Genesis 2

In this episode we discuss Genesis 2, the creation of man and woman, as well as the beginning of marriage. Lots to discuss, study along with us. 

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 Thank you for listening to Cultivating Growth. We are embarked in a new study this month. We started last week in Genesis 1, and we're gonna continue along that train over the next couple of weeks at the very earliest portions of our Bible and ultimately our world. We talked about Genesis 1 last week. Next week we'll spend time in Genesis chapter 3, but here we're gonna spend time in Genesis chapter 2, an ultra important passage with a lot of beginnings of things that become very, very important, not just for all of the ones in play there in Genesis chapter 2, but even for us today. And so I'm looking forward to our conversation, so let's get right to it. Jeremy, you and I were laughing before we began recording that Genesis chapter two, it's a little bit shorter than Genesis chapter one, and sometimes can get a little bit overlooked. But man, there's a lot in chapter two, and a, a lot of, a lot of big topics that, that mean so much to us still today, and, and so many, so many things that will then be called back to later in scripture. And, and it really begins at the very beginning of chapter two as the six days of creation have been completed, and chapter two opens by telling us that God rests on the seventh day after he has completed his work. And that seventh day of rest that God participates in here in chapter two obviously will then be referenced back to s- many times as God gives instructions about the Sabbath to his people later on. And even just the concept of rest itself- ... and the importance that God places on that. It, it's something that right here in Genesis 2 kind of has its origins. And, and again, something that even for us as Christians today, even though we don't live under the old law where we're bound by the Sabbath day, God does remind us in the New Testament many times about the importance of meditating, resting, resetting, those types of things. God sees value in that. A- and just like he showed us some of his character and some of his nature in the way that he went about creating, he also shows us aspects of his character and his nature by resting. Yeah. We'll start, and, and state the obvious right off the bat here. God isn't in need of rest, right? This, this is not, "Hey, I'm so tired from creating, I'm fatigued or exhausted-" Uh-huh ... "in some way. I need to lay down." No, th- this is him making a point that, as you made- Will be referenced in scripture a load of times really for a lot of different reasons. Certainly, the Sabbath is one of the easiest ones to pick up because it's at the, the seventh day, and there's importance for rest and recuperation and meditation upon God, a- and God getting his people to understand the significance of that level of focus and, a- a- and just recouping yourself, for the, the next week at hand. Joshua will use it for when the people are going into the land a- and they're, they're driving the people out. And so that there will then be rest at the end of that, that he will continue to, to make the point, even for us today, that there remains yet another rest- ... that will ultimately be there, for each and every one of us. And this concept of rest, always pointing back here to Genesis 2, will be used throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament- ... that will have significance for God's people, the Jews, and God's people today, the Christians, all hearkening back here to Genesis 2, just at the first couple of verses. Yeah, and I love some of the language that surrounds it here at the beginning of chapter two, verse three, "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made." The, there the seventh day is treated differently than the other days of creation. It, it's phrased differently in the way- ... that the seventh day progresses. It, it doesn't have the same beginning and end in the same way that the other days do. It's, it's, it's clearly different in the way God talks about the seventh day. A- and, and the fact that he blessed it and set it apart or sanctified it again, it goes to show God has worked and now God rests. A- and that is, that is the picture for us as Christians. We're, we're on this earth, and we have work to do as a Christian. I have work to do as a husband, and work to do as a father, work to do as a preacher, work to do as a member of this l- of this local body of Christians. I have work to do, but I am promised the rest. God, God blessed and set, set apart the seventh day as a way of symbolizing the rest that comes after the work that he has set up for us to do. And so I have hope in the rest that awaits. A- and I know that I can trust that that is there waiting for me because God himself participated in it, and God himself set it apart in the way that he did. And, and so it's, again, it's something that is incredibly simple in the way that it's described here in Genesis chapter 2, but, but God continues to pull at this thread throughout scripture in an effort to ingrain it within us the value of work hard at the work worth doing- ... and then rest. And there, that rest is set apart for you, and it's waiting for you. Yeah, even Jesus makes this point. I, I've, I've talked about this before. You, you go through one of the gospels, specifically like the gospel of Mark, which is short, and it's fast, and it's very quick-moving, and it pictures Jesus as just on the move all the time. He's always, he's always helping people and, and being there for people, and he's just on the move all the time, and it's just a s- quick, fast-paced gospel. A- and y- you go through the entirety of that gospel, and you understand all that happened. Jesus is crucified, He is resurrected, and ultimately He ascends into heaven, and the Book of Mark concludes with the picture of Jesus seating, sitting down at the right hand of God. And I've often thought about that, and I'm like, th- this is this exact same picture. Yeah, yeah. The work that was so important and He was so focused on has now been completed. How do we know that? He sat down. He's rested. P- again, now Jesus doesn't need the rest, just like we talked about with God, but He's showcasing that. He, He's showcasing that point for us that we've gotta stay focused and we've gotta stay vigilant a- as we are alive here on this earth. And, and understanding, in doing so, with an understanding there is rest coming, but it isn't now. A- and so it is the Apostle Paul, "I press forward," right? It is that idea because we know rest is coming, and that's showcased right here in Genesis chapter 2. Yeah. There's another interesting thing that follows this portion of the, the finished creation. God chooses to recount, if you will, recap a little bit o- of what He has just done. A- and verse 7 in particular I think is really interesting as He gets to the recounting of the creation of man, and He phrases it differently here in chapter 2 than He did in chapter 1. Verse 7 says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." and man became a living being." I, I think that is such beautiful language. A- a- to think about, I think about when someone, if someone is if someone is, drowning or something like that, and they're pulled out of a pool, and they're given CPR, someone else may breathe into their mouth to try to resuscitate them and to continue their, the systems in their bodies working while they're in need. I think about God breathing life into man in that way. I think it really ties back into something we talked about last week about man being created in God's image and in God's likeness. He, He literally put Himself in man. Now He- ... He wants us to be like Him so badly that He breathed His own breath into us in order to create life. And that, that is just a beautiful picture of the, the relationship that God has intended for man to always have with Him, that, that God didn't just create us to be like Him, but He actually breathed His own life into us. Yeah, Genesis 2 is a reminder that man, by way of creation, is different. Yeah. I- is unique. Listen, m- man is created, per se, in Genesis 1. It, it's, it's made reference in, in the sixth day, just like the beasts of the field, He created man. But now we have it here in Genesis 2, you're right, a recounting of that, because man is unique. I, I think that beautiful picture that you paint there in verse seven certainly points to the soul that man has, i- different than all other living beings- Mm-hmm that, that were still created. That you have... Man is special, and man is unique. A- and not just in the way that he was created, but i- in the way that Genesis 2 continues to unveil itself, that creation itself was almost given to man, that this was for man. God will make the point that these things, they are yours, and they are yours to enjoy. They are yours to have dominion over. It, it, it is not just that man is unique in the way that he was created- Man is unique, period- Yeah ... by way of all other creation. But yet we still have that reminder in Genesis chapter 1. Although we are unique, and although we are different in a lot of ways from all other created beings, we are still a creation of God. We, we are nothing in and of ourselves. It is still God who created man, just like he created the tree. He, it, like he created the the lion and the tiger. He created man just the same, although man has some uniqueness to him, for sure. Yeah, and that uniqueness continues on beyond just how God created him, but then what God did for man. And, and that's the next part of the story in chapter 2, is that when God created man, he, he didn't just create man, he also created this beautiful garden to put man in a- and to allow man to thrive. And man did- wasn't concerned about where he was going to find his next meal or what he was gonna eat or... He didn't have any concerns. God created this beautiful environment for mankind to dwell in. And so not only, to your point, did God create us differently, he then treated us differently after creation to, again, highlight the fact that we truly were the pinnacle of God's creation. We, we were, we were the one that he was focused on from the beginning. And so chapter 2 gives us some details about the beautiful Garden of Eden that God created for Adam when he created him. But then even with all of that, even with all of creation, even with the beautiful Garden of Eden that he's put, put man into, there is still a problem And God recognizes it in verse 18, and that problem is that it is not good for man to be alone. And that's where the creation of woman begins. Yeah, it's really an interesting phrase because you read Genesis chapter 1 and everything is good. Everything. Yeah. He sees this and it's good. He sees this and it's good. He sees the end and it's very good. We read that at the end of of last week's study. But here He gets here and He's "This is not good." And it is the loneliness of man. And he says, "Listen, I'm going to do something. I'm going to fill that need." And what really is interesting as chapter 2 concludes, there is some pretty prominent teaching, forward thinking- ... about what marriage really is all about. And I think it begins in this passage that you had just made mention. When God takes notice of this need that man has, He's going to fill that need, and He doesn't create a father- ... or He doesn't create a mother. He doesn't create a child or He doesn't create a best friend, per se. He creates a spouse, a, creates a wife. And I think even that is pretty telling about the power of that relationship that God Himself will point to at the very end of chapter 2. Yeah, I don't, I don't think you can overstate the significance that God places on marriage. We're two pages in- Yeah ... and He's already created and given instructions about marriage. That's right. That, that should tell us all we need to know about the value and the importance that God is going to place on that relationship. And obviously, this is just the beginning of the importance that God places on that relationship as instructions will be given and admonitions will be given throughout the scriptures about that relationship. And I think, the, there at the end of that chapter, verses 24 and 25, are referenced rightfully so a lot when it comes to talking about marriage and the relationship that we're to have. But it's been said many times, and it's exactly right, that ch- verse 24 in particular is almost a little bit funny because these instructions don't have anything to do with Adam and Eve. No. Neither one of them have moms or dads to leave. These are instructions that are being given for those that are gonna follow them. And so again, it shows just how important God sees the marriage relationship as He is giving instructions about marriage that don't even necessarily pertain to the two people in the situation right now. But He is giving instructions that are intended to then be upheld generations to come as this relationship really becomes the focal point of the family and society as a whole. Yeah, and I think you're right on about that. It, it is so important of a relationship. They're, not, not just here in Genesis chapter 2, all over the place there are lessons about the importance of marriage and how- That relationship is to function. You get that even at the end of verse 24 of chapter two. Yeah, you're right. He's gotta leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Jesus himself will harken back to that- ... to that point as, a- as he will make reference to it. It, it is so close of a relationship between husband and a wife, when you see them, one. Math itself is altered- Yeah ... is how important of a relationship that is. Uh-huh. A- and God is "Listen, I'm gonna make that point right now, even though y- fa- that doesn't have anything to do with you guys, Adam and Eve, but I'm making that point in my book right now," as you rightly said, page two, we're making that point. Yeah. We- we're gonna go ahead and stop there for the day. We're gonna pick up in chapter three next week. But I, I thought it would be appropriate to close i- in the pages of the New Testament, in Ephesians chapter two. We, we've talked over the past two weeks now about God's creation and mankind being the pinnacle of that creation, and how we were created to be like him. A- and Paul will reiterate the importance of that in what he has to say to the Christians in Ephesus in Ephesians chapter two in verse number 10, when he says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast. Whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week