I GARDEN, THEREFORE I AM
Opening Prayer
Lord, thank You for our stewardship on earth.
Read GENESIS 2:4–25
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[a] 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[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man[c] 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[d] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 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[f] 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.
Footnotes:
a Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6
b Genesis 2:6 Or mist
c Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20).
d Genesis 2:12 Or good; pearls
e Genesis 2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia
f Genesis 2:20 Or the man
g Genesis 2:21 Or took part of the man’s side
h Genesis 2:22 Or part
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10, NASB).
Think Further
Chapter One is a summary of the creation of the world, whereas Chapter Two focuses on some elements that are central to the story: the garden of Eden with its trees and God’s command to the man to avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In this chapter, the making of human beings is again recounted. Before we hear of their creation, the earth seemingly needs humans to cultivate the ground and bring forth the shrubs and plants that have not yet sprouted (5). Indeed, after Adam is created he is put in the garden to do precisely that (15). Thus, the man’s first and primary role is to be a steward over God’s creation and to continue God’s role of bringing life into the world. The garden was for Adam, and Adam was for the garden, all in a harmonious and reciprocal relationship. Although we live in a post-Genesis-3 world, we are still stewards of God’s creation and should, as much as possible, promote life in creation.
These verses flow with abundant life – the growing vegetation, the tree of life, the mist and the river which watered the ground, the man who cultivated the land, and then the creation of woman. The precious and semi-precious minerals that are listed demonstrate the richness of the earth. At the end of the chapter lies the implicit promise of new life as the result of the man and his wife joining together and becoming one flesh. In the middle of the chapter, in the middle of the garden of Eden, we have the mention of death, but only as a warning. If this ideal life is to continue, then one tree must be avoided and left alone.
Apply
Father, there are things in my life which need to be left alone. Please help me not to eat forbidden fruit, but to concentrate on cultivating life around me.
Closing prayer
Lord, keep us occupied with Kingdom activity. We understand the value of being and remaining busy.
Book and Author Intros
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