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From
the Dust of the Ground
INTRODUCTION The
first chapter of Genesis lays out the history of creation by Elohim, the
grand and majestic Sovereign of all and to whom all glory, belongs.
This chapter gives us a view of the creation of the whole universe,
the stars, the sun, the moon, plants, animals, and then finally the
creation of man, the highest of the creatures, and the one that would have
dominion or rule over the earth. After
making us the crown of creation, namely man, Elohim declared that
everything was good, and then He, after finishing his creation, rested to
give man the pattern about the structure of time in the seven-day week,
and to give man the seventh day, with its blessing of rest. Note
that the seven-day week is indelibly ingrained in man, and scientists have
discovered that the basic cycles in the human biological and molecule
systems are firmly based on a twenty four-hour and seven-day week cycle.
The importance of the cycles for human growth, health, and proper
development is generally underestimated but the medical world is well
aware of these cycles and the impact they have on human beings. There
have been many attempts throughout history to change the week.
One example was the attempt during the French Revolution to bring
about a 10-day week. These attempts have all come to nothing, simply
because attempts to reverse what God has established can never ultimately
succeed. God
established and sanctified the seventh day, giving it as a gift to man, so
that he could rest and be replenished.
He would have the opportunity to turn away from everything and
focus on his Creator, and thus be reminded that his Creator God is the
source of all things for him, and his Sustainer, without whom there would
be no survival. It
is therefore totally clear and very much to be expected, that this seventh
day has come under tremendous
attack from those who are misled, or who are ignorant deliberately or
otherwise, for very few men want to render the required obedience, the
total obedience to their Creator God. The
Sabbath instituted by Elohim is a shadow of the rest that we have in
Jesus, a rest that will be completed at the resurrection of our bodies.
Until then Scripture requires us to obey God, and not make changes
or reinterpretations of his commands, without any specific biblical basis. We
note that men have always tried to do that and introduce pagan concepts
among the people of God. There
are rationales or excuses made, that believers should accept a pagan sun
god worship Day, because Jesus was allegedly raised on the first day of
the week. There is nothing in
the Scriptures to support this, for when the sundry different groups of
women went to the Tomb, after the Sabbath closed on what we call Saturday
evening, the first day of the week, the Tomb was empty, with no indication
given as to whether Jesus was resurrected on Saturday afternoon or at any
time after the Sabbath had closed. The
Gentile church prefers to reject everything that they considered to be
Jewish, even though the Sabbath was instituted in Eden during the time of
perfection, when there was no sin. The
attempted linking of the Sabbath and the resurrection of Jesus and the
Atonement really has little basis. In
this regard we note that the other institution, namely marriage,
instituted in Eden, is held not to have been changed with the resurrection
of Jesus, and the Atonement. Actually
what we have here is one of the predicted attempts by the disobedient to
change “times and seasons” and the Laws of God. A
reading of ‘ Christian’ history will show the sordid developments, as
people mixed the true way of God with pagan practices. Verse
3 of chapter 2 gives the reason for the Sabbath.
It does not link the Sabbath with any of the links that disobedient
men tried to conjure up in their minds, and then teach to others. We
know from Isaiah 66, which under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives
us prophecies of events when Jesus returns to earth; teachings that all
the Apostles, including the Apostle Paul firmly held to. They too were
inspired by the Holy Spirit and they would never contradict the prophet
Isaiah in any way. We read that when Jesus returns, he will destroy those
that are doing specific things against the Commandments of God outlined in
the Old Testament and will then have everyone on earth come to worship him
on every seventh day in Zion, during the period of the Millennium. It
is a serious matter when men try to say that the Apostle Paul somehow had
a different inspiration from the Old Testament prophets, and even worse,
is in contradiction to what the prophets taught and what the other
Apostles taught. There
are no contradictions in the teachings of all these inspired men, and it
is a serious matter when men try to say that the Apostle Paul taught
differently about Food laws and the observance of the Sabbath, from the
other Apostles. What
people sometimes do, is pull the writings of the Apostle Paul out of
context, to justify their Gentile practices. The Apostle Peter warned,
that they are many men who misinterpret the sometimes what for them are
difficult writings of the Apostle Paul, and wrest the Scriptures to their
own destruction. We
see this happening with respect to instructions about the Sabbath,
instructions about the sanctity of marriage and proper behavior therein,
the necessity to live a life of holiness, necessity to be led by the Holy
Spirit, to love each other and even our enemies, to forsake chasing after
the things of the world such as wealth, power and worldly influence and
its lusts, to forsake alliances with those that are not people of God, and
to behave in the way appropriate to citizens of heaven. Some
or many of these instructions are routinely ignored by “believers”,
who make excuses as to why they should not follow the Scriptures in its
totality. They often end up
preaching cheap grace as a defense, when in fact they are following what
they want and not what God has mandated. Clearly
then, the Sabbath as we know it, will always exist and is always mandated
for true believers. It will
merge seamlessly into the eternal state, when they will be no “days”
as we know it. It will be
then, that the eternal rest prefigured by the Sabbath will be totally in
effect and then they will be no sin at all, so in that respect Eden will
be restored, but now at an infinitely greater level of blessing and glory.
After
its stress on the critical importance of the Sabbath, something which the
nation of Israel very often ignored to their detriment as they chased
after their own interests, the Holy Scriptures now focuses on the human
family alone, and gives a specific account of man's creation. We
are given a description of the Garden of Eden, God placing man in it under
a covenant and with certain obligations and commandments.
We are also told about the creation of woman and her marriage to
the man, which commences the institution of marriage. It
is important to note that in chapter 2 the term used for God is Yahweh
Elohim or Lord God. Yahweh
is the intimate name for God, and this name focuses on the God of the
covenant, who in his grace draws men to him, and makes precious and
glorious promises to men. The
chapter states unequivocally that God made the heavens and the earth, thus
rejecting the kind of evolutionary teachings that is so prominent among
sinful men. It
stresses absolutely that men were created as powerful, intelligent beings
by God from the dust of the earth and immediately given dominion over the
earth, thereby also rejecting the theory of evolution. It
stresses the perfection of God's creation, that man is a finite creature,
that man is definitely not God, and that man has obligation to depend on
God, for God alone can sustain. Understanding
Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 is most important, to properly understand history
and the nature of man. These
chapters unfold the key to the relationship between the sexes, begins to
explain why there are struggles in life, discuss the important
relationship between work and leisure, teach us about divine grace, so
that we can understand the nature and the meaning of divine redemption,
and lays the basis for us to understand the importance of the Cross of
Jesus Christ. The
teachings here are therefore repugnant to modern men, for it teaches what
men do not want to believe about themselves. One
line of attack on the teachings of this section of Genesis, is that the
first five books of the Bible were composed not by Moses but by unknown
editors (redactors) who lived long after the time of David and Solomon,
probably as late as five hundred years before Christ. The sundry editors were not inspired but collected stories
and legends from various sources and recorded them. These theorists search diligently for different changes in
styles in passages, different divine names used in different forms,
picking out certain ideas and passages to support their theories, and
ignoring others that contradict their theory. Their
piecemeal approach and the inadequate nature of their theories has been
successfully rebutted by several Christians scholars who work in this
field, and the results often advanced by these so-called Bible scholars
have been exposed as fallacious. Another
line of attack states that the writings of Moses and other unknown
writers, are really attempts to convey important truths to us, but they
are using the language of ‘myth’, a parabolic method, devices created
to convey certain truths. They
would claim, there really is no literal tree in a literal garden, and no
actual beings named Adam and Eve, no Serpent which talks, and no forbidden
fruit. We should take Genesis
in the way we take the Santa Claus story, throwing away much of what is
said and how it is said, leaving behind the germ of truth about the human
race. But
we know that if we do this, it shows our lack of integrity, for the book
of Genesis is a consistent and logical whole that is tightly woven
together, and there is no way one can logically say where myth, fantasy,
and legend ends, and actual human history begins. Actually,
the lack of integrity of those who use this approach is evident, because
they are willing to treat the Bible in this way, but do not want to treat
other ancient documents in the same way, for they know that if they did,
they would demonstrate that we have no knowledge whatsoever of the ancient
world that we can trust. Their
theory, if applied consistently, destroys pretty well the value of all
ancient documents, and speculates too much. In
any case, we have been warned against this kind of argument in 2 Peter
1:16, and in addition the Apostles have always insisted that the teachings
of Christianity have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives
fables. (2 Timothy 4:7.) We
know that the statements of Scripture have been well tested, and
archeology has proved that most of the things recorded in Scripture are
accurate. There are still things to be discovered but we know that they
can never ultimately contradict the Bible but will as previous discoveries
corroborate the truth of the Scriptures. Secular history is also
corroborating the historical veracity of the Old Testament. The
Apostle Paul confirmed the truth of Genesis, comparing Jesus and Adam in 1
Timothy 2:13-14. In Romans
and 1 Cor. Paul compares Adam and Jesus indicating that they were both
individual men. See Romans
5:12, 1 Cor. 15 and other passages. Men
simply cannot accept the story of Adam and Eve, because they want to
believe that men descended from hominids and then apes.
They do not want to accept that God created men perfect with a
body, soul, and spirit, and that men fell from perfection. If
they did accept that men fell, they would then have to accept that there
is a point to redemption and that the work of Christ upon the Cross has
immense value. Then they
would have to face the fact that we really need salvation and atonement
and redemption. They
do not want to accept that men are not improving but need redeeming grace. They
propose that Adam and Eve were not actual human beings, and that there was
no Garden of Eden. They have
to attack the record and try to destroy the historical accuracy of the
Genesis account, in order to undermine the great and primary teachings of
Scripture about the redemption of man. Still, we know that Jesus corroborates the truth of Scripture, and we should therefore listen carefully to these passages we will now study. Let us not be like unbelievers and pagans. THE TEXTVerse
4.
This verse confirms that what follows is the history and account of
the creation of men. Note that it is accepted and very defensible that
Moses wrote this account. This
is completely different from the absurd and the silly fictions, that men
have about the creation of men. In
this we classify the doctrines of evolution and the other numerous pagan,
nonsensical stories. Man
was not in existence to witness it, and therefore cannot reason about it
to arrive at the truth of his creation. It is only the Creator himself that could give this
information. It is therefore
through faith that we understand all these matters.
See Hebrews 11 3. The
name used here for God is Yahweh or Jehovah Elohim.
He is now revealed as the perfect God of power and perfection who
creates and who gets into intimate relationship with men. Verse
5-6.
We are now taken back and connected with the production of plants
and vegetation, because these were made and established to be food for
men, and later on, we are told that man would be given work to tend for
these things God had created. Note
the idea that the earth did not bring for the herbs and fruits by itself,
but the things came about by the power of God, which had made them before
they grew in the earth. The
plants were made before the sun was made, existing before rain to water
them, or man to till the earth and care for them. The
emphasis is on the power of God, and work of God independent of the other
forces of nature that we know and accept, as integral to the maintenance
of created things. It
is very important to note that God can take care of whatever he produced
in his own way, and has the ability to, as he wills, vary the ways or
means he uses to care for his creation. Then
God made a mist or dew, to gently shower the earth with water.
Conditions then on the earth were obviously very different from
conditions that prevail now. It is possible that this condition continued up until the
time of the flood, for then the first rains came upon earth, shocking the
disobedient men that Noah had been warning that they would be an impending
disaster. This teaching is of
course contrary to the teaching of those that propose doctrines of
evolution. Verse
7.
This verse tells us what it is like to be a human being. It states
that man was made from the very basic elements; he was made from the dust
of the earth. This is the most unlikely thing that man could be made of,
showing that God has infinite power and can make the world out of nothing,
and can then turn around and make the crown of his creation out of
something mean. Clearly
man has connection to the earth, for that is where our foundation comes
from. We are fashioned out of
the earth just like a potter fashions an earthen vessel.
Our flesh, muscles, and bones consists of the same elements as the
soil, and we can hardly imagine that this amazing structure called the
human body, is made from such mean material. But this shows the greatness
of God. We get our food from the earth, and we are attached to the land.
To us the earth and the land we possess are beautiful and
desirable. Note
that God stated that he created and made the other creatures, but when he
spoke about man, he said that he formed man, indicating a process, which
involved exactness and great accuracy.
Ps. 139: 15, 16 tell us that the body of man is curiously wrought. The
workmanship therefore is not mean but exceptional. Let
us therefore considered what our bodies are for.
This is most important for if we do not understand what our bodies
are for, we will never understand that some of the things we do are really
contrary to the interest of our bodies, and in fact these things degrade
the beauty and excellence of the workmanship.
By doing certain things, engaging in certain activities, we are
doing ourselves no favors, but are really denying ourselves, coming under
the deception of Satan. We
are, given what Genesis teaches us, to present or bodies to this great and
glorious God as living sacrifices, as Roman 12:1 advises us. We
are to behave as though we are, as living Temples, according to 1
Corinthians 6:19. We
are to live in expectation and certain hope, that our vile bodies will be
redeemed, will soon be transformed to be like Christ’s glorious body,
according to Philippians 3:21. Our
bodies are certainly not unimportant but are integral to the plan of God.
Our bodies were never simply meant to be useless appendages to something
else, or a prison in which to hold something else. We cannot just treat
our bodies in any and any way. Let
us be careful, for we will have to give an account for everything we do. Our
physical bodies are very important, for note it was made from the dust of
the earth before there was any curse on it. At a matter-of-fact God declared that the dust, and his
creation of man from it was very good, indicating that it was not sinful
to be made from the dust of the earth. It
is understandable that man was given dominion over and earth from which he
originated. He didn't come
there on a spaceship to be given dominion over the earth. Man
does not consist only of a body made from dust.
He is part of the animal kingdom and connected to the earth.
The Scriptures tell us that He is more than that, for he has a soul
as well. The
Creator performed the act of breathing into his nostrils the breath of
life, indicating that this is life directly implanted by God.
It
is to be understood that “spirit” and “breath” is the same word in
Greek and Hebrew and in many other languages.
God’s breath is therefore his Spirit, and when God exhale his
breath and put it in this figure that he had formed, there became a living
being. Human beings therefore
have an earthly as well as a divine origin, specially created by God's
breathing some of his own breath into him. In
addition we were told that man was created in his God's own image and
likeness. The
spirit within us then is an essential part of us, and it distinguishes man
from the animal creation. One
writer who believes that man has a body, a spirit, and a soul develops
this argument as follows: “ As man comes into being, he becomes full orbed, as a threefold being, existing in body, soul, and spirit. It is the joining together of spirit and body which activates and galvanizes the soul, so that it begins to function…. God
made a body, with its possibilities of function as a soul, and breathed
into it a spirit, and the union of body and spirit produced the activity
of soul, as light is produced from the union of the wire and
electricity…. It
is most significant to note that, in the Scriptures, it is the spirit,
which is regenerated, but the soul is saved.
There is only one place to my recollection, in which it ever
mentions a spirit being saved. It
is the soul, the life that we are living now, that needs to be saved. That part of it which is lived in the power of the Spirit of
God, functioning interrelationship to the Lord Jesus Christ as God
intended man to live, is saved. Our
soul is thus being saved as we live day by day in relationship to the Son
of God. That “saved” soul
is what we have left after this life, and only that. All else is wood,
hay, and stubble, to disappear in the judging flame of God…. In
fallen man the spirit that is given to mind is dead.
This is what the Scripture means when it says,
“man is dead in trespasses and sins”. Ephesians 2:1.
His Spirit does not function as it should.
Therefore the soul, which reflects like a mirror the activities of
the spirit, reflects a dead and lifeless nature.
This is what creates the intense, worldwide restlessness of our
race, the inability to be satisfied, the unending search for answers that
are never found. It is all an
expression of a wasted spirit, lying ruin within us because of the fall of
man.” Note that man does have a soul, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12. The word soul can be used to describe a man, and so the term for soul issues in different ways in different contexts. Verses
8-14.
God marked off a place, and planted a garden in the area of the
earth called Eden, and there he placed his beloved creation, man.
This was obviously a spectacularly pleasant place, a paradise made
by God, beautiful and extraordinary. We
presume that man was to learn to follow the example of God, and transform
the rest of the earth into a garden like the place where he was put.
Adam was told that there was work to do.
He was given responsibility to care for the garden, and to work in
the earth. Sinless man had work and responsibility.
This
was a real place, and this was a real event.
We are even given descriptive names, kept in the post- flood world
for rivers and lands that were known to have existed in the pre- flood
world. In
the garden God placed two trees, one, the tree of life which was there to
sustain eternal life, and which would be so-called from its symbolic
character as a sign and seal of eternal life.
Its prominent place in the garden where Adam and Eve would see it
everyday, would keep them thinking about God and their future. There
was also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was a test
obedience, to try them to see whether or not they would obey or break the
command of God. But
is it not strange that God forbad Adam to eat a fruit that would help him
know the difference between good and evil. The question is often asked as
what is wrong with knowing good and evil, for it seems good on the surface
for us to know the difference. In
fact, the Bible presents the immature Christian as someone who does not
yet know the difference between good and evil. They need help and
sensitivity from mature Christians who know the difference between good
and evil. Note
however that in Genesis 3: 5 this knowledge is explained in greater detail
to us, for Satan told Eve there: “For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil.” This
is really only a half-truth, for remember that God knows evil, not by
experience, because he cannot experience evil, but God knows evil by
relating it to himself, for he knows that anything that is not consistent
with his character and his nature is evil.
On the other hand, anything that is consistent with his character
and his nature is good. God
therefore doesn't have to experience evil, for He knows that anything out
of line with his character is dangerous and destructive. Note
carefully that God is the only One in the universe that can properly
relate all things to himself. A
creature cannot do that for he is finite. Creatures can only properly know the difference between good
and evil by relating it to the Being of God. Any other way is the way of trouble. When
Adam and Eve ate the fruit they began to do what God does, that is, to
relate everything to himself, but as creatures they cannot do that, for
the creature is not infinitely perfect, incapable of perfection, and have
no innate ability to maintain any relationship to perfection, even limited
perfection. When
man wanted to be like God, he began automatically to think of himself as
being the center of everything, to become like God. But
man cannot be the center, and will never be God.
That is a lie. Let us be absolutely clear on this critical point. One writer
puts the implication of this type of behavior very clearly: “
As you trace the course of human history you can see that this is the
seductive lie that the Serpent has whispered into the ears of men ever
since: “ You are the center of life.
This is your world, everything relates to you.
What you like is right: what you don't like is wrong.
What you want to do is right; what you don't want to do, then don't
let anyone makes you do it. You are the center of things.” You can find this idea throbbing and pulsating throughout the philosophies of men, that man stands at the center of things. That is the curse that fell upon man when he ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden. In a psychedelic way his mind was twisted, and he thought of himself as God, and related all things to himself. But when man does this he introduces an eccentric element into life, into creation. The problem with our unbalanced world today is that we have an earth filled with about 5 billion eccentrics. That is why everything is always going off in wrong directions. But
the glory of the gospel is that when men are redeemed, through faith in
Jesus Christ, they resume once again a balanced life, and everything
relates once again to God. God
now becomes the center of things. Though
we may struggle to learn this, eventually all the thrust and purpose of
the gospel is here, to put God back into the center of his world and
relate everything in our life and in the lives of others to him and not to
us. It does not make any
difference how things affect us. The
important thing is, what do they do to God? What is his relationship to
these things?” Verse
15.
Adam was taken by God to this beautiful and specific location,
abundant with life and filled with perfect fruit. Note that God took him
and put him there, so we can understand that he was exactly where he
should be. Adam was not like someone who chose where they wanted to go
based on a limited understanding. This was a specific named location
planted and watered by four rivers. This
was a paradise of delight, and God put him in possession of it. Note
God put him there with rules or government.
He was not to there to be idle, he had work to do. We
know that even the Angels in heaven, who live and move in perfect glory,
work, for they have their assignments.
Even God the Father works. Work
is therefore something good and enjoyable. Verse
16. This
verse shows God's authority over man, for God commanded Adam.
This perfect, intelligent, and powerful man, acknowledged God's
right to rule over him, and shows us how we should stand before our
Creator. He
was allowed to keep the fruits of paradise, and eat of the tree of life,
so that he could live forever, and never lose his happiness. Verse
17.
Adam was a creature of free will and therefore there had to be a
choice made, to show God what he truly wanted.
He had to be given opportunity to rebel against God. Note
that Adam had only one way that he could sin.
God allowed him maximum freedom, and only a tiny way to rebel.
He was put in a most pleasant place, and given the most pleasant
employment, and had the advantage of constant communion with God. This
perfect man, with a nature that was horrified by evil, was given only one
strict law, that is, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. He
was told that this was forbidden to him and that he should control his
appetite, and his ambitions for strange knowledge.
His body should be ruled by his soul and his soul by his God.
This was so simple and easy, we think. He
was threatened with death in the event he disobeyed, a dreadful sentence
indeed. Clearly
there is to be awe of God even when there is no sin.
There is such a thing as godly fear, which is powerful and which
takes a hold of the sinless soul. Adam
was threatened that there were immediate consequence to sin.
He would be shut away from the tree of life and all the good it
produced. He would become
capable of dying. Let
us remember that at this time Eve was not yet created.
The command was given originally to Adam, not to Eve. Verse
18.
The ever gracious God saw that it was time to provide Adam
something else apart from beautiful food and beautiful surroundings. It
would be good to provide him with companionship, and satisfy all the
feelings he might have. Note that there is no indication that Adam asked
God for any additional benefit. But
God knows his creation, and moved to complete his plan, and provide
graciously something that maybe Adam had not even imagined, or thought he
needed. God plans ahead for us, and gives us greater things than we can
ever imagine. We
can just wonder what eternity will be like, as we have eternity to
experience the wonder of God’s infinite mind. God
decided to create a companion for Adam that was a helper for him and was
comparable to him. God
obviously had a plan for Adam and woman was detailed in carrying it out.
She was to share his life as a companion and his work and
responsibilities. Men and
women were designed by God to work together, they might have different
assignments but there was to be mutual concern and responsibility.
There is to be an integration of activity. Clearly
then the relationship between man and woman is to be peculiar and unique.
She is to be a helper, not like an animal, and not like a slave. She
was not to be simply a biological lab for producing children, this to be
her sole reason for existence. She
should bear children, but that was not all that there was to her.
Any such teaching that woman is a children factory is unbiblical
and destructive. Woman
is therefore not to be simply used and disposed of or discarded, a
plaything, a disposable person. God's
intention was that she should be a helper, suitable, adapted, and
completing to him. She was an
equal human being, comparable to him, actually literally taken out of him.
This ensured that she was not inferior to him, even though the man
had responsibility and accountability to be the leader in the home.
He had primary position to answer to God but she was also
responsible. Verse
19.
To ensure that Adam appreciated what God made, and to make him
understand clearly the value and a position of his companion to be, God
gave Adam a task. Adam
had been given rule over the earth and its creatures and Adam was to show
his power and authority by imposing names based on his assessment and
analysis of their role and functions.
Just as God called the stars by their names to show that he is the
supreme Lord of everything created, so Adam, the subordinate Lord, was
appointed to name the animals. Men
should therefore understand that they have a responsibility to the animals
and have no right to treat them poorly and simply eliminate them to suit
their own selfish purposes. Men
have the dominion from God, not an unfettered license to destruction, and
are stewards of the creation of God.
One writer states: “ What is the problem? Man is the problem. It is man who pollutes the water and the air, ravages the forests, strips the ground, and exhausts the resources of the earth. Now he threatens to bring everything down to a smoking nuclear ruin, destroying all animal life along with himself. What is the reason? It is because we have lost our way. We have no understanding of how to handle the commission given us to rule and reign in the natural world. We are out of step with nature. Man is now opposed to nature; he is like an orphan in God's universe. Why
is this? The Lord Jesus put
his finger right on the answer when he said, “ Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”,
Matthew
4: 4. Unfortunately
even Christians do not care to follow this clear instruction of God in
this matter but behave poorly in pursuit of wealth, power, and
selfishness. We
should remember that the Scriptures state that when God returns he will
destroy the men that have destroyed the earth.
Men are not to worship the earth and nature but are instead to take
good for it. We
will all have a lot to answer for on the Day of Judgment for our poor
management of the earth and its creatures, as well as for the widows,
orphans, the poor, helpless and despised. Adam
had the capability to intelligently name all the animals and the myriad
species, and this shows he was brilliant, more brilliant that any mind
that lived after him. Since
he was yet unaffected by the Fall, his perception was out of this world,
and he knew the character, habits, and uses of each animal that was
brought to him. He was the
greatest biologist and botanist. It
was clear to Adam that all animals had their mates, and it might have
occurred to him that he was destined to be single, since he was so
different. Verse
20.
Adam named all the animals, and he could see that none were on an
equal footing to him. He
obviously spoke to them, making them aware of its authority over them, and
accomplished the task that God had given him. But
God had a surprise for him, which he did not expect.
God exercised his judgment as to what was best for man. Verse
21.
God made Adam fall into a deep sleep on the sixth day.
Then he performed the first surgery in history, taking material out
of Adam and then formed Eve. She
was formed out of him to bring honour to him, surprising him by her beauty
and excellence, and what God could do with something taken from him. Some
like to point to the fact that the ties between a man and woman were there
in this period of unconsciousness, indicating that relationships of
marriage are far deeper than surface affection, being based in man's
subconscious. Some
use this idea to explain why men and woman are puzzled by one another’s
reaction from time to time, not being able to put a finger on why they do
what they do differently. The
reasons for the difference lie in the subconscious, for woman was taken
out of man in a particular way. Others
stress that since woman was created from man's rib, and ribs are the bones
nearest to the heart and most closely linked to his center of emotion
life, this explains the emotional character of woman. This character balances the relatively unemotional attitude
of men. Some
others state that the use of the rib emphasizes the protective instinct in
woman, for it is the rib, which protects the vital organs of the chest and
notably the heart. One writer
points out: “
In fact, the Hebrew word for “helper” is the word azar, which means,
“ to surround”. Just as the rib Cage surrounds the heart and protects
it, so there is in woman an instinctive reaction of protectiveness of. “ It is interesting to note that when God takes something from anyone there is always a better benefit derived. Verse
22-25.
God the Father brought his gift to Adam.
The brilliant Adam recognized who she was and how she was related
to him. He was obviously
startled by the amazing nature of this gift. She was different but she was
more like him than anything else in creation.
She was made of the same stuff like he was.
They were different, separate, but one. It
is from this that we obtain four factors essential to true marriage. 1.
Marriage involves a complete identity.
The man who hurts his wife is hurting himself. The reality is that they are one flesh. She really genuinely and in fact is one life with him.
Their lives and psyches merge closer and closer as life goes on.
Separating this relationship is not a light thing, and is terribly
painful, and is against the desire of God. One cannot easily split a body
into two. There is a
spiritual dimension here to the concept of “one flesh” This “one
flesh” means that there is no such thing as “casual sex” for every
sexual relationship begins a one flesh bond. They are implications of
“one flesh” when one even have sexual relations with a prostitute,
according to first Corinthians 6:16. This bond should only be where there
is committed love and a marriage commitment.
Only then would God's purpose of bonding be done properly.
There is to be monogamy, the basic element for marriage home and
family. 2.
The biblical principle of headship is here and enlarged in the New
Testament. Man was not made for woman but woman was made for man, and
therefore man is ultimately responsible before God for the nature and
character of the home. Man
will have to answer to God for their leadership or lack of it.
Woman is responsible to acknowledge this leadership. 3.
True marriage is permanent. It
is not just for a woman to leave her parents’ home on marriage, but also
for a man to leave his parents home and cleave or stick like glue to his
wife. 4.
Verse 25 indicates that there should be openness between man and
wife, for they should have nothing to hide, no secrets, nothing that they
cannot share. CONCLUSIONNote
the institution of the ordinance of marriage and the Sabbath.
Both were created in the perfect world and are imperatives for
Believers. They exist to make
the world and people of God better. Both
institutions form the core example for all our relationship to God and
cannot be changed on earth. Both will be taken to a different and better
level in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
No one has the right to alter, modify, or change any of these
institutions created in the garden in Eden. The Apostles certainly never
changed these institutions from their original form, and we should not
follow disobedience, for disobedience leads only to judgment. God
knows best. Let us obey him.
There is no other way to life. The
Devil is a liar, and uses half-truth to draw us in and make us his
victims. He baits his trap
with half-truths, but he is evil, and out of line.
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