Genesis Class Week 3

Genesis 2:4-2:25 – The Garden

The relationship begins, Genesis 2:4-7.

Chapter 2 opens with what is sometimes called the second creation story. This is not a contradiction of the first account but a supplement to the account of chapter 1. There is a shift from the theocentric (God-centered) view of creation in chapter 1 to an anthropocentric (Human-centered) view of chapter 2.

Chapter 1 creation story introduces us to an all powerful God (Elohim), the “generic” name of the Supreme Being. In Chapter 2 we are introduced to “the Lord God” (Yahweh Elohim), His personal name. This is the first step that God takes in revealing his desire to have a relationship with us.

Chapter 2 starting in verse 5 states that there was no vegetation on the earth; this can be taken to mean that it would fit into the early part of day 3. It continues on that there had been no rain and the Earth was watered by: Springs (NLT) Streams (NIV), Mist (KJV). The ‘watered by streams’ is a constant theme in this chapter. This account then moves to the creation of man, followed by the garden. This is most likely to express to the audience that the creation of the garden was for man, continuing Gods desire to provide for our needs.

In verse 7 we are told that God makes the first man from the dust of the ground, and that God breathed the breath of life into him, an intimate portrayal of God giving us life. We know that the first man was called Adam from the Hebrew word for earth (Adamah), which makes the Adam the first “earthling”. Adam is both frail (being made of dust) and empowered (inbreathed by God). In chapter 1 we know that humans are the only creation that God spoke to, in chapter 2 humans are the only creation that has the breath of life from God.

The Garden, Genesis 2:8-14

God then plants a garden in the east, in Eden. “East of what?”, again we have to look to the original audience, the Hebrews who are coming out of Egypt, so we can speculate that the garden was east of Egypt. Then he puts the man in the garden, and God waters the garden with springs. There are only 2 trees mentioned by name in the garden, all the others were pleasing to the eye and good for food. The location of the garden is then described as being at the headwater of four rivers.

Man in the garden, Genesis 2:15-17

God puts man in the garden, and gives the man a purpose to his life with three instructions. Work the garden and keep it (vocation), you may eat of any of tree in the garden (permission), but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (prohibition).

Not good to be alone Genesis 2:18-25

It is stated in Genesis 1:27 that man was created “male and female”. Here we get a personal view of the start of the human race. God knew that it was not good for man to be alone, so he created all the beast of the fields and the birds of the air and brought them to him to name. Among them there is no suitable helper found.

God then causes Adam to sleep and removes a rib and creates an appropriate counterpart. God creates woman, a new creation, yet sharing man’s own essential nature. When Adam wakes and sees his wife, he is excited.

Genesis 2:23-24 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. (NLT)

Earlier God gave the man vocation so he had meaning to his life, now he gives him a companion to bring joy. Just as we are given the pattern for the work week in chapter 1, here we are given the pattern for marriage. One man and one woman joined as one.

Tangerines

just a funny song.

Genesis Class Week 1 & 2

as i have mentioned before i have started teaching a class on sunday mornings here is the first two classes rolled into one.

Genesis Introduction

“We have more traditionally been taught to think of Genesis as the account of how human pain originated. Perhaps we have been more concerned (i.e. self-absorbed) to try to make sense of our pain than spiritually sensitive enough to read Genesis as the explanation of the pain that we brought to God.”

Genesis - The Beginning of Faith
Rubel Shelly Page 14

The Beginning:
There are 5 beginnings in Genesis.

1 Genesis is the beginning of divine Self-disclosure
God reveals Himself in his creation

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Genesis is the beginning of a unique relationship between God and his human creations.
God reveals His image in us, creating us in His image male and Female.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

3 Genesis relates the beginning of tension between God and the men and women created in his image.
Such a unique relationship is filled with negative as well as positive possibilities. We have the freedom to be faithless or faithful; greedy or gracious. God will not coerce His creation; He will not achieve his will by force. He is sovereign but he is not a tyrant.
If we seek Him, we will find Him. If we want to know his will for our lives, He will make it known. If we want to share in His purposes for human life, He will see to it that we are not left in the darkness of confusion.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

4 Genesis is the beginning of God’s Pain over our situation.
The tension between our partnership with God and our freedom to go our own selfish way has caused Him pain.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

5 Genesis is the beginning of the revelation of divine grace.
We introduced sin into His Eden. And then we saw God for what he really is, a gracious and compassionate God.

Romans 3:23-26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

The Creation Hymn – Genesis 1-2:3
Creation is described as taking place in six days. There are eight acts of creation, each introduced by the words ‘and God said…’

The creation Hymn is told from the perspective of an observer watching God create. The creation is not described chronologically, for example light and darkness are explained before the sun, moon, and stars. However the account is one that we can understand from the perspective of ancient man to the scientific mind of the 21st century. There is no explanation of biology or geology, or any other science. We do not know when creation took place (other then in the beginning). And other then God speaking the creation into existents, we do not know how God went about creating the universe.

The Creation Hymn is written as prose. There is a poetic structure of the first week, where day 1 corresponds to day 4, day 2 to day 5, and day 3 to day 6.

Prose is writing that resembles everyday speech. The word "prose" is derived from the Latin prosa, which literally translates to "straightforward". Prose is adopted for the discussion of facts and topical reading, as it is often articulated in free form writing style. Thus, it may be used for books, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, broadcast media, films, letters, history, philosophy, biography, and many other forms of communication.

Day 1 Light and dark Day 4 Sun and moon and stars
Day 2 Sea and sky Day 5 Creatures of water and air
Day 3 Fertile earth Day 6 Creatures of the land; land animals; humans’ provision of food.


The Structure of the account of each of the six days.
In Genesis 1:2-2:3
1. Announcement “and God said”
2. Command “let there be,” “let [them] be gathered,” etc.
3. Report “and it was so”
-a descriptive phrase telling what God did
-a word of naming or blessing
4. Evaluation “it was good”
5. Temporal statement “there was evening, and there was morning--the __day”

• The origin of the world and of life was no accident. There was a creator: God
• God made everything there is.
• All that God made was good
• The high point of all God’s creative acts was the making of mankind
• Mankind is distinguished from all other creatures in two respects: he alone is made in God’s own likeness; and he is given charge over all the rest.
• God’s six ‘days’ of creative activity followed by a ‘day’ of rest, sets the pattern for out working life.

Because There Is No Moon

this song has been running through my head a lot lately. i hope you enjoy.

First Game

this last sunday was my sons first football game. i went even if i do not know anything about football. and i was ready to watch the game and cheer them on. then i got asked my the couch if i could run the time clock. i told him i would but someone would need to teach me what i need to do. i know how it is scored, but i do not know when to stop the clock. well i found out in a hurry. i watched the game but i did not watch the game. i know you are all wondering who won. well the other team did, but the boys had fun.

something else happened on sunday that i just found out last night about. my daughter quit her job. so last night she was out looking for a new job.

In Honer Of

it is September 11th. it has been 8 years, and i will never forget that day.

Life In A Car

yesterday afternoon i spent 3 hours in my car. with picking up both kids from school getting my sons football equipment, and then taking him to practice. then i had my daughter drop me off at my tuesday night study. yes that means that my daughter has her license now. we went on thusday morning last week to take the test. but i am starting to feel like all i do is drive.

also in order to get my daughter to school on time in the morning. she is dropping me off at night at work, then picking me up in the morning so i can take her to school. it is rather weird not having my car at night.

Not Knowing

i did not know that the soft cell version of this song was a cover, but i like it.

Busy

so i have been really busy as of late, or as usual. and since i do not have internet at home anymore i am limited to post only from work and church if i get online. i am taking tomorrow night off, and in the morning i am taking my daughter to go and get her license (sigh). she wants to take the car and drive by herself, starting tomorrow. i had to told her no, she was upset about it. then i had to explain to her that we have to share the car, MY car and i have things to do too. i told her that she would get lots of time driving by herself when she starts taking me to work next week. then picking me up so i can take her to school in the mornings. all pending her getting her license.

this weekend i have my son, and i told him that i was going to start teaching him to drive. he is 13, the same age his sister was when i started teaching her. i am starting to teach a class on sunday mornings as of the 13th. i am really nervous about it. i have never taught before. the class in on Genesis, my favorite book of the bible. i have been trying t prepare for a little over a month now. i hope that i do well.