Up from the Dust
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Genesis 2:1-17
Genesis 2:1-17
Opening of the chapter is the closing of the Creation account
God looks back upon the work and He proclaims that it was very good
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
God rested form His work
Meaning, He stopped the act of Creation
His part was complete
The boundaries have been determined.
Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
in this verses there is a perceived contradiction
There are people who will argue that the Bible contradicts itself
Scoffers
This is one of the instances that people will point out.
They will say that, God already created plants in Gen. 1:11 but now the text says there were plants.
God created plants on Day 3
2 things are happening
there is no contradiction, just inadequate understanding on the scoffers
Genesis chapter 2 is somewhat of a summary of Chapter one.
Chapter 2 gives more detail to some of the events in chapter 1
No contradiction, just more detail.
The other things is, in verse 2:5, God says that there was no shrub or plant of the field.
This is a qualifier of what type of plant
You may have noticed that the text states, no shrub or plant of the field had sprouted.
God not talking generally about vegetation
He is talking about cultivated farming
(sa-de(h)): a cultivated area for growing things.
שָׂדֶה (śā·ḏě(h)): n.masc.; ≡ Str 7704; TWOT 2236a, 2236b—1. LN 1.95–1.98 field, i.e., a cultivated area for growing things
No contradiction
God is giving more detail
At the end of verse 5, God says that there was no man yet to cultivated the ground
The word cultivate means to work the ground
In this verse God is giving mankind responsibility
God is instructing humanity to participate in expanding the garden
During the Creation account God spoke order into chaos
He was giving definition to Creation
When God was finished, He looked at His work and said it was very good.
The reality of creating order in chaos was good.
That is what God does.
He brings peace in the things that are submitted to Him.
In chapter 2, God includes humanity in this process of bringing order to chaos.
God designed us to carry forth His work.
No man had been created to cultivate, work, the ground.
To expand order
To extend God’s authority
2. Our job, as His people, is to expand the garden.
God did not stop creating order
God does not need us
God wants us to walk alongside of Him
God wants us to participate in faith
He wants us to walk in the authority of Jesus Christ to establish order
He wants to bring order in our lives
He wants us to be a testimony of order for others
This is the hope of the church
This is the hope that the church can give to the world.
The world is in disorder
The church has an opportunity to bring peace
This is the most exciting time
We often suffer from pessimism
Woe is me, the church, faith is fading
Leave this for now, we are going to come back to this thought later
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
God formed man, Adam out of the dust of the ground
3. God formed mankind in His own hands.
He did not just speak humanity into existence
We are so special to Him that He took the care to create us in His own grasp
He held Adam in His
The first sight Adam beheld was that of the face of God
Explain working with clay
Painting or drawing there is a tool that separates the artist from the art
With clay, no tool
There is no separation between the Creator and the created
God took care in creating His children
He held Adam in the palm of His hands and breathed into him the breath of life.
God holds you in the palm of His hands
4. God speaks words of life over you.
He offers you hope
He offers you peace because He loves you
He cares for you
This is our promise
He will never leave nor forsake us, because we are His
Point of clarification for the Scoffers
People who argue that we are evolved primates
In verse 7 that myth can be refuted by a simple word study
The text says that man became a living being.
Living being in Hebrew is the word:
5883 נֶפֶשׁ (ně·p̄ěš): n.fem.; ≡ Str 5315; TWOT 1395a—1. LN 4 creature, being, i.e., an animal of any kind, as a living thing in creation (Ge 1:20); 2. LN 26 heart, the inner self, i.e., the essence of life, including thinking, feeling, willing, desiring (Ge 34:3); 3. LN 23.88–23.128 life, i.e., that animate part of a person existing until the state of death (1Sa 19:11); 4. LN 9.1–9.23 person, i.e., a human being as a living person
All living organisms have nephesh
We share this commonality with all life
Biology is relative to the environment
God created the environment, designing life to thrive
The beauty of God’s creative process is that He can create such diverse life
Creation museum example of the skeletons
Brevity is the soul of wit
From Hamlet
This means that a sign of intelligence is the ability to express something using the least amount of words
A good writer or speaker can get an important point across by saying very little
God, in His ultimate wisdom, created an environment that can support an incredible diversity of life using the same mechanisms
Brevity is the soul of wit
I say this knowing that I am going to stand up here and talk for about a half hour
I am setting myself up for assumptions of my wit
El Camino Joke?
Things that are alive, possess nephesh
Here is a distinction given only to mankind
Gen 2:7
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2
God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
Breath is the word nesemah
5972 נְשָׁמָה (nešā·mā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 5397; TWOT 1433a—1. LN 23.185–23.187 breath, blast of breath, i.e., unit of air that passes in and out of the lungs through mouth and nostrils, essential to life and a causative agent for an activity of God (Dt 20:16; 2Sa 22:17); 2. LN 23.88–23.128 life, formally, the breathing, i.e., persons and creatures in a state of animate life as a figurative extension of a breath (Jos 10:40); 3. LN 26 spirit, i.e., the inner-most part of a person that can respond to God (Pr 20:27); 4. LN 23.88–23.128 unit: לֹא יָתַר בְּ־ נְשָׁמָה (lō(ʾ) yā·ṯǎr b- nešā·mā(h)) die, formally, not remain with breath, i.e., be in a state of death (1Ki 17:17)
God breathed into humanity a spirit.
5. God imparted to us a spirit that is connected to Him.
He gave us a spirit so that we can fellowship with Him
He did this because He loves us
He wants us to participate in faith
2644 I. חַי (ḥǎy): n.masc.; ≡ Str 2416; TWOT 644a—1. LN 23.88–23.128 life, i.e., the state of animate life, which of course is the contrast of death (Ge 2:7; 27:46; Job 7:7), note: see also 2645, 2646; 2. LN 5.1–5.22 nourishment, food (Pr 27:27+); 3. LN 22.42–22.47 life, i.e., to have a prosperous, bountiful, blessed favorable circumstance in life, contrasted with a cursed unfavorable life (Dt 30:6; Pr 15:24; 16:15); 4. LN 33.463–33.469 oath of promise, “As surely as … lives,” i.e., a formula of an oath (Ge 42:15; Jdg 8:19; Ru 3:13); 5. LN 33.463–33.469 unit: אֲנִי חַי (ʾǎnî ḥǎy)1 I solemnly swear, formally, as I live, i.e., the formula to place under an oath (Nu 14:28)
This words means life, being made alive
It also means nourishment
God breathed into us the nourishment needed to be blessed
We are blessed in our fellowship with Him
The term also means, oath of a promise
6. God breathed into us the oath of promise.
Only humanity was given the breath of life
We are given a living spirit, blessed by an eternal God to be in fellowship with Him
We inherit an eternal covenant
An oath of His blessing for those who place their trust in Him
From the very beginning, this is the design of humanity
To be in fellowship with God
We do not share this with animals.
One more term to define that is amazing
God breathed into mankind the breath of life causing us to become a living being
The word become, in this context is the word: Ehyeah
181 אֶהְיֶה (ʾěh·yě(h)): n.pr.; ≡ Str 1961; TWOT 491—LN 12.1–12.42 אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (ʾěh·yě(h) ʾǎšěr ʾěh·yě(h)) I AM WHO I AM, i.e., a title of God with a focus on presence, care, concern, and relationship (Ex 3:14),
7. ehyeah term and definition
This term is connected with the Name of God that means self existent one
Remember when Moses asked God what he should tell the Israelites
God responded, I am Who I am
This word serves as a title of God meaning concern, care, relationship
We are not an accident
God did not just roll the dice and see what happens
We were created with purpose
We were created to be in fellowship with God
God breathed into us a living spirit
Because He breathed into us a living Spirit, we became participants of His covenant
We became connected with Him
These concepts are so important here at the beginning of the Bible because they spell out who we are
They define our purpose
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God placed Adam into this place called Eden.
In this place, God gave Adam food
Genesis 2:10-14
Describe the location of Eden
This is something that people speculate about
Probably located somewhere in the Middle east, near the Tigris and Euphrates
God allowed the exact location to be erased or forgotten
We would set up altars there and worship the location
Islam practices the worship of locations
Eden was probably located in the area of modern day Iraq
This region has been decimated by satan
There are people groups in this area that are given to hatred
Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
God placed Adam into the garden
God gave Adam a home
God provided for all of Adam’s needs
Adam was given a responsibility
Adam was to cultivate and keep the garden
Cultivate means to work
Adam was to work the garden
He was to continue to expand the dominion of God
Adam was to continue to bring order into creation
The word also connotes the idea of worship
or to work in ministry to serve
Adam’s willingness to serve was a form of worship
Adam was to walk in God’s authority
expanding the dominion of God
serving God to represent His will.
God also instructed Adam to keep the garden
The word keep means to cause a state or condition to remain
8. Adam was to preserve what God had created.
the word means to watch over and protect
to revere, to have respect for
The word is somewhat of a military term meaning to guard
To keep safe the Garden and those who where in the Garden
Adam’s task was to guard what God had given him
Adam was to cultivate, work, expand the Garden
expanding God’s dominion
He was also required to guard the peace of God
Adam was to preserve the order God had spoken over the earth
We share in this task
This was not something that only Adam was to do in the garden
We are to work for the glory of God
We are to work to expand His dominion
9. We are to continue to bring order into chaos.
We are to cultivate and keep God’s garden
We are to preserve what He has given us
We are tasked with speaking order
To represent God’s presence
To work the garden
Expanding the influence of God
We have the opportunity to cultivate, to work and serve in His kingdom.
The church is to serve in an effort to bring God’s presence
10. We are expressions of His peace.
We live in an exciting time
We have the opportunity to live out our calling in a world that is growing dark
The church is to keep the Garden
Like Adam, we are to protect, guard what God has given us.
Adam’s failure caused him to be cast out of the Garden
Adam failed in his task
Adam allowed the influence of sin to enter into what God had given him to protect
We cannot be like Adam
11. The people of God are called to stand in His authority.
To guard His Word
To represent His presence on the earth
