Genesis 2 - The Creation of Man and Woman

 

Reading from the Amplified Bible (AMP) version..

• ^"So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done." v.3

• "then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]." v.7

• "And the Lord God planted a garden (oasis) in the east, in Eden (delight, land of happiness); and He put the man whom He had formed (created) there. And [in that garden] the Lord God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil." v.8-9

• ^"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden; but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die [because of your disobedience].” v.16-17

• "So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man. Then Adam said,

“This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.” v. 21-23

• "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed." v. 24-25

My personal observations and reflections...

• REST. After the "creation" days (which may be yearsssss-- according to 2 Peter 3:8 "..with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."), God rested. 
  
  It is the first time we read the word "rest". What does it really mean (for us)? "The Hebrew word for rest is nuach-to rest, to be quiet. Sometimes, it is synonymous to shabat- to cease or to rest." (You can read more from https://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/127874)
  
  God's "rest" and peace is certainly one of the gifts that I want to understand, and have more in my life.

• SEVEN. Why the 7th day? Scholars say it denotes "completeness" or "perfection". From here on, we will see the significance of this number throughout the Bible.

• BREATH. Again, of all the creation, only the man gets the breath of God. Wow. And God did not just said a word, "the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." Like a potter's clay. This reminds me how precious I am (and all mankind) to God. It's like, there is already a close relationship even before that first man named Adam has breathed or opened his eyes.
  

• GARDEN. God specifically and intentionally made the delightful Garden of Eden for the first man. He prepared everything! "He put the man whom He had formed (created) there." To me, this speaks of God's care and love-- wherever I am in my life right now and what I am doing, He knows it and He will guide me in my life. I trust my Creator!
  
  
• FREEDOM TO CHOOSE/FREE WILL. God's command to Adam, that he "may freely eat from every tree of the garden", except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (for he shall most certainly die), teaches me more about WHO GOD IS. He is not a Creator who created robots that He can control, He created a man who has a mind, heart, soul and spirit (in God's own image and likeness/Genesis 1). God was VERY CLEAR in His command to Adam, just like in His word (Bible) to me, I can either TRUST and BELIEVE Him, or trust my own knowledge or instincts (which are limited and undependable).
  

• WOMAN / RIB. "And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman." As a woman, this is pretty astonishing to me. The way I see it men and women are like brothers and sisters (in Christ), a "family" before the eyes of God. It's not about who is greater, both are equally important and serving a specific (and distinct) roles before God.
  
  
• ONE FLESH. The first marriage in the Bible. To me, it's not that Adam and Eve did not have any choice, I look at it as God putting them together as they are meant to display how SACRED marriage is. God considers married people as ONE FLESH already. Both seeks to honor and glorify God through their UNION. It's kinda literal considering that the woman who was formed as a suitable partner for the first man was taken from his rib.

 📷Photo by Mark Furches (California)
https://throughmyblueeyes2011.blogspot.com 
An Odyssey on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.

Read the Bible here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2&version=AMP

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