We saw through our study of creation from the first chapter of Genesis that God designed the earth as a place for people to live, multiply and flourish. Human history began in the Garden of Eden. Genesis two reveals more about the creation of humans and the perfect place God designed for them to live. As you read through Genesis 2:4-20, contemplate what life was like in the beginning.
4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens– 5and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground– 7the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9And 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.
10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11The 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 and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
18The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. 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. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
- Vs. 6 – If there was no rain in the beginning how was the earth watered? In the beginning the earth was watered by water that came up from the ground. Naming the rivers that ran from the Garden of Eden shows that Eden was a real place on earth. It was a geographical location with four rivers defining where it lay in relation to other areas.
- Vs. 7 – What was man formed from? Genesis says that man was formed from the dust of the ground. From our study of creation, we know that the ground contains all that basic elements or matter that living things are made up of.
- Vs. 7 – Since the elements that make up a living being are the same basic elements that make up the earth what is the difference between man and the ground he was made from? Each part of creation has its own design. God organized the matter (dust) that man is made up of into a unique form, and then he breathed life into the man.
- Vs. 9 – What grew in the garden? In the Garden of Eden grew things that were both pleasing to the eye and good to eat; in other words all the things that mankind needed to live well. God wanted people to take delight in and enjoy his beautiful creation. He provided for all of their needs. The tree of life supplied what was needed for humans to physically live forever.
- Vs. 15 – What was man’s responsibility in terms of the garden? God put man into the garden to work it and take care of it. He was to be a good steward and cause it to flourish.
- Vs. 16-17 – What was God’s one command to man? God’s one command to man was that he was not to do something; he was not to eat from tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil belonged to God alone. That means man was not to set himself up to be God. He was not to be his own moral determiner and decide for himself what was good and what was evil.
- Vs. 17 – If man ate from the tree what would be the consequence? God said that he would surely die. That meant that he would not physically live forever in the way he was designed to and he would also die spiritually.
What does it mean to die spiritually? If we die spiritually, we have no relationship with God. At first in the Garden Adam had a perfect relationship with God. Once he sinned that relationship was destroyed.
- Vs. 19 – From what had God formed the animals? The animals were formed from the ground like Adam. Men and animals are made from the same basic elements. How is man different from other animals? Man eats, breathes, moves and grows like other animals but he is very different from them as only he was created in the image of God. Man has a mind, a will and emotions like God. He also has an eternal soul that can connect to God.
- Vs. 20 – What did God have Adam do with the animals? Adam named the animals. In the Bible to name something means that one has dominion over it. God gave men the right to rule over the earth and everything in it.
- If God brought the animals to man and Adam named them, what was the relationship in the beginning between men and animals? There was no fear between men and animals. They lived in harmony with one another.
The Garden of Eden is referred to as paradise because it was a place of perfect harmony. What are things that made it perfect?
- God was present in the garden with Adam and they had a perfect relationship.
- Death had not entered the world and there was peace and harmony between men and animals.
- Adam had all that he needed for both physical and spiritual life.
That condition of perfect harmony soon changed as we will see in later lessons but at creation man was in right relationship with God, with himself and with his environment. That was God’s original plan for man, to live in a harmonious place and to dwell with him forever.
King David, the great king of Israel who lived a very long time ago, knew God, desired to be in right relationship with him, and expressed that desire in the psalms he wrote. Psalm 23:1-3 says, 1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
King David saw God as his shepherd, his caretaker, and the one who had a right to rule over him. When we see ourselves as sheep and put ourselves under God’s authority as our shepherd to lead and guide us, he takes care of us both physically and spiritually. In some ways, it is like being back in the Garden of Eden as God gives us everything we need so we aren’t in want (verse 1). He supplies our physical needs for food and rest (verse 2). He makes us right spiritually (3a) and he enables us to live rightly (3b).
This relationship was broken through sin, but God still desires for people to dwell with him and through Jesus has made a way for each of us to come back into a right relationship with him. Even though we no longer live in a perfect place, we can still be rightly related to God. We need to hold on to that understanding as we study the history of all that happened to men in the beginning because they didn’t want to be the sheep in God’s pasture and be led by God. We need to understand history so we don’t make the same mistakes that others have made before us.
- Comprehension Questions: How was the earth watered in the beginning? What was man formed from? What grew in the garden? What was man to do with the garden? What one thing wasn’t man to do? What would happen if he did that? What did Adam do with the animals?
- Thought Questions: What did God want for man when he created him? What does that say about who God is?
- Prayer: Thank God that he created man to have a relationship with him and enjoy all the good things of his creation. Thank God that his heart is inclined toward man. Pray that you would desire above all else to dwell with God and live as a sheep in his pasture.
- Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 23:1-3
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
What does it mean that God is our shepherd? What does it mean not to be in want? What does God provide for his sheep?
What happens when God is our shepherd?
When God is our shepherd we have everything we need.