Genesis 2 (Bible Study)
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Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
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26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Introduction begin by reading Genesis 1:1-31
In the study of Genesis 1:26-28 and Gen 2 we will cover creation, work, rest and then human nature: ‘the image of God', and sex and gender.
So God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created them,
male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
1. Read Genesis 1:26-28. (a) What does the term “image” imply about who we are? Consider 3 things that bear an image: a mirror, a sculpture, child. (b) Read Colossians 1:15, Col 3:5-10. How does sin affect our “image of God”?
Ans: 1[a]The nature of the “image of God” (the imago Dei) has been a matter of ongoing debate. It is clear to all that imago Dei is what differentiates human beings from everything else in creation. But how? Some say the image of God is our rationality; others say it is our personality; still others say it involves our creativity or our moral nature. The term “image,” is a metaphor designed to convey a meaning.
What sorts of things bear an image? Let’s look at: a mirror’s reflection, a family likeness, and works of art.(a) A mirror bears the image of the object it reflects. (b) A child bears the image of its parent. (c) A work of art bears the image of what it is designed to portray.
First, a mirror has the ability to catch the light and form of an object and reflect it back. The mirror must be ‘face to the mirror’, i.e. in “right relationship” to the thing it will reflect. The image of God is not a particular quality within us, like morality or personality. Our total being—body, mind, soul, etc.—has been created to have a relationship with God in a way no other creature can. This also means that our humanness is found in relationships. For example, made in the image of God, we are also to be made male and female (1:26). This means that the image within not only prepares us for relationship with God but with one another. The image of God means that humanness is found in loving, personal relationships, especially in God’s personal relationship with us.
Second, a sculpture is another kind of image bearer. In the Bible, the word “image” often means - idol, a physical, visible representation of a ruler or deity. These images represented the ruler as symbols of his presence and authority.3 The close connection of Gen 1:26 with the mandate to “rule” (v28) shows that this is definitely a second aspect of being made “in God’s image.” We are called to “stand in” for God, ruling and caring for creation. When a king sends a representative to manage a situation in his name, on the one hand, the rep. has authority. On the other hand, the representative must follow the will of the one he represents.
Likewise, we are made God’s reps. with authority over creation. We participate in all the things God has done in creation: bringing order out of chaos, creatively building a civilisation out of the “stuff” of physical and human nature, caring for all God has made, and so on.
Third, a child bears the image and family resemblance of their parents. In Genesis 5:3, the text says that “Adam had a son in his own likeness, in his own image.” The same two words used in Genesis 1:26. Thus the imago Dei means we were created for an intimate family relationship with him. Also, we are not put here to rule God’s earth just as stewards, but as heirs. This concept unites the first two aspects of the image of God. We are called to be God’s “sons,” resembling him in character (holiness, righteousness) and in creativity, rationality, personality, and so on. Yet we are also called to be God’s “servants,” doing his work and representing him in the world - “sonship” and “servanthood.”
What do Colossians 1:15 and 3:5-10 tell us about the image?
The two passages show us that sin has severely distorted the image of God in us, yet through Christ it can be renewed. Notice that we are still in God’s image. “Renewed” means something that is still there. James 3:9 and Genesis 9:6 tell us that human beings are, even in a fallen condition, still “in the image” of God. Therefore, today, only Christ is the perfect image of God (1:15). But our growth in Christ gradually renews this image in us. (See also Ephesians 4:23-24 and 2 Corinthians 3:18).
1b. What principles can we learn from this text (a) about the importance of gender for our self-understanding, (b) about the relationship of the genders to each other, and (c) about the relationship of the genders to God?
The creation account addresses all the fundamental aspects of our basic humanity: (a) the natural order and the basis for science; (b) the meaning of human culture building; (c) the meaning and importance of work and rest. It is not surprising to discover that Genesis 1 and 2 also address the subjects of sexuality, gender, and marriage.
The Bible’s first mention of sex and gender occurs with the very first mention of humanity itself. “In the image of God, created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:27 KJV). That is significant. It summarises what the rest of the Bible teaches about the importance of gender and its impact on our relationships to each other, God, the world. The importance of gender in our self-understanding: our maleness or our femaleness is not incidental to our humanness; it is part of its essence. We were not made into a generic humanity and then differentiated; from the first moment, we are made male or female images of God. I will not be able to understand myself if I ignore the traits and realities my gender gives me. This is in contrast to the post-modern view that gender is a social construct. The relationship of the genders to each other Genesis 1:26 confirms the equal dignity of male and female. Both are created in the image of God from the beginning. Both genders are given “dominion” over the earth in Genesis 1:28. [“God blessed them and said . . . “Fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over . . . .”] Only as male and female, in full joint participation, can we carry out our mandate to build civilization and culture. These verses also hint that the sexes are complementary. Immediately after making us male and female (v. 27), God says, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth . . .” (v. 28). Here God gives us the ability of procreativity, which is a reflection of his own life-giving creativity.
Notice this ability to procreate is something we can only carry out together. Neither gender alone can produce what is necessary to create new human beings. It is in complementary union. Thus, male and female are equal in dignity and different in many traits and functions.
As many commentators have pointed out, it is as male and female together that we “image” God.
NB The only time God refers to himself as “we” or “us” is when he is about to create us as male and female. This hints that the relationship between male and female reflects the relationships within the Godhead itself—the Trinity.
The unity-yet-diversity that occurs between two complementary genders in marriage is a mirror of the deep unity yet diversity within the Godhead itself. So our gender traits reflect something of the image of God. In our interaction with the other gender, especially in marriage, we learn something about the way Father and Son relate to each other and about the way they love us.
2.Read Genesis 1:31-2:3. “Sabbath observance” can have a negative ring, but that is not the case here. (a) What does the text imply that God’s “rest” is? Read Exodus 23:10-11; Deuteronomy 15:1-11; Leviticus 25:8-17.(b) How can we follow God’s example of Sabbath rest better? What does the text imply that God’s “rest” is?
First, since God cannot get physically tired. God’s rest cannot be mere inactivity (as ours often is). Rather, the linking of 2:3 with the benediction of 1:31 indicates that God enjoyed and delighted in a work that was in some sense “finished” and thus capable of giving enjoyment. Derek Kidner says, “It is the rest of achievement, not inactivity, for He nurtures what He creates; we may compare the symbolism of Jesus ‘seated’ after His finished redemption (Heb. 10:12), to dispense its benefits.” These two aspects are very important…..
God delights in his creation and enjoys the benefits of a finished achievement.
Notice, there is no “evening and morning” to the seventh day (2:2-3). This implies that the seventh “day” continues to the present time.
In the Old Testament, the people were called to rest from their work one day a week so that they could be refreshed (Ex. 23:12). But there were many other levels and ways to participate in God’s Sabbath. The Israelites were called to give their land “rest” one year out of seven—a Sabbath year (Ex. 23:10-11). This denotes care of the created environment. When God brought Israel into the land of Canaan and gave them an ordered society, he called it entering the land of “rest” (Deut. 12:9; Ps. 95:8-11). Leviticus 25:8-17 prescribed a “Year of Jubilee” every 50th year—the Seventh Sabbath year—in which all slaves were freed, all debts forgiven, and all property lost through normal economic means returned to the original family allotments. To join God in his Sabbath was more than to ‘not work’ once a week. It was and is about devoting yourself to enjoying, affirming, and nurturing life. The Sabbath is an extremely deep and profound concept. God calls us to enjoy and care for his created world with him.
How can we follow his example better in our own lives?
We can join God in his Sabbath in three practical ways (from the Old Testament texts above).
We join him when (a) we nurture our created bodies and souls once a week; (b) we join in enjoying and protecting the wonders of nature; (c) we cultivate a society in which life is protected and honoured.
3. Read 2:4-25. (a) Notice the difference in order of creation with chapter 1. (b) Notice differences in style and literary form.
In Genesis 1, the order of the things being created does not fit the normal “scientific order” of nature. First, there is light (Day 1) before there are any sources of light, i.e. sun and moon (Day 4).
Second, there are vegetation and seed-bearing plants (Day 3) before the sun—and thus before photosynthesis is possible, or rain, and so on. Of course, God does not need to do things in the natural order, He is supernatural.” But Genesis 2 is different.
When we compare Genesis 1 with 2, we see different sequences. Genesis 2 indicates that God did follow a natural order in creation. Genesis 2:4-5 reads, “When the LORD God made the earth and heavens and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground.” NB the word “for” implies that natural causality is assumed. Thus, God did not put vegetation on the earth before there was an atmosphere and rain, while in Genesis 1 we have vegetation on Day 3 before rain is possible (Day 4) or any man to till the earth (Day 6).
In Genesis 1, there are three “evenings and mornings” before there is a sun to rise and set!
But in Genesis 2 we see that natural order is the norm.
Notice too the differences in style and literary form.
We noted how patterned Genesis 1 is, with repetition of phrases and ideas, like a chant when read aloud. The six days of creation are patterned. The first three days devoted to the creation of “realms” (light-dark, sky, sea, land) and the second three days to the creation of “rulers” for the respective realms (sun-moon, birds-fish, animals-man). It is more like the lyrics to a song than written narrative. Genesis 2 reads like narrative history, like Judges, Samuel, or Chronicles.
In short, Genesis 1 is telling us more about the why of creation than the how.
If the first chapter’s style is that of a lyric; filled with repetition and imagery it should not be read as providing exact details about the amount of time and the exact order involved in creation. In it, God’s creative work is written to teach us about the majesty and sovereignty of God. It tells us that God made the universe (a)orderly, (b) good, (c) to serve and delight him, (d) under his authority and under our authority as his servants. The why is more important information than how. If Genesis 1 and 2 are both to be read as history, we have a problem! Not only do they then contradict, but why would an author write them in consecutive chapters? Exodus 14 and Judges 4 also record acts of God in two ways. In Exodus 14, we read a narrative history of the crossing of the Red Sea, and in Ex. 15 we have the “Song of Miriam,” retelling the event in musical and poetical form. In Judges 4, we read a historical account of Israel’s defeat of the Syrians, and in Judges 5, we have Deborah’s song about the victory, in which she says that the stars came from heaven to fight against the Syrians (v. 20) and River Keshon swept the Syrians away (v21). Judges 4 indicates that it was not literally so. Thus, a “mighty act” of God is recorded two ways - historical and theological. His actions are described and also explained.
4. From Genesis 2:4-25 (a) What is significant about God working 6 days and then resting (2:2) (7-day week)? (b) What can we learn from God planting a garden (2:8) and including work in paradise (2:15)?
The reason the author would depict God’s creation as a 7-day week is to relate our own work patterns to God’s work. There is dignity in work, God at ‘work’ (mentioned twice) Gen 2:2-3 is important. In Ancient Greek thought, work was a necessary evil. In contradiction to that view, Genesis 1-2 portrays God who works a full week like anyone else, work has dignity because it is something God does.
What can we learn from God’s decision to include work in paradise?
The fact that God included work in paradise is surprising because we tend to think of work as drudgery - toil. This shows us work is as much an essential good as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer. Work is an important means of fulfilling our deepest needs, an important component of the “good life.”
We also learn that we are not intended simply to work for our own fulfilment, but for the sake of the beauty and living things around us. God put us into the garden not simply to enjoy it but to “work it and take care of it” (2:15). We are to work for the common good, not simply for our own benefit.
Human needs fully met in the earthly paradise.
First, for our physical needs, there was lots of food (v. 9c: “trees . . . good for food”).
Second, for our aesthetic needs, there were beauties “pleasing to the eye” (v. 9b). Already we see the artistic sensibility and the need for beauty.
Third, for our spiritual growth, there was divine Word to bring about spiritual discernment (Gen 2:16-17). Kidner points out that the animals receive no such Word. We alone are capable of obedience to God.
Fourth, for our cultural and creative development, there was the physical work of tending the garden (v15) and the mental stretching and understanding involved in naming the animals (v19).
Fifth, in Eve’s creation and marriage, there is provision for social-relational and sexual needs (v19-25).
