Genesis 2:4-5 KJV [4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, [5] and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.4-5.KJV
Strange hmm 🤔. So what exactly happened in Chapter 1? What was all that activity about? Was it a mere charade? God calls forth creation, makes the sky earth 🌎 sea 🌊 etc and even blesses them. And now we look at the earth in chapter 2 and there is nothing visible, because the earth was 🌎 waiting for rain ☔. Which understandably is what causes stuff to grow.
Fair enough but now we see that there was no man and that is the reason given for no visible growth of anything. What exactly was going on?
This brings us to a great principle. God is a God of order wisdom and processes. Within a simple seed is a wonderful tree 🎄 which can nest birds feed animals etc etc. All that activity is hidden in a simple seed. And it is the same thing we see here. Process and order, not just random creation and calling forth of things to be.
Man for whom all these were created for needed to be around before any of the things created matured to fullness. The caretaker of the earth was needed to be present first.
Two reasons why the work which the lord had completed and rested from had not yet materialised
1. There was not yet rain which was to trigger growth: there was a set order and principle of growth and the rain would do that job.
2. The man for whom all these things were created for was not yet present to till the earth 🌎. So God formed a fully grown man 👨🏿 and planted him in the garden and caused the trees 🎄 to also grow abnormally and have fruits for the man. And from there left everything to its natural cause.
Genesis 2:8 KJV [8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.8.KJV
A perfect chicken 🐥 and egg 🥚 scenario. Which one did God create first? Here we see God created both.
He laid the foundation for the earth 🌎. That is plants animals and all productive living organisms and hid it in the seed awaiting rain.
☔Then he goes ahead and plants a complete fully grown garden and a fully formed man 👨 to tend the garden
Genesis 2:15 KJV [15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.15.KJV
To dress? Well understood but to keep it? Keep it from who and what.
From the unset of creation, there has been this subtle suggestion of an enemy. An enemy put in the earth who needed to be kept out. for instance in Genesis 1:28 man was commanded to subdue the earth. Why subdue if there is no rebellion or possibility of it? 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 2:15 KJV [15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.15.KJV
Genesis 2:17 KJV [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.17.KJV
The nature 🏞 of the tree could not be imparted by communicating it though is a tree of knowledge. Quite ironic right? How else was knowledge to be imparted? It was to be imparted by eating it. It was almost like a pen drive containing malware that is transmitted through the hardware.
See God mentioned that the tree 🎄 held the knowledge of good and evil 😈 though evil was not in the lives of Adam and Eve. That means the desire for evil was not in them.
God could actually mention that there is good and evil and they still did not have knowledge of the distinction. They knew only good. They were good by nature 🏞.
But the tree would introduce a knowledge. The fruit 🥝 was actually one that imparts knowledge. Does that mean they did not know good either? I don’t think so.
They knew good and because that was all they knew there was nothing to compare to for them to even say that something was good and another evil.
You can only distinguish the two if you know both… For example, for most of us in Africa 🌍 who grew up in a poor community, we did not know we were poor. We just lived and knew things were hard but we were happy 😊.
Until we were probably moved out of our community as we grew up and realized we were poor.
The tree 🎄 made knowledge of evil part of us. In our flesh and our souls, even our spirit. We were contaminated. This was why the moment they ate the fruit they saw they were naked. in the sense that they felt the shame of it.
Interestingly God’s reaction to their hiding was a strange question 🙋… Move to chapter three verses 10 to 11 notes.
Genesis 2:17 KJV [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.17.KJV
Genesis 2:18 KJV [18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.18.KJV
What God saw that was good, indeed very good was the created things and the creation of man and woman respectively. And now he sees the man alone and says “not good”. He then goes ahead to bring good to him. That is the various animal forms and shapes.
To which he gave names to them all and none was comparable to him. He then puts man to sleep and forms another creature and brings her to him to which Adam himself confirmed that this was comparable to him for she was”his born and flesh”.
He gives her the name woman 👩🏽. This was indeed “very good” Genesis 2:18 KJV [18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.18.KJV
Genesis 2:19 KJV [19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.19.KJV
Adam was so highly intelligent and super smart. His language was already fully formed. He had such vastness of understanding that he could create and coin language.
Thus he named the animals, creating new non-existent language as he named them.
Genesis 2:19 KJV [19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.19.KJV
Genesis 2:20 KJV [20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.20.KJV
So there was found help for Adam but not comparable/meet for him. Note that animals were not eating each other and neither was man eating animals. So then the purpose of other creatures was for variety and as a support system for man. To help man 👨🏿.
But none was like him. So God went back to work, looking for help meet for him and when he finished 🏁 he brought this creature to Adam just as he Had done with all the other creatures.
And there Adam himself saw that this was bone 🍖 of his and flesh of his, unlike the others. And he gave her the name Woman 👩🏽
Genesis 2:21 KJV [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.21.KJV
And hence the popular expression said of a man 👨 who finds a wife… You have found your missing rib
Genesis 2:25 KJV [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.25.KJV
This point is worth noting because it ties in with the eating of the tree of good and evil 😈 in chapter three.
Genesis 2:25 KJV [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.25.KJV