Beyond The Basics

Transcript:

Welcome to the Beyond the Basics Bible Study Podcast. I am Dan Snyder, your host, and today we will be going through Genesis chapter two.

So an overview of the chapter. As I’m sure you remember, last episode we talked about the first six days of creation. And now, starting off chapter two, we see the seventh day. And the seventh day is when God finishes his work of creation. He blesses the seventh day as a day of rest. Then we see that the creation story is retold from a second perspective.

In this perspective, we get a little bit more personal, a little bit more laser focused in on the creation of man. We learn that God created Adam from dust and he breathed the breath of life into Adam. Then God planted Eden in the east and placed Adam there, along with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And then the chapter gives us a little bit of information about Eden. It tells us that a river flowed from Eden and split into four rivers. Then we see that God gives Adam a job to tend the Garden of Eden. He’s told he can eat of every tree, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he eats of the fruit of this tree, death is the result. Then God looks for a helper for Adam. So God creates the woman Eve from Adam’s rib.

Okay, so going back to verses 1 through 3, we find something interesting which is that the seventh day is mentioned three times in the first three verses of this chapter. Now seven indicates three things. First, it indicates the completion of creation. Creation was done on six days but there are seven days of creation. And our modern work week is based on this. And many cultures have tried to deviate in the past from this seven day week. It’s never been successful. The seven day week is what works best.

This implies that our work is like mini creations. When we work throughout the week, our work is mini creations. We spend five or six days creating through our work and then we get one day of rest or two days of rest depending on where you sometimes three days of rest depending on where you are in the world and we’ll get more into that later.

Second, seven indicates rest. Just as important to creation as the actual work is rest. Rest is necessary to creation. Rest is important to God.

And then it also, thirdly, indicates a day set apart as holy and blessed. Meaning the seventh day is for God. It is set apart, it is holy. That’s what holy means, it’s set apart. The seventh day is for God and God alone. So again, to recap, seven indicates three things, and we see these in verses one through three.

Verse two. On the seventh day God finished his work. He rested on the seventh day from all his work. And then in verse 3, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. So this is the introduction of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a very important concept in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It was obviously one of the Ten Commandments given by Moses to Israel. It details the law of the Sabbath. Moses says that the Sabbath should be remembered and kept holy, that all work should be done in six days and there should be no work on the seventh day. And as a result of that, you shouldn’t make someone else work either. So you shouldn’t make somebody else work just so you don’t have to work.

Now of course Christians are not obligated to follow the Sabbath because of several reasons. Colossians 2:16-17 says: Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival, or a new moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

And so that’s the reason why Christians are not obligated to follow the Sabbath. It is not a required law like it was in the Old Testament because the substance of the Sabbath is in Christ himself. Our rest is found in Christ eternally, meaning we can find rest every single day in Christ. It’s spiritual rest. It is the peace that we find in Christ.

Now that doesn’t mean that it’s not wisdom to give the body a rest one day per week. Because your body still needs rest. Your body cannot handle working seven days a week for very long. I’ve done it. Working in construction, it happens sometimes. I remember several years ago I worked seven days a week for about two to three months straight and it was exhausting. It was very exhausting. I couldn’t do it forever. The only reason I was able to do it for as long as I did was because I knew there was an end. But you can’t do it forever. Your body’s not made that way. It’s wisdom to give your body a rest one day per week.

Now rest in Christ is about God and man dwelling together. 1 Chronicles 23:35 says: For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.”

1 Chronicles 28:2 says: the King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.”

And 2 Chronicles 6:41 says: And now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place. You and the ark of your might, let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.

So we see this theme that God, when he is at rest, is among his people. This is something that David grabbed hold of. He understood this better than anybody, understanding that God at rest meant he was dwelling with his people. And that’s the case today. We have the indwelling spirit, Jesus, who’s God dwelling among us. God is at rest when he’s dwelling with his people. And one day, Jesus will return, he will dwell with his people, and he will be at rest, and we will be at rest with him.

Psalm 95 says that we should enter into his presence. It says we should not harden our hearts like the generation in the wilderness who couldn’t enter his rest. Psalm 132 says David desired to create a resting place for God. And it says that God is going to dwell in Zion and that Zion is his resting place forever. Zion is another name for Jerusalem.

Now we see in this chapter that God rested on the seventh day by coming to earth and dwelling with his image bearers. After he rested on the seventh day, we see him on the earth interacting very closely and very personally with Adam. And we enter into his rest the same way, by creating a dwelling place for God, an intimate relational dwelling place for God where he feels at home with us. That’s how we enter into his rest.

Verse 4 starts a new section. Genesis is split into several sections and this is the next section. In this second creation account we see several differences between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. The first creation account and the second creation account. A few of these differences are in the literary style where Genesis 1 is formulaic, Genesis 2 is narrative.

We see it in the name of God. In Genesis 1, God is called Elohim. In Genesis 2, God is called Yahweh Elohim.

We see the difference in God’s view of creation. In Genesis 1, it says that God saw that it was good. In Genesis 2, it says it is not good that the man should be alone.

We also see the difference in the scope. Genesis is cosmic, as in a zoomed out point of view. Genesis 2 is personal. A very zoomed in point of view.

We see the difference in the order of creation. Genesis 1 the listed order is plants were created first and then animals and then humans and Genesis 2 man is created first then plants then animals and then woman.

We see the difference in the origin of man. In Genesis 1, man is created in the image of God. This is a very high view of man. And then in Genesis 2, man is formed from dust. This is a very low, humble view of man.

So how do we reconcile these differences? Well, some would say that it’s a different author. That’s possible depending on how Moses got his sources for these different sections, and he may have just compiled them, edited them, and published it, essentially. Or it could be the same author with a different focus. It could have all been Moses, and he’s trying to make a point. And his purpose isn’t necessarily pinpoint accuracy, but he has a different purpose that we’re supposed to recognize as we read and meditate on these chapters.

Verse 7 says the Lord God formed the man of dust. Dust, as mentioned earlier, dust is symbolic of humility. Genesis 18:27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.”

This is indicating that Abraham was recognizing his own humility, his own unworthiness to speak to the Lord. So we are created in the image of God. We are created in God’s image, just like it says in the first chapter, but we’re created in humility.

Now one day we will be resurrected and we will take on the image of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:47-49 it says: The first man was from the earth, a man of dust. And the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust. And as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of the dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

So that’s saying that we now bear the image of the man of the dust, meaning we still have mortal, sinful flesh, just like Adam. But one day we will bear the image of the man of heaven, meaning resurrected, glorified bodies.

Also in verse 7 it says, the man became a living creature. This word translated living creature in the ESV is the Hebrew word nephesh. Often it is translated soul, especially in the King James, you will see this translated soul. Our modern concept of soul is very different from what the Hebrew concept of soul or even Middle English concept of soul would be. This word soul refers to the whole being.

That is why the ESV translates it to a living creature rather than soul, because in our modern English, living creatures are much more accurate translation in the sense that we think of soul these days as an inward expression of our true selves. Often it’s defined as our mind, our will, our emotions, our inward self, that part of us that maybe lives on after we die. That’s what modern readers will think of as soul.

And so to translate that word as soul these days would be incorrect because the word nephesh refers to the entire being. It refers to a person as a whole. Meaning man does not have a soul, man is a soul. Your soul can’t be separated from your body. This is what the Hebrews thought of the human body. It was only Greek thought later on that gave us this concept that spirit and body were two separate things.

Verse nine, we see two trees. We see the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This theme of two trees, we’re gonna find it all the way through scripture. Genesis to Revelation. It’s going to represent a choice between God’s way and man’s way. And everyone faces this choice, not just Adam and Eve. The choice between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil does not stop with Adam and Eve.

Now, another theme that we’re going to see throughout the Bible is this river that flows out of Eden. It waters the garden and then divides and becomes four rivers. This theme that we’re going to see, the river flowing out of Eden, represents living waters. John chapter 7:37-39, it says: On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not glorified.

And this follows that theme of living waters flowing out of God’s home, of the place where God lives and bringing life. In Revelation 22 verses one through two, it says: The angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

We see both these themes of the trees, the river, the garden, the throne, all these themes in these first couple verses of Revelation.

Verse 15 it says: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

So Adam’s occupation his career was as a gardener and so what we see here is that work was introduced before the fall so work is not a curse. Work should be valued. Work is given by God. We should not despise work.

Many of us get up in the morning, we hate that we have to go to work, we wish we didn’t have to work, we look forward to the day that we can retire and just travel and do whatever we want. And I just disagree with that, and I think the Bible disagrees with that. Work should be valued. Work brings dignity to a human life. It’s something given by God for us to do.

There’s creativity in work. As I mentioned earlier, the work week is like a mini creation. We should all have the opportunity to use creativity in our work. You should be able to be creative in your work. Work is loving your neighbor, the great commandment. In Matthew 22, when Jesus is asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” And he says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength.” He says, “The second is like it.” He says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Work is an opportunity to love your neighbor. It doesn’t matter that you get paid to love your neighbor. That is completely irrelevant. Many of us think that we can only love our neighbor if we’re not getting anything in return for it. And that’s not true. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you can’t get something in return. Work is loving your neighbor.

When I am building a home for somebody and I see the joy on their face because I did the best I could to build them a house that I know that they would love and I see the joy on their face when they walk into that completed house for the first time. That’s loving your neighbor. I could do the bare minimum and get them a home that functions, that works, keeps them warm, keeps them cool, whatever, but I want to do the best I can to give them a house that they really enjoy. That’s loving your neighbor.

And there’s struggle in work. Struggle is not a bad thing, especially when it comes to work. Struggle is not a bad thing. It helps us, again, it helps us use our creativity. It helps us solve problems. It keeps us mentally sharp. It keeps us physically sharp. Struggle is important. If there’s no struggle in your work, if your job is easy and doesn’t challenge you, maybe that’s why you don’t like your job. Find a job that challenges you.

Moving on, verse 18, God says, “I will make him a helper fit for him.”

In other words, a helper comparable. This idea of a comparable helper, it tells us that women are, now, we’re speaking in terms of marriage here because this is what, as we’ll see later on in the chapter, this is what the chapter is talking about. It’s talking about marriage. So this phrase, a helper fit for him, or a helper comparable. It tells us that women are equal partners in marriage. There are different roles, very different roles because they each have very different strengths. Men have the responsibility to lead. Women have the responsibility to help. Men cannot lead without a helper. Women cannot help someone who’s not a leader.

Now to be clear, this doesn’t apply in any other situation. This is only in the marriage relationship. This does not apply in work. It does not apply in any other situation. Now, the role of helper is not, in our culture it’s seen as less than. We elevate leaders, we exalt and glorify leaders in our society so much and it’s always been this way. But God values service. God values serving others as greatness. Matthew 20 verses 25 through 28: Jesus called to him and called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to serve but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus came to serve. That was his primary responsibility. So women have the responsibility to help in the marriage relationship. This does not mean it’s a less than role. It is a very equal and great role in the sight of God. And it should be made known that men and women need to serve each other. Men should not live to be served by women in their marriage relationship. Women should not live to just serve men. Men and women, husbands and wives need to serve each other.

Okay, so in verse 21, while Adam slept, God took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. God opened a wound on Adam’s side and took a rib to form woman. We see this later on on the cross. When a soldier opens a wound on Jesus’ side and through his death, his bride, the church, was formed. This is a very, very powerful image of what Christ will do one day as the second Adam.

Verse 24, it says: The man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. This phrase, one flesh, speaks of the unity in marriage. It says that man and woman are made for each other. They are made to be united as one flesh.

This is a model of Christ in the church. This is a theme that we’re going to find again throughout scripture. These first few chapters were highlighting themes that we’re going to find through the entire rest of the Bible. We find it first in God and Israel and then later in the New Testament we find it with Christ in the church. Ephesians 5 verses 31 through 32 says: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. He quotes Genesis 2. And then he says: this mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

So Paul comes out and interprets that for us, tells us that this section in Genesis 2 foreshadows the relationship between Christ and the church. And it tells us that marriage points to that relationship. Marriage illustrates that relationship for us every single day.

And then in verse 25, they were both naked. This isn’t about nudity, it’s about being vulnerable. Before each other, before God, and then after the fall, nakedness becomes shameful. Nakedness is the vulnerability of man.

And now we are called to be naked before God. We’re called to be vulnerable before God. It’s not about standing there in your underwear, praying to God, it’s not about that. It’s about being vulnerable. It’s about being vulnerable before others. Again, it’s not going to the grocery store in your underwear. It’s about being vulnerable before your friends, your family, people close to you. Can we be vulnerable? Or are we closed off? Are we covered up?

Okay so how does all this point to Jesus? We’ve highlighted several points already but to wrap it up to a nice little package all in one section.

First of all Jesus is the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest. We talked about this a lot already. In Matthew 11 verses 28 through 30 it says: “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Again, as we mentioned earlier, every day is the Sabbath, because we are already at rest in Him. If we come to Him and give Him our burdens and we take His yoke, we will find rest.

The Tree of Life being in the midst of the garden supports, sustains life forever. We see that Jesus called himself the true vine in John 15:1. He brings life to those who abide in him. He brings life to those who eat his flesh and drink his blood. All this imagery is calling back to the tree of life. That true vine bringing life to the branches, just like the tree of life brings life to those who eat of it.

There’s going to be another tree of life as we as we read in Revelation 22 in the midst of this Temple garden city one day called the New Jerusalem and Jesus is going to be in the center as the king and the high priest bringing life to the nations.

Adam himself is also a foreshadowing or a type of Jesus. Jesus is called, in the New Testament, Jesus is called the second Adam, especially in Paul’s writings. He writes about Jesus being the second Adam. Adam’s life brought death to the world, but Jesus’ death brought life to the world. He brought a new creation, he brought a new human race, and he will resurrect his people to incorruptible flesh. We now have corrupted flesh because of Adam’s life that has brought death to our flesh. Jesus will bring life to our flesh one day and we will be resurrected.

So here’s some questions that we can ask ourselves to reflect on from this chapter.

First, in what ways can we find rest in Jesus? How does he extend God’s rest to his people? What are some ways specifically for each one of us that we can find rest in Jesus?

Second, what was the original relationship like between humans and animals? And what is our responsibility now in light of this original relationship?

What do we learn about our responsibility to animals, to the environment?

How do you view your work? Do you view it as a blessing? Or do you wish you didn’t have to work? And what did you learn about your work as a result of this chapter?

Next, what does it mean to be one flesh in marriage? What does this look like in practical terms, especially for those of you listeners who are married? And what does this unity of flesh in marriage say about our unity in Christ?

Another question, why is divorce so wrong and destructive based on what we read in this chapter?

Next, why did God present Adam with a choice between the two trees? Couldn’t he have simply made one tree impossible to access? Why do you think God gave Adam the choice?

And then lastly, how can we allow ourselves to be vulnerable before God and before each other? Again, practically, what does this vulnerability look like?

Well thank you all for listening. That’s Genesis chapter two. We’re just getting started. We got a long way to go. But I’m enjoying this. I hope you enjoy this.

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