Lesson 3
The Creation of Man and Woman
Gen 1:26-2:25
Mankind created in God’s image. (God said created in “our image”—denotes the Trinity)
Mankind is to take dominion—rule over and subdue—train/tame/rule over the animals
Man is not an animal. If he was then no need to take care of the sickly or old. But if mankind is created in the image of God—must care for them
All humans and animals were vegetarians prior to the Fall (“every green thing for food”—1:28-31)
God instituted the Sabbath at the end—we are to rest 1 day a week (not just a day to run around doing things or catch up on stuff that didn’t get done during the week, a day to be a human being not a human doing. American culture derives self-worth from doing, Eastern cultures (ie Judaism) derive self-worth from who they are (in Christ, family, church). Gen 2:1-3
Genesis 2
Vs 1 The heavens and earth were finished. The Heavens—outerspace—universe was completed (remember in Hebrew “3 understandings of heaven” 1. Sky 2. Outerspace, stars, firmament 3. The abode of God—this is why Paul talks about a guy who was “caught up to the 3rd Heaven in the NT. Not that there’s more than one heaven, but the Jews understood heaven to mean different things)
Vs5-6 No rain before the Flood? The Bible seems to indicate so here. A mist came up and water the ground (remember the canopy and different atmosphere of the earth last week).
Vs 7 God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. Anyone know what Adam’s name means? Adam means—dirt, dust, earth, or clay. Eve—means “the mother of all living” (Eve did not receive her name until after the Fall—Adam just called her Woman). Studying the meaning of a name is interesting… Noah means “there is hope” Samson means “there is a second chance” …anyway that may be something to study one day
Vs 8-14 God planted the Garden, there were four rivers that irrigated it much like the fertile Nile Delta in Egypt. …of the four rivers listed only two exist today (Tigris and Euphrates) the other two dried up or perhaps were destroyed during the Flood. Notice that God tells Adam there is Gold and precious stones in the land the one river extends to—God knew there would be a need for currency one day
Vs 15-17 Adam receives his work from God
Vs. 18 it’s not good that Man should be alone. We are created to live in community, to have relationships—family, church, friends, marriage. We need other people
Vs 19-20 God brought all the animals to Adam to name. That was a big job. It took longer than a day to name 10,000s of animals and it meant that Adam had to be pretty smart to name and remember that many names! Far from a cave-man. ….this also shows us that the six days of creation have passed, yet there is no woman. Some theologians take a Diest approach to Scripture and say that God does not create anymore but just manipulates the creation He’s finished. So they deny that Jesus really miraculously created fish and bread out of nothing and really just reconstructed matter because sciences says no energy can be created or destroyed, but just change forms. That is hogwash and the fact that Woman is not created yet after the 6 days of creation proves that God still creates today and intervenes as He chooses.
Vs. 20 There was no helper fit for, comparable to, complimentary to Adam
Vs 21-24 God performed surgery and CREATED Eve from Adam’s rib (God had to create, it takes more than a rib to form a whole person—again this denies the “Christian deist’s” beliefs).
Eve was fully human—bone of Adam’s bond and flesh of His flesh
When he saw her he did not name her Eve (That’s after the Fall), he named her Woman. Theologians write woman a little different
Womb-man—that is she came from Adam, yet she was the only one with a womb to be able to carry children
Another theory that isn’t theologically based, but funny is that when Adam say Eve for the first time he Said WO-man!
From Adam’s rib
….woman was to be equal with and beside man. She was not from his year or something to be above him or from his toe to be his slave. She was created to compliment him, to help him, she was “fit for him”
Vs 24 man and woman leave father and mother to what? Establish their own family
What does this mean to us Today?
Genesis answers many of the debates and issues in our culture today
For example, when a man and woman get married they are not to live with their parents
A man should have a job before he gets married
God gave Adam
Marriage is between a man and woman alone—no homosexuality or bestiality (human with animal)
Do you have a creation or chance mindset?
…in regard to your romantic life?
God brought Eve to Adam
Rebekkah to Isaac
Jacob to his Uncle Laban to marry his daughter
Ruth to Boaz
Jesus to the Church, the Bride of Christ
A Quote:
“Do you have a creation or chance mindset? Evolution teaches we have to make our lives ourselves. Creation teaches God has a plan in place. Many Christians run around looking for “a mate” believing they must “find the one.” Often they leave God out of their love life and seek to follow their own heart instead. The result…down the road regret and sorrow. God brought Eve to Adam. ….Rebekkah to Isaac, Jacob to Rachel, Ruth to Boaz, Esther to King Xerxes, Jesus to the Church …and so on. ….isn’t God able to be the Creator of our romantic lives?”
Follow your heart or God?
Ecclesiastes 11:9, 12:13-14, Ps 37:3-5 (this whole chapter is awesome on this subject!)
Example: David had it on his heart to build a house for the Lord, but God told David that he had killed to many to build it. So what did David do? He didn’t follow his heart anyway, but he did prepare millions or even billions of dollars worth of gold and wood and materials and on his death bed commanded his son Solomon to build it.