Read the Passage: Genesis 2

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: Genesis 2

Sabbath and Summary (2:1–7)

The week of creation, which began at Gen. 1:1, ends in Gen. 2:1–3 with Moses’ narrative of day seven. It is somewhat surprising to read that on the seventh day, “God ended His work which He had done, and He rested” (Gen. 2:2). This detail is unexpected, for God does not get weary, tired, or need sleep (cf. Ps. 121:4; Isa. 40:28). Later, at Exod. 20:8–11 we learn that God’s resting on the Sabbath was an example for mankind, and from Heb. 4:1–10 we understand that God’s resting on the seventh day both pictures and points to the gospel, which provides eternal rest for those who will themselves rest from their attempts at a works-based salvation. Indeed, at Mark 2:2 Jesus teaches that “the Sabbath was made for man.” Thus, the Sabbath is not a legalistic duty that must be kept in order to pacify God; rather, the Sabbath is a gift from God that will promote the flourishing and well-being of man.

Gen. 2:4–6 is a summary of creation, although it is unclear in this passage if Moses is reviewing the previous chapter, previewing the coming chapter, or both. In any event, these verses do provide a summary of the origin of the world, prior to the creation of mankind. This narrative invites an interesting question: From where did Moses get this information? Since mankind had not yet been created, Moses could not have learned this material from those who had experienced it; therefore, Moses must have been taught these facts directly by God. Note that Moses’ statement, “There was no man to till the ground” (Gen. 2:5) is interesting, for it anticipates the functional aspect of mankind being made in the image of God. In other words, just as God brings order to all that exists via His sovereign hand, so mankind is to bring order to the material world through his stewardship of it.

Description and Command (2:8–17)

Gen. 1:9–13 reports that God created the plants and trees on the third day. Gen. 2:8–14 gives further information, as it notes that God planted a garden, likely when He formed the rest of the flora on day three. The location of this garden is unknown, but Moses does record that it was “eastward in Eden” (Gen. 2:8), which may indicate the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia. Gen. 2:9 records that, among other plant life, there were two significant trees in this garden—the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Although the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is only mentioned by name in this chapter (cf. Gen. 2:9, 17), it will play an important role in the fall of mankind as is recorded in Genesis 3. Gen. 2:10–14 describes the geography of the garden of Eden, and Gen. 2:15–17 records God’s command concerning the trees of the garden.

Evaluation and Marriage (2:18–25)

Gen. 2:18 is a significant verse, as here Moses wrote, “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” This verse is remarkable, for after repeatedly declaring His creation to be “good” in Genesis 1, God now evaluates man’s state as being “not good” (Gen. 2:18). Since this was before sin entered into the world, God was simply saying that man’s condition could be enhanced. This improvement would come via the addition of “a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18). Note that the term “helper” refers to one who does for another what they cannot do for themselves. Next, Gen. 2:19–20 reports that God created the beasts of the field and brought them to Adam so that they could be named. This procession communicated to Adam that the creation did not yet contain “a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:20).

Observe that the creation of Eve and the bestowal of the institution of marriage, as is record in Gen. 2:21–25, were solely God’s ideas, not Adam’s. This is important, for if gender and marriage began in the mind of God, then mankind has no right to tinker, alter, or change these divinely designed concepts. Furthermore, this text reports that Adam was in “a deep sleep” (Gen. 2:21) when God created Eve from his rib. The fact that woman was created from man is an important detail, for it emphasizes that Adam and Eve are of the same kind—a recurrent theme in Genesis 1—as well as highlighting the organic nature of God’s command that husband and wife become one flesh in marriage. Indeed, when God presented Eve to Adam, his first statement was a recognition that they were of the same kind, as he declared, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).

Application Questions:

1. Why did God allow for the possibility of mankind disobeying Him? Would it be better for human beings to lack freewill?
2. Why do some Christians have an unfavorable view of the Sabbath, or even deny its relevance altogether?
3. What does the writer of Hebrews mean when he writes that we must believe by faith God created the world (cf. Heb. 11:3)?
4. What is the difference between being alone and being lonely? Before the creation of Eve, was Adam alone or lonely?
5. What is the significance of Adam naming the animals (cf. Gen. 2:19–20) and his naming of Eve (cf. Gen. 2:23; 3:20)?