Genesis 2 digresses to give more detail on the creation of man and the role of man in God's economy. It begins in Gen 2:4 with the words "This is the account of..." The Hebrew is "toledoth" with is translated in other places as "generations" (Gen 5:1, Gen 10:1, etc.). In fact, as the literary structure of Genesis goes, these are the "division markers" in the book that show writer's intent. They tell us when the author is stepping aside from one direction/train of thought and approaching a new one. Knowing this, helps us grasp the big ideas in context.
Since Genesis is divided along these markers...some have asked about the significance of Chapter 1 (which occurs outside of the toledoth marker structure). It seems that while we (as Westerners who like to know the details of how everything works) look for more information in how the earth was created...the original audience was content to just accept that the earth was created by God. They wanted to move on and understand more about why "they" were created. (Perhaps the Hebrews were the first "Purpose Driven Community..." long before Rick Warren wrote his book) {Grin.} I imagine that we could learn from that. Is our faith really strengthened by knowing every "What, How, and Where," about God...or should we focus on OUR Purpose and the big picture...accepting by faith that God has done what He said...even if not scientifically proven to our personal satisfaction?
A couple of key verses in chapter 2.
Gen 2:7, "The Lord formed" (Hebrew- ya sar, meaning to create something from existing material). This is different from the "created" found in Genesis 1:1. There the word is bara meaning that it was created from nothing and is a special word that only appears when God is the Creator. The significance will show itself theologically in coming days. Either way...whether God speaks into existence (bara) or forms from material already in existence (i.e. from the dust) (ya sar), God is the Sovereign Author and Architect of all Creation. God formed man and breathed life into him so that he became a living being.
Man is not a random arrangement of atoms and molecules that cause (somehow) a person to become alive. God breathes life into a man and thus makes him a living being. This is why those of us who oppose "abortion on demand" find the destruction of life (which God caused to be living) to be so objectionable. We do not believe that man should interfere with the purposeful creation of God for the sake of convenience of man.
The Garden of Eden was located near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Gen 2:10-14). Two other rivers are mentioned and their location is indeterminable today. Why? Not sure...but there was a global flood which changed things...so, maybe...
Gen 2:15-17, God placed man in the Garden, gave him purpose (to cultivate and keep it), and gave him his first "exclusionary" command. "Eat from any tree except this one or you will die." Some have asked, "Why would God set man up like that? Why put it there if God wanted to preclude sin from entering into the world?" I believe it is because God wanted man to choose to obey rather than "rigging" man's life in such a way that obedience was the only possible recourse. (This probably explains some of my theology to careful readers.) God had provided in abundance for all of man's needs. Man simply needed to trust God and to accept God's provision rather than choosing to provide for himself. (This is more obvious in the next chapter.)
God created a "helper/helpmeet" suitable for man (Gen 2:18). There were many creatures in the garden. But God created "matched sets" of creatures so that each could and would reproduce after its own kind. (Something that requires a male/female relationship to fulfill the purpose of God). The "how" of the woman's creation is found in Gen 2:21-22). She was formed from a rib from Adam's side. God did surgery, took the rib, made it into a woman and brought her to the man. He PROVIDED and GAVE a helper to the man. In fact, to this point, God is the sole provider of everything the man has.
Man called the helper "woman" (Hebrew- isha) for she had come out of man (Hebrew- ish). The words are the same, except for the endings which indicate linguistically the masculine and feminine endings. God then gave the purpose of creating the woman...that the man and woman would become a new family unit, distinct from the parents, and become one flesh (unified in every way). (Gen 2:24).
One other distinction in the text that I need to address. In Gen 2:19-20, the man gave names to the beasts, the birds, etc. The process of giving the name was an act of taking dominion over the beasts. The man's authority is seen in the giving of the name. In God's economy, He did not create man to live as equals with the beasts, but to be the highpoint of creation and to superintend (oversee, rule over) creation (see Gen 1:28-30). This same act of "naming" God's creation takes place with the woman. Man (who God named) gave names to all of creation including the woman. While man was to oversee/superintend creation...He was to do so by caring for it. The same is true for his own wife. God established the authority structure according to purpose/function and His own good pleasure. As such, in God's established system, men and women are not equal in all things. They are equal in value, in worth, in Christ...but perform differing roles/responsibilities that are COMPLEMENTARY. (I know someone is yelling at their computer right now in my honor. Before you assert your right to disagree...examine the text and let it speak.) Now it is clear why I am a Complementarian and not an Egalitarian in my theology...meaning, in part, I take the gender-roles discussed in Scripture as literal.
The chapter conclude with a verse that tells us that in God's economy as designed there was peace and no sin. God created everything and pronounced it good/very good. It was so harmonious in design that man and woman walked about without shame (a by-product of sin-guilt) (Gen 2:25).
Proverbs 23:12 is the takeaway today. The verse indicates a discipline that is necessary to experience God in His fullness. We are to discipline ourselves to live as Christ and to know knowledge (God's Word applied) in our lives. This requires effort...as do all good things in life. However, the return on our investment far outweighs the investment itself...and in my experience the investment is prety rewarding as well.
Grace,
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3 comments:
Good study... never had anyone tear the chapter apart and discuss it like that but very good!
My only thought is why do you think God created woman from man. Do you think there is a reason God took the rib from man to show that woman needed the man from the beginning. God formed man from the dust and then created woman from man. Never thought about it before.
I do agree with you about the role of the man. The world has really messed up the mind of the woman to think that it is equal to that of a man. Every woman should know that we are not equal, we don't think or act the same. So from a woman's point of view, the man is the head of the home and the woman is not!!! I completely agree. :)
Question: I know it happened sometime in the last 2000 years, but when were the chapter and verse divisions put into the Bible? I know they aren't there in the original or in any copy of the Hebrew Scriptures I've seen. Heck, I don't think they are in the original Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.
I'm fairly convinced that the current Tigris and Euphrates rivers are simply Noah & family reusing the old names since the Flood would have wiped out the old landscape, but the Garden of Eden should have been a physical location up until then, with the attendant angel we will read about shortly.
Thanks Amanda. You get a gold star...for making me feel good. (The gold star award is completely arbitrary...so I alone determine if it is good or just to award them...usually based on the position of the moon or whether I feel good that day).{Grin.}
Don't know why the rib. You got me there. I would add though that it is important to be careful when we discuss equality. God created both man and woman. Both are precious and of EQUAL Value in God's eyes. There is an inequality in roles...but this should not be difficult to grasp since we expect this in every element in society. We don't have children for President. We don't let fast-food workers conduct exploratory surgery. We expect that there are different roles we are all called to fill and there are qualifications for different roles. The "rub" comes in when we say that a person "can't" be a pastor because God says it is designed to be fulfilled by a man possessing certain qualities. God says that a man will lead his home and give account for it before God. Bottom line: society has tried to tell us that this is unfair to women and that God must not have meant that since we think it is not just. So, equal in value but complementary in role/responsibility. Thanks for the post.
Kamatu: You got me too. (not enough for an arbitrary gold star though {grinning}). I consulted google on it. As far as I can tell, chapters and verses may have originated in the 1200s with a lexicon of the Latin Vulgate (latin translation of the Bible), but definitely in the English Bible in the late 1500s, prior to the KJV in 1611. You are correct. They were not used in the Greek or Hebrew originals.
Interesting hypothesis on the Tigris and Euphrates. Most scholars (the good ones) think that the present rivers are likely the ones referred to in the garden narrative. Don't know what Noah was thinking. Maybe you are right. No evidence either way. Thanks for the post.
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