ability to choose one means an ability to reject the others.

This choice is God’s test of man’s love.

The warning was a grace from God. It’s a warning against the harm that pride and self-rule can bring. It’s also an invitation to walk in humble communion and fellowship with God.

Sadly, mankind fails this test. He eats from the tree and God’s warning becomes a reality. All sin consists of this kind of prideful human autonomy. A reject of God’s sovereignty and unwillingness to live under his authority.

We were made to live by faith in God’s Word not the arrogance of human pride and self-sufficiency.

With Me In Paradise

Rejecting God results in death. The day of death comes in Genesis 3.

They are exiled form this beautiful garden. They are separated from God and eventually they die. Paradise is lost forever.

But though that paradise was lost. It was not lost forever. The communion that was lost by the first Adam’s SIN was regained through the 2nd Adam’s (Christ) obedience.

The life giving presence of God is now made available to us through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where Adam failed Christ succeeded. Where Adam deserved to be punished (and us too as we do the same) Christ died in our place as a substiutionary atonement for our sins.

Rejecting God results in death but what Adam lost Jesus Christ can give again!

Our soul ache for paradise because they ache for God. We long for a new Eden where sin will be no more and every time we gather on a Sunday like this we remind ourselves of that day.

We are heading to a new Eden. Eden 2.0! How can it be gained? Through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Will he accept me? You may ask. Absolutely he will. There’s none of us here are are innocent before a holy God. Thats’ why he sent Jesus. Jesus did for us what we couldn't not do - none of us - for ourselves.

Lest we ever forget as Jesus Christ was hanging there on the cross he was speaking with his dying breath the reality of paradise.

He was hung between two criminals. Both were absolutely guilty for the crimes they committed. But one was demonstrating repentance and faith.

And to that criminal Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The paradise that was lost can be given again in Jesus.” Will you receive it today?