Genesis 2

1. (V1-3) On the seventh day God ended His work and he rested

a) After creation, God rested from his work

It wasn’t that God exerted all his energy and needed to take a break, he ceased from His work because it was complete

There was nothing left to do

Blessed it and sanctified it or set it apart

b) God commanded a day of rest in the Law and the seventh day was the sign of the covenant

Exodus 20:9–11 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

Exodus 31:17 “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ””

c) Christians are not under obligation to observe the Sabbath today because Jesus fulfilled the purpose and plan of the Sabbath for us and in us

Colossians 2:16–17 “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

Hebrews 4:9–11 “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”

TAKING A DAY OF REST IS VITAL FOR HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY

Physically speaking, our bodies need rest, our minds need to be separated from our work

2. (V4-7) Mosses tells the same creation story but adds more detail that we need to know in order to understand events that happen later

a) No rain until the flood / You can imagine what people thought when Noah was telling everyone about the flood coming

b) God chose to use man in His work

Originally, work was never intended to be a punishment, it wasn’t until after the fall of man, that the Lord said we should toil in the ground

He has a plan and purpose for each of us

He has given us different interests, talents, and abilities

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

c) God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed breath into his nostrils

God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him.

Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

3. (V8-9) Life in the Garden

a) God placed man in the garden

Everything was pleasant in sight and for food

b) Two trees

The tree of life was to grant (or to sustain) eternal life

God still has a tree of life available to His people, which is faith in Jesus Christ

Revelation 2:7 ““He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’”

Eternal life in Heaven

Genesis 3:22 “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—”

The tree of knowledge of good and evil

4. (V15-17) God commanded the man

God gave clear instruction on what not to eat and the consequences if he ate of the tree

If God knew man would eat of the tree, why place it in the garden?

a) God desires willing obedience

Adam had freewill, as we do today

He wants us to love Him and obey willingly

Death was never intended from the beginning

5. (V18) It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him

a) Not good for man to be alone

So far, God has said everything was good, except for man being alone

The animals had a mate

b) Helper

A companion… a helper suited to his needs 

God gives to man the responsibility (and the accountability) to be the leader in the home and gives to the woman the responsibility to be his helper

Its an important job, and I realize how much I need my wife, without her help, I would struggle to my job

c) Comparable in nature

Adam made from the dust and woman was made from man

6. (V21) The Lord caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, He took one of his ribs to make woman

Matthew Henry wrote, she was not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected and near to his heart to be beloved

7. (V24-25) The two shall become one flesh

a) Why can marriage be challenging?

Two are becoming one

Mark 10:9 “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.””

Why is divorce so painful? its a literal tearing that takes place when two people decide to divorce

b) They were naked and unashamed because there was a absence of sin