Genesis 2 focuses on God's creation of man. Genesis 1 gives an overview of creation, all of it amazing, seriously, just go outside or take a walk through the zoo (I was at the zoo with some friends Saturday night for the Christmas lights and I saw a wombat for the first time, those go right us there with orangutans for me on the awesome list). Genesis 1 says God spoke and it was so and God saw that it was good. Then it gets to man, God makes man in His image, according to His likeness, but there are only a few statements. Genesis 2 focuses on this final part of creation.
Man did not evolve from a lower life form that emerged from the sea one hundred million years ago, science, amazing as it is, got that one wrong. I don't have an answer for the various archaeological discoveries of humanoids as they fall into creation and the Biblical narrative, I won't say they didn't exist because I've seen the fossil remains, but I do know man did not evolve. My simple answer right now is God created them, and until I come up with a more complex one, which at some point I will, that is going to suffice.
When it comes to man, God formed him from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and at that point man became a living being. Man exists as the representative of God to creation, exercising dominion over the rest of creation, tending it, and ruling over it. He names the animals, cares for the garden and sets out to cultivate the rest of the world, but something is missing. Man is a lone, and God, who exists in community, says that this is not good.
He makes the man fall asleep, and takes part of His image, the feminine part, from the man and fashions it into a woman. He brings the two of them together, and at this point creation is complete, at this point God finishes His work, and at this point God rests.
Creation was not complete without marriage. Creation was not complete without community. Man alone was insufficient, and so God creates a helper suitable for Him. The term is ezer kenegdo, a phrase meaning lifesaver, or essential companion. Adam needed Eve because she now held the other half of God's image that man was created with. This is the point of marriage, two people who are deeply connected to God, secure in who He made them to be, coming together in order to present the full image of God to creation.
That is the story of Genesis 2. God made man in His image to show creation who He is. Since isolation is not part of God's design, He takes part of that image and makes woman, then He brings the two halves back together in marriage. That is who God is here in this chapter.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
No comments:
Post a Comment