Why God Created Man (Gen. 2:7-24)

verse by verse:

V.7 “the LORD God formed”

The Hebrew word here is “yatsar” (formed) which is a different verb that is seen in 1:26-27 (make [“asah”] & created [“bara”]).

when the God head Father, Son, & Holy Spirit said “let us make,” they were speaking about the preparing to do something. To “manufacture or to make man.”

when the God head Father,Son, & Holy Spirit said “God created man,” they were speaking about cutting, carving, and about the way they were going to form by cutting and creating something or someone new.

Genesis 1:1 thru 2:6 could be considered a synopsis of what the God head did, and from 2:7 we see or read how the God head accomplished the creation.

so God “formed” man [yatsar] 2:7. The word form describes the work of an artist. He fashioned man, shaped him with a uniqueness like no other creature. Like a painter that forms his painting that is unique only to him it’s his signature. A potter that fashions a piece of pottery that is unique to him only.

We see the uniqueness in the forming of man unlike all he other things that were created:

> the dust was used

AND

> the inbreathing of life. Job calls it the spirit of God in his nostrils. (Job 27:3)

V. 8-10 God plants a garden in a place called Eden and places man there. In this garden every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food was in this garden.

In the midst of this garden were two trees. The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river flowed out of Eden that watered the garden.

Mankind was placed in a perfect setting.

Now, you think about a time when you were in a place that made you feel like it was a perfect setting.

Go back to Adam and use your sanctified mind and picture Adam in the midst of this garden.

How wonderful this would have been.

Keep in mind that this garden also provided the arena for man’s test of obedience.

The description of the lavish garden (v.8) and the trees (v.9) and the river in it (v.10), leads up to the commandment: man could enjoy it all but he must not eat from the one forbidden tree (v.17).

V. 11-14 The garden of Eden was probably in the area of the Persian Gulf, judging from the places in these verses, and given that the geography of that area was the same after the flood as before. L. Coleman one of the scholars believe in a northern location for Eden and the four rivers.

Another suggestion, since the garden is understood to be a real historical and geographic environment, conceived perhaps to be far to the north of ancient Israel, in the vicinity of the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates, perhaps west of Ararat, a region only vaguely known to the Israelites as it was beyond their sphere of political (and perhaps trading) influence.

Although one cannot be certain about this reconstruction concerning Eden and her rivers, it appears to be faithful to the narrative in Genesis.

V. 15-17 Man’s purpose is to provide spiritual service:

> V.15 God “put him” or man was placed or (“set to rest”) to settle down; to be at peace in the garden

> to work it; to serve; to toil; or to labor in the garden.

> to keep it; to take care of it; to watch over it; to guard it.

Whatever work Adam did was therefore described as his service to God. Likewise whatever work we do should be considered as a service to God.

> V.16 God’s first command to man concerns life and death, good and evil. Positive blessings and negative prohibitions.

> all earthly goods and pleasures were at man’s disposal, except this one tree which was forbidden.

> man could eat freely from all the other trees except one. “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (V.17)