Genesis 2:4-25

The second section in my study of Genesis is->

"B. Earth's First People [2:4-4:26]

1. The Man and Woman in the Sanctuary of Eden [2:4-25]"


This section dived back into the 6th day, and unraveled the miracle of Man's creation.

Here is the summary:

This happened during creation, before God called the plants to sprout, for he hadn't caused it to rain yet. Out of the dust of the ground, God formed man, and breathed Life into him, so he would become living. God them placed man in the Garden of Eden. Then God brought up every tree for food and aesthetics. Two trees also grew- The Tree of Live, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
There is a river that flows out of Eden, and divides into four different rivers- The Pishon, (Which flowed around the land of Havilah- where there was Gold, bdellium, and onyx). The Gihon, (which flowed around the land of Cush). The Tigris, and The Euphrates.
The Lord put man in the garden, and told him to work and keep it. He also commanded man- "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, except the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." [2:16-17] So Man is alone, tending the garden and working. But Man was lonely. So God says "It is not good for man to be alone..."[2:18] And wants to create a helper fit for Man.
God then brings all the animals to man for him to name, and what ever Man calls them, it shall be his name. So Adam names all the animals, but still no "helper" was found. So God caused Man to fall into a deep sleep- where he removed one of his ribs, and replaced it with flesh. From the rib, God made Woman, and then she was brought to Man
Man declares "This at last is bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man" [2:23] Then the chapter ends with this:

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wide, and they shall become one in flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." [2:24-25]

Here is what I want to hit on:

1. Before the fall, God calls man to work. So working is not a sin, we were actually designed to work. I can relate to this, because the only time I don't want to do anything is when I am sleeping. I like to work, I like to accomplish tasks and goals. It is fulfilling

2. God calls Man to work and keep the land. Work and keep- not pillage and destroy. Man was to be a gardener, one who worked to maintain the beauty of the garden. Who was to care for and have authority over plants and animals.

3. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. At this point, we are not sure why these two trees were planted, only that God said not to eat of them. A commentary in my study bible had this to say- ""The fruit of this tree has been variously understood as (1) giving sexual awareness, (2) moral discrimination, (3) moral responsibility and (4) moral experience. Of these possibilities, the last is likely; by their obedience or disobedience the human couple will come to know good and evil by experience."

I totally agree with that statement. How amazing would it have been to just know good! And how self-destroying is it to experience evil through experiences? I know this feeling of evil experiences first hand, and they do come from a lack of moral discrimination, responsibility, and experience. They are painful, shameful, and regretful. Nothing erases discovering evil by experience... yet we so easily overlook discovering Good by experience. Treasure the Good.

4. Beauty has purpose. The bible says God brought up trees for pleasure (aesthetic). Even just looking at nature, we can see the beauty. But God specifically created certain plants just for beauty :) How great is that! Not everything needs to have a purpose- or be made into something of value. Simple beauty is worth more money.

5. The chapter mentions 4 rivers- Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and the Euphrates. We can then assume that the Garden of Eden was somewhere in the area of the Tigris and the Euphrates. The other two rivers have not be identified. This would put Eden in, what we call, we crest of civilization. There are geographical locations that coincide with what is said in the Bible. Thus, even alongside pagan history- we can justify that the Bible is true, and these events actually occurred.

6. God said that Man should NOT be alone. Man needs companionship, man needs help, and man needs a physical presence that they can mutually relate to. While God is satisfying, he created us to need work, and friends.

7. The First Marriage. Man declares "This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Regarding first seeing woman. Basically- Match made in.. Eden, ha. How lovingly they much have met each other, both completely satisfied with the other, not needing anything more, only God. What a beautiful relationship :) <3>8. "Shall be one in flesh." I want to focus on this passage quickly, because it is dear to me. It says that man should leave his parents and hold fast to his wife, and they will become one flesh. This references sex WITHIN marriage. But aside from that, sex alone is become "one flesh" with another.

Think about this: Every time a person has sex, they become "one" with another. Now tear that person away, and that "one" has become half. Every time sex occurs outside of marriage, it is severely dangerous and damaging- because the purpose was that it was created to happen within marriage. This is why there are so many sexually broken people. Because that commitment, that bond, the "oneness" was created, then torn apart.

9. "Both were naked and not ashamed." Again, even nakedness (or anything private) is reserved for marriage. It is an exchange of a visual gift between the married couple. Any nakedness outside of marriage, outside of your spouse, is shameful. Being not ashamed doesn't mean they were comfortable with their bodies either. (However, they did not have any knowledge of anything but being naked), but it meant that they, as a married couple, did not have shame or guilt looking at the other, or being with the other. Again, if this happens outside of marriage- there will be deep regret, consequences, and shame, there is no avoiding it.

So that is what I discovered in chapter two. I really am in awe of what I am discovering in such a short amount of verses!

Now, the tough part is the application.

I have already began trying to implement and incorporate my discoveries into my every day life, as well as my moral foundation. In fact, I have received five great books that will help me grow even more.

1: "The Way I was made" by Chris Tomlin (autobiography- HIGHLY recommended)
2: "The pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer
3: "Chosen by God- Know God's perfect plan for His glory and His children" by RC Sproul
4: "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer
5: "Spiritual disciplines for the Christian life" by Donald S. Whitney

All were highly recommended for having a more solid theology and faith. I will most likely blog about my readings :)


"So take each breath that I breathe and be the life that I bleed-Create again in me"
- Create Again by Aaron Shust.


Step Four.