Adam & Eve (Gen 2:5-25)
2:4b-5. "When God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7. Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person."
Now we are getting a more detailed account of the creation of humans. God's word calls him man. God knew that someone was going to need to take care of all the plants and the things living on earth, so He created a man who would cultivate the soil. Until then, the waters just came up from the ground and watered all the earth. This continued until the flood. God forms man from the very dust of earth. My dad was a potter so I can imagine a clay pot being formed and molded into the shape that the artist wants. This was likely how God created man. He formed him and shaped him into the image that pleased Him. Then God breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and he came to life.
8. "Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He placed the man He had made. 9. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground-trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
God created a beautiful garden for man to live in. It was called Eden, and it was in the east. We aren't sure exactly where this East was, but it was likely somewhere near or in Lebanon as the book of Ezekiel portrays. God put man in the garden, where he was surrounded by all kinds of yummy fruits to eat. Can you imagine how delicious God's fruit was? In the middle of the garden were two very special trees (more on that in a bit).
10. "A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed through the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13. The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. 14. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates."
So there were four main rivers that flowed through the area, coming from a single river in Eden. Pishon goes through Havilah, which is believed to be the area of Egypt. This river is probably the Nile today. That area had the most amazing gold, resin, and onyx. Gihon went around Cush, which is thought to be around Ethiopia. Tigris was east of Asshur, which is northern Iraq today. The Euphrates was not given an area, but it is still there today, flowing parallel to the Tigris from Turkey to Iraq.
15. "The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16. But the Lord God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden- 17. except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."
God puts man in the Garden of Eden and instructs him to take care of it. He is allowed to eat any fruit he wants-except for that one tree in the middle of the garden. God said if he ate from that tree, he would die. How many times do we tell little children, some adults even, "Don't touch that. You'll get hurt." but they do it anyway. "Curiosity killed the cat." Well in this case, God meant what He said. Now, why did God put this one tree there if humans couldn't eat it? Was God tempting man? Surely this can't be the case. And it wasn't. See, God created humans to be like Him, but He wanted them to choose it for themselves. He made man with a free will. What good is it to have these companions if they only love you because they have to? God gave us life because He loves us, and He wanted that love in return.
18. "Then the Lord God said, " It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him." 19. So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him."
God sees that Adam has no companion of his own kind. All the animals and birds and fish could reproduce but the man had no one else. It wasn't good for him to be alone. It's not good for anyone to be alone. We all need someone who can help us through life. We need friends, family, other people. God brings all the animals He had made to the man in hopes that he could find himself a helper just right for him. The man names all the animals and birds, but none of them were right to be his helper. I imagine Adam feeling discouraged in this moment. Sometimes we feel like there is no one who understands us. No one to help us, but God is there and He always understands and knows just what we need.
21. "So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, The Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. 22. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and He brought her to the man."
God put the man into a deep sleep and takes out a rib from his side and makes a woman for him. God in His perfect wisdom knew that what the man really needed was his counterpart. Women are not less than men. Women were made for men! It is God's perfect plan for a man and a woman to be each other's helper and love each other.
23. "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh! She will be called woman, because she was taken from man." 24. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one."
The man was so excited! He shouted that she was made from his very bones and flesh. He called her woman, being taken from his very side. Then the Bible says the entire premise of marriage. A man leaves his family and is joined to his wife. They become one again. They complete each other!
25. "Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame."
The woman is now referred to as the man's wife. They were made to be together. They were also not wearing any clothing. There was no need. It seems weird to say that now, but they knew nothing of nakedness. They were made that way. They had no shame or guilt in it.
So now we see how God man man and woman. Made perfectly for each other. Sometimes you may feel like you will never find "the one" or even a good friend. God knows you need someone. Lean on Him. Pray over it.
Til Tomorrow,
-Heather
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