Genesis Chapter 2 Part 2

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome back to our study of Genesis. Before we get started, a few people had commented from the last video about this mark on my nose here. A couple of my guys at our gym, Mr. Rusty and Mr. Kyle, beat me up for the night and left a pretty good mark on me. But they're very sweet guys, so I won't have to get them back if I could. They're pretty tough. As we get into Genesis chapter 2, verses 4 through 7, the Bible says that we are made from the dust. But that's only half of the story. What makes humans different from every other creature? Genesis gives an answer that completely contradicts what modern culture would tell you about humanity. And some of this may be a little surprising. As we go through Genesis, especially these verses four through seven, you'll see some things that probably you've never really seen before or thought about. In our previous lessons, we saw God completed his creation and sanctified the seventh day. And the focus was on the finished work of God and the establishment of this divine rest that he gives in Jesus. Now, Genesis shifts perspectives here. Genesis chapter one gives us a panoramic view of creation. It showed the universe coming into existence by the command of God. Genesis chapter two narrows the lens. Instead of focusing on the cosmos, it focuses in on humanity. And so this section answers one of life's most important questions. What is man? Are we merely advanced animals? Are we something uniquely created by God? Or are we the result of a blind natural process? Genesis chapter 2, verse 4 through 7 provides the biblical answer. So let's read the passage together. This is what it says, starting in verse 4 of Genesis chapter 2. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth. 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. It's a very interesting passage, by the way. Then the Lord God formed men of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils and the breath of life, and the man became a living being. I can't wait to get to that last part with you. It's so amazing. This section in verse 4, it begins a new narrative. The passage begins. This is the account of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, and the day, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven, made the earth in heaven. And these verses, or this verse specifically in verse 4, marks a major transition. The phrase translated, you'll see this throughout the Bible, the phrase translated, this is the account, comes from Hebrew. It's a word used throughout Genesis, and it functions as a literary marker, introducing a new section. Let me give you just some examples. When you get to Genesis chapter 6, verse 9, it says, this is the account of Noah. What that means is we're leaving one thing and we're stepping into a completely new narrative. In Genesis chapter 10, verse 1, this is the account of the sons of Noah. So we're leaving Noah and we're talking about his sons. And the purpose is not to begin a completely new story, but to focus attention on what follows. We're leaving this, go into this, but they're connected together. And then in Genesis chapter 1, we see a description of creation as a whole. But Genesis chapter 2, what it does is it zooms in on humanity's role within that creation. Now notice another important detail before we move on. For the first time in Scripture, God is called the Lord God. The Hebrew is Shawe Elohim. In Genesis chapter 1, God is primarily referred to as Elohim, emphasizing his power, that he is creator. In Genesis chapter 2, though, the covenant name, Yahweh, is introduced. The name highlights God's personal relationship with humanity. The creator of the universe is not a distant force who's not concerned with your life. He is the covenant-making God who desires a relationship with his people. And this combination of names beautifully unites God's transcendence and his intimacy. He is both infinitely powerful and personally involved in his creation. Now, some critics, as they read this, claim that Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2 contradict one another because they present creation differently. However, the text itself suggests something completely different than that. Genesis chapter 1 provides a chronological overview of creation week. Genesis chapter 2 focuses specifically on mankind and the Garden of Eden. And in biblical writings and in ancient writings, this is not unusual. In fact, modern historians will often begin their writings with a broad overview and then revisit smaller events within that with greater detail. And so Genesis chapter 2 is not retelling creation of events because Genesis chapter 1 was somehow insufficient. Instead, Genesis chapter 2 is expanding upon the creation of humanity because humanity is central to God's redemptive story. Now, there's many respected Bible scholars that have noted that Genesis chapter 2 actually just it functions as a theological close-up rather than a competing creation account separate from Genesis chapter 1. Now, let's move on to verses 5 and 6. It says, 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 the water and water the whole surface of the ground. Now, at first glance, these verses may seem extremely confusing. I get that. After all, Genesis chapter 1 already described vegetation being created. The key to understanding this phrase, shrub of the field and plant of the field, is key. Many scholars believe these expressions refer specifically to cultivated vegetation rather than plant life. The emphasis is not that plants did not exist whatsoever. The emphasis is that humanity had not yet begun or begun to its God-given role of cultivating and managing this creation. The earth is prepared, the environment is ready, but humanity has not yet arrived. And so the stage has been set now for God's image-bearer to come on the scene. The early church often saw profound symbolism in this passage. In fact, many early church fathers observed that God intentionally prepared humanity's environment before even creating man. And the point in that is really clear that humanity was not an afterthought. The world was prepared with purpose and intention. Now, verse seven is one of the most profound statements in the entire Bible. And I would encourage you and even challenge you to really focus in on verse seven, to highlight it, to underline it, and spend some time meditating upon this verse. So let's go through it. And the image is striking. God is portrayed as personally and intentionally shaping humanity. This language emphasizes design rather than an accident. Unlike the rest of creation, which comes into existence through a divine command, man is described with remarkable personal attention from God. Now, this verse directly challenges naturalistic worldviews of human origins. Modern secular thought often teaches that humanity is simply another animal produced by an unguided accidental process. Genesis presents a fundamentally different worldview. Humans share physical material with the earth itself. This is scientifically proven. We are made from dust, yet we are also uniquely fashioned by God. This means that human beings possess inherent dignity and value. The biblical doctrine of human worth is rooted in creation. If humans are merely cosmic accidents, then dignity becomes subjective. But if humans are intentionally created by God, then dignity becomes objective. As I stated in lessons, uh, in the lessons on Genesis chapter one, this belief actually helped shape many foundational concepts that we live on today. Western civilization was formed with the idea of the dignity and uniqueness of man, including human rights, equality, even before the law, right? And the sanctity of life. Now, think about the humility of dust. The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. The Hebrew word for man is Adam, which is why it's called Adam, it's man. The Hebrew word for ground is Adama. It's just Adam with an AH added to the end of it. The connection is intentional. Adam comes from Adama. Adam, man comes from the ground. And so humanity is linked to the earth, and this teaches humility. And scripture repeatedly reminds us of this truth. In fact, there are several people I know in ministry who have annoyed me a little bit because they say that humility is not necessarily a characteristic that we should all have. The Bible speaks differently to that. In Psalm 103, verse 14, it says, For he himself knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust. And so I would encourage you to say, no matter how advanced civilization becomes, no matter how intelligent we think we are, humanity will never escape that reality. We are dependent creatures made from the dust, and our gifts, our lives are a gift from God. Now, the verse continues in verse 7, and I was excited to get here to this part with you. If you couldn't tell, it says, and breathe life, or breathe into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. Now, this is one of the most intimate actions described in the entire creation account. In every case until now, God merely speaks, but now he breathes. The image communicates a personal involvement with creation, a divine impartation. Now, humanity possesses something unique among all earthly creatures. Life itself comes directly from God. It was Athanasius in the early 300s that reflected on this passage by emphasizing humanity's special place within creation. Athanasius wrote, Man was created not merely to exist, but to know God and to share fellowship with him. Now, while animals are living creatures, humanity alone is described as receiving God's breath in this personal way. And the early church fathers consistently saw this verse as evidence of mankind's unique status before God. Now let me show you a really amazing New Testament connection. Genesis chapter 2, verse 7 finds remarkable fulfillment in the New Testament. Paul contrasts Adam and Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 45, the apostle Paul writes, So also it is written, the first man Adam became a living soul, the last Adam, now the last Adam is talking about Jesus. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit, right? So the first Adam received life through God breathing into his nostrils. Jesus, the last Adam, gives life. This is what Paul is saying. The first Adam brought humanity's story into existence. The last Adam brings redemption into humanity story. Paul is intentionally pointing us back to Genesis. The Bible story begins with Adam receiving this breath. Now I want you to hold on to that. Because this breath, it culminates with Christ imparting eternal life. Consider what happens after Jesus' resurrection. In John chapter 20, verse 22, it says, and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. The parallel here is remarkable. In Genesis, God breathes life into Adam. In John, Jesus breathes life into his disciples, a spiritual life. The creator who breathed life at the beginning now breathes spiritual life into his followers. And this is through Jesus, this is one of the clearest demonstrations of his divine identity in the New Testament, more than words themselves. Augustine reflected on humanity's dependence upon God. He wrote this. Augustine said, For as the body lives by the soul, so the soul lives by God. And so Genesis chapter 2, verse 7 reminds us that every breath we take ultimately comes from the one who first gave breath to humanity. Life is not self-generated, life is received. Genesis chapter 2, verses 4 through 7, they teach, it teaches several foundational truths that I would hope that you would hold on to a few of these. Number one is that humanity is intentionally created by God. I want you to hear this clearly. You are not an accident. You are not the product of random chance. Secondly, humanity is both humble and exalted. We come from dust, yet we bear God's image. And third, our lives are dependent upon God. Every breath is a gift. And so Genesis, what it does is it points us forward to Jesus. The first Adam received life, the last Adam gives eternal life. And finally, I would have you know that true human identity can only be found or understood through our understanding and our relationship with our Creator. And when humanity forgets God, it loses sight of itself and its purpose. We become self-driven and self-motivated, very selfish people. Genesis chapter 2 shifts the focus from this vast universe to a single man formed from the dust. And the creator of galaxies stood to shape humanity slowly and with personal care. And he forms Adam from the ground and he breathes life into him. And he establishes the foundation for everything that follows in the rest of Scripture. The story of redemption begins with creation. And the story of creation begins with a God who personally forms and gives life. I hope to see you next time. Until then, have a blessed day.