Genesis 2:1-14 exposition

The Book Of Genesis Line By Line: Genesis 2:1-14, Focus On Mankind

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Welcome back to our study of the book of Genesis, last week we wrapped up chapter 1 as we zeroed in on the creation of “mankind” and other functionaries. We talked about how humans have been endowed with the utmost privilege for they were created in the image of God. And the phrase “image of God” had to do with being a bearer of His character, reflecting His character. Now we need to make distinctions less we all into serious error. In the book of Hebrews, in chapter 1, we are told that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of His nature. Jesus is of the same essence as God because He is God incarnate, He isn’t created as far as His divine nature is concerned. The human nature had a beginning but the divine nature existed for all eternity. The reason why I’m mentioning this is so that we as humans do not see ourselves as demi- gods. We were created to reflect God’s image, but we aren’t gods ( our nature isn’t divine). With that said, we’ll being chapter 2 today and focus on the first 14 verses ; I’ll invite you to listen to Dr. Baruch’s lecture on it and the additional comments provided.

Genesis 2:1-14 Exposition

The Passage 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

The Creation of Man and Woman

4 These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no bush of the field[a] was yet in the land[b] and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist[c] was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Additional Comments

  • Verses 1-3

As we look at verse 1 , we can clearly see its connection with the previous chapter. The word “thus” evokes the idea of a result, a consequence. We clearly see that the 6th day marked the end of the creation of all things in the heavens and the earth all the host of them. The phrase “host of them” encompasses all the creatures that inhabit both the heavenly and the earthly realms, that will include all the angelic creatures as well. This is supported by Colossians 1:15-17,

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together

I hope you fully recognize the thought that is being conveyed from verses 2 to 3. The 7th day is clearly marked by God ceasing the work of the previous six days and by settling into the stability of the cosmos HE created. By blessing it, He extends His favor to it. He completely separates this day from the other 6 days , this is why the word Holy is employed ( it signifies being set apart for a specific purpose). While the first 6 days focus on the creation of functions and functionaries ( which in essence manifest the glory of God), the 7th day is set apart as to fully focus on the author of this marvelous creation, God Himself. On it God does no work, no work of creation and HE is the sole focus of the Sabbath day, the day of rest. The 7th day for the believer represents setting aside time for God and acknowledging all time as His. It also represents setting aside the tyranny of the urgent and recapturing the equilibrium and stability that GOD established when He created His cosmos in the first place.

God not only sets up the Cosmos so that people will have a place, He also sets it up to serve as His temple. While the creation of mankind may be the highlight of the six days of work, it isn’t the conclusion of the account. The 7th day is the one that is blessed, set apart ( made Holy), indicating its significance. Listen to what Isaiah 66:1 says,

Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?

A footstool is indicative of rest, so the cosmos was not only created for mankind ( as the main functionary) but it was supposed to be made so that all created order will worship God. In the new heavens and earth, God will dwell with His people, that’s an assurance and the original cosmos was supposed to be that.  The rest of God is connected to Him taking up His role as sovereign ruler of the cosmos.

Adam entered a world that was already operating perfectly when he was created. Everything was given to him and his wife for stewardship; he didn’t have to make anything. Do not forget that the man and the wife were in perfect communion with God, enjoying his established order, which inspired worship ( worshiping God ). Hence the functions and functionaries act as a means for people to deepen their relationship with God. While man is the focal point of the established order, I’m attempting to make the point that worshiping God is the ultimate goal of everything since the created order serves as a temple where HE dwells.

  • Verses 4-6
This is a very important portion of chapter 2, that is actually preparing us for what is to come in chapter 3. It isn’t by accident that Moses ( the author ) mentions the fact that there were no plants of the field , or  bush of the field ( these by the way are wild brushes ). And the scripture also mentions there were no rain and no one to till the ground.
And we’re also subtly introduced to the origin of the water cycle, a mist used to come from the ground and water the whole surface of the ground. Eventually, God will cause this mist to evaporate, condense and turn into rain.
We’ll  see later that as a result of the fall, the ground is cursed and man has now to  toil ( hard labor ) in order to eat. Also let me mention that plants of the field weren’t probably meant to be eaten. In God’s original creation , If we go back to genesis 1, God said in verse 29,
Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit.
There is a noticeable difference between seed bearing plant and seed bearing fruit and plants of the field. Those are wild bushes that came as a result of the fall. They were not supposed to be there , we read in Romans that the whole creation was subjected to frustration as a result of the fall , and the plants of the field and herbs of the field were a by -product of the fall.
I want to also put an emphasis on Verse 4 of Chapter 2, let’s look at the construction of the sentence,
These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Beginning with “heavens” and ending with “earth,” the first portion effectively emphasizes the order in which each was created (from a heavenly perspective, perhaps), with a focus on who created the heavens and the earth. God, who created everything, is consequently the subject of the first section. “In the day the Lord God created the earth and the heavens,” the remainder of verse 2 reads. The previous hierarchy of heaven and EARTH has been reversed. In my opinion, this is done on purpose; it acts as a hermeneutical cue to inform us of the shift in emphasis. The focus would now be on “mankind,” one of the fundamental components of the world.
  • Verses 7-14
In God’s creation before the fall , man was supposed to enjoy this fellowship with God and God Himself was providing for His needs. Chapter 2 Continues to prepare us for what is to come in chapter 3. I don’t think the narrative is interested in giving us some form of chronological succession of events. The passage is really geared toward preparing us for the unfortunate event that is about to happen by juxtaposing God’s original order before the fall and the consequences of the Fall. God is the one that planted the Garden of Eden and handed it to Adam, to steward it. The scripture clearly tells us that out of the ground God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food , as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil , and the tree of life. We are once again receiving more hermeneutical cues. This is taking us back to chapter 1. In the Garden God caused to grow plant yielding seed for food in keeping with chapter 1, and other vegetation that are just pleasant to the eye. We learn in chapter 1 that everything that God created was good , everything has its own appointed function according to the sovereign will of God.

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