Two Small Fish
September 25, 2007
Bible Study:
Genesis Chapter 2
To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.
² Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, as we bow before You this day, create in us a new desire to build our relationship with You. Thank You for Your word that we may know You better. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
² Introduction:
Study the needlepoint picture above and note the overall appeal, the blend of colors, and the symmetric design. Now flip it over (run your cursor over the picture). We discover the technique of design and it reveals something about the crafter of the piece. Her method ofwork and her neatness reveal a small part of who she is. If we look close enough, we may even detect a few drops of blood from where she pricked her finger with the needle. However, we cannot tell how many hours she spent, how many drops of blood she shed, or how much love she poured into her work. Still, it is possible to appreciate the details of the craft and understand the work involved.
Studying God through His creation and through His written word is a similar process. We cannot measure the time or love on His realm, but we can experience the joy of the results and learn something about the Creator.
While Genesis chapter one shows the big picture of creation, chapter two zeros in to reveal the details of human creation thus separating humanity from all other life forms and male from female.
² The Lesson:
Chapter two paints a picture of our Loving Father
- In verses 1-3, the first thing we observe about our Creator is—He rested on the seventh day. Most of us probably don’t even give God’s rest a second thought. In our society, we plan vacations, expect time off, and demand leisure time. So we assume God rested for His own sake. Did He get tired and weary? Maybe He ran out of ideas and needed time to think through His project. Of course, that’s absurd. God never tires or grows weary. Nor does He run out of ideas. So why did He rest? As a good father, He set the example for us to rest and to take time to build our relationship with Him. Not because He needed a break from His labor, but because He realized His creation needs rest. God sanctified the seventh day for people to rest, but He didn’t stop there. Even the beasts of burden were to rest on the seventh day (Deuteronomy 5:14). And the ground was to rest every seventh year (Leviticus 25:4). God established the order of the universe from the beginning and in His infinite wisdom and everlasting love, he established a time for rest as well as for work. The first facet in the picture of our loving Father is setting a good example.
- Skipping to verses 7-9, 15, 18-20, God is not idol and since He created us in His image, He does not expect us to be. He planted a garden and placed Adam in the midst of it as caretaker. Work did not come through sin. Labor by the sweat of the brow did. (If the Lord’s willing, we’ll discuss this concept in greater detail next week.) Our picture of the Loving Father broadens as we consider His motives for giving us work. Just as a loving father encourages his young son to “help” wash the car, God invites us to help care for His creation, pray for others, and spread the gospel. He doesn’t NEED help in tending to anything on earth and yet, He desires our input. He wants us to learn His ways, care for others, and take part in His joy. But more than anything else, He wants to build a relationship with us. The next facet of our loving Father is the desire to build a trusting relationship with His children.
- Backing up to verses 16 and 17, we find the first law given to man—“. . . of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat . . . in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.” Some say the forbidden fruit stemmed from the tree of knowledge. This is one place the Scripture is very specific. God is our source of knowledge and wisdom. Prior to the fall, the earth and all creation was good and Adam knew no evil, including his thoughts. However, God created Adam with full knowledge. Science has proven that we only use a very small portion of our brains. I believe that Adam had full use of his brain and if it were possible to reincarnate him, he would out-smart the greatest of this “modern” world’s intellectuals. It was the knowledge of good and evil that God desired to protect us from. We all agree that darkness is the absence of light. Likewise, evil is the absence of good. God wanted to give us the opportunity to choose obedience for ourselves, therefore He placed the tree in the garden and gave Adam the ultimatum. In the beginning, the earth was without form, void, and dark until God presented Himself as light. The world He created was good until the knowledge of evil presented itself to man. When people choose to do evil, they deliberately void the circumstance of good. As caring parents attempt to keep their children from harm by establishing boundaries, God sets boundaries for us. The third facet of the Caring Father in this picture is the protector.
- The last five verses of this chapter illustrate a beautiful portrait of Christ. Please remember, any time we compare Christ to man, we are discussing similarities not exact replicas.
Adam fell into a deep sleep Jesus died on the cross
Adam’s side was opened Jesus side was pierced
Eve, Adam’s bride was created The church, Jesus’ bride,
out of his wound was formed from His wound
Eve was part of Adam’s flesh The church became the body of Christ.
² Conclusion and Challenge:
Adam and Eve were naked before God and were not ashamed. Imagine a world where people had no need of masks to disguise their feelings and desires or their true natures.
Naked before the world, Christ hung on the cross and was not ashamed. He came to expose the Truth to the world. Likewise, after receiving Jesus as our Savior, we are naked before the world as we continue the work of Christ revealing His Truth to the lost and dying.
One day, every man, woman, and child will stand naked before Almighty God unable to hide anything from Him. However, true believers need not be ashamed for we are clothed in the righteousness of our Lord. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:11 KJV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (II Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
