Wednesday AM Bible Study; August 13, 2025 – Genesis 2:4-17

Theme: We, as God’s handiwork, are made for a relationship of love and obedience with Him.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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The story that we’re about to study is among the most significant stories that we, as human beings, can ever know. It gives the answer to the fundamental question of why we exist. At the very beginning of the Bible’s story of ‘us’, we find these words:

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:4-17).

What we learn from this story is that we have an essential nature and purpose that is above and beyond anything we could give to ourselves. It teaches us that we, as God’s handiwork, are made for a relationship of love and obedience with Him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now, many have compared this passage with the story of creation that we find in Genesis 1:1-2:3—and particularly the story of the creation of the first man and the first woman in Genesis 1:26-28—and have assumed that they report two competing versions of human creation. With reference to the sixth day of God’s work, Genesis 1:26-28 tells us,

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (1:26-28).

Because the order of events in Genesis 1 seems notably different from the order of events in Genesis 2, the belief of some has been that they present two different ‘traditions’ of the creation story. Some have even gone so far as to attribute them to two different sources or authors. But actually, there’s no competition between these two different accounts. They are in harmony with each other; and it’s best to see them as telling the same story, but with two different emphases. The story as told in Genesis 1 emphasizes what we might call the “objective” view of humankind’s essential nature, but without regard to specific chronological details. In relation to God the Creator, humankind is presented as “image-bearer”; and in relation to the rest of God’s creation, humankind is presented as “dominion-keeper”. The first man and the first woman were declared to have been made in the image of God, and were given the task of being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing it, and having dominion as stewards over it. These things are true of all people at all times and in all conditions—whether or not they are aware of them or accept them to be true. They are unalterably objective aspects of humanity’s essential being. But the story as told in Genesis 2 emphasizes what we might call the “subjective” view of humankind’s essential nature. It provides us with the essentials of what human beings were made for, but to which they may or may not conform in actual practice. The details are given to us of how God created the first man, Adam, in an act of deeply intimate love and in such a way that His love can be reciprocated by Adam and by all people who came forth from him. And then, the details are given to us, in an orderly way, of how God gave Adam instructions that required action and commandments that required faithfulness. All that was commanded of Adam applied also to the woman that came from him—and to all the offspring that they would bring forth. In other words, the passage in Genesis 2 shows us first that we all have been made to enjoy a relationship of love with God our Creator; and second that we all were made to obey the God who made us for Himself. The particular story, as it’s told in Genesis 2, was necessary for setting the context of what we find in Genesis 3—the terrible story of humankind’s rebellion against both love and obedience toward God, and the plan God set forth for redemption. But more, the love and obedience that’s presented to us in this story is definitive of the very nature of our being. It’s because our first parents rebelled against love toward God and obedience to Him—and thus rebelled against their very nature—that our redemption through the Savior became necessary. Now; the main focus of verses 4-7 is that … 1. WE WERE MADE FOR A RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE WITH GOD. This passage begins by describing the environment in which God created Adam before Eve was brought forth from him. Verse 4 tells us, “This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown.” The word translated “history” can also be translated “generation” or “account”. In the original language, it’s put in the plural form: “These are the generations [or accounts] of the heavens and the earth when they were created”; making it a summary statement of all that came before. The word “day” (in the singular) in the phrase “in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens”—is the same word that was used to designate each of the days of creation in Chapter 1, and is obviously being used here to define the general period of the completion of that work before the seventh day of rest. This verse, then, is meant to mark out a definitive break from the narrative as told in Chapter 1 in order to give further details of the story in Chapter 2. And among those details is the nature of the environment in which God had made Adam. Verse 5 goes on to tell us, “For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.” This is meant to account for the fact that an environment was created in which Adam would do the work that God was about to give him; but that no growth had arisen yet since Adam had not yet been formed. Apparently, the kind of plants that require cultivation and care by Adam—the kind that we find described on the third day (in 1:11)—were kept only in seed form in the ground until after the sixth day. Note that the hydrological system of the earth before the flood was quite a bit different from the system after the flood. Rather than being watered by rainfall, the surface was watered then by a ‘mist’ or ‘fog’ that arose from below. It was only after this environment was prepared that we find the wonderful words of verse 7: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Here, we’re told of the intimacy with which God made the first man. He made Adam from the very ground that he was to till; and created him in a way that is unlike anything else that He created—personally forming his body, and breathing life into him by His own breath. How this was done isn’t specifically explained to us; but enough is told to us to emphasize the complete uniqueness of humanity over all else that God made. And this unique process of creation highlights love. Before this, only a brief explanation of humanity’s creation had been in Genesis 1:26. There, we’re told, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” But even there, we’re given a hint of ‘love’. The “Us” of that verse suggests to us what we know clearly from the greater light of the New Testament—that God, in the essential nature of His being, is a Plurality (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). “God is love”, we’re told in 1 John 4:8; and this isn’t just true in a sentimental sense, but rather because God is a Trinity of Persons who are in an eternal relationship of love. And so, just as God is relational in His essential being, and just as God made man in His own image, man too is made to be relational in his essential being. The ultimate goal of God’s saving grace is to bring the redeemed man or woman into the experience of the overflow of the divine love that the Triune God enjoys together forever. Redeemed humanity is destined—by design—for the fullest experience of eternal love. As Jesus prayed to the Father for His disciples in John 17,

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:20-24).

This is why Paul could close one of his letters with the blessing:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

So then; verses 2-7 describe humankind as made in relationship with God in very intimate terms; and in a way that is not declared to be true of any other of God’s created beings. The first man was formed personally by God—as if by His own loving hands; and he became a living being by the very breath of life that God lovingly breathed into him as if by His own mouth. We’re told of the nurturing character of this love relationship by how God placed man in the environment of life and work that He made specifically for Him. In every respect, then, man is shown to be a creature that was formed for a unique privilege—a deep, loving, personal relationship with the Creator. To deny ourselves of this relationship would be to deny our very humanity—and also to deny ourselves of the fulfilling experience for which we were truly made. That relationship of love having been shown to us, 8-17 then goes on to emphasize that … 2. WE WERE MADE FOR OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COMMANDS. Verses 8-14 give us further details about the environment in which Adam would live and work. Verses 8-9 describe the garden that God had made for him. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” It’s important to note that, among all the good plants that God had caused to grow for him in this garden was the tree of life. So long as it was in the garden, Adam must have been free to eat of it; since there was no prohibition from doing so before the fall. This important tree must have—in some way—advanced life; because later, Adam and Eve were prevented from eating of it after the fall, “lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). This tree also will be present in the new Jerusalem that is promised in Revelation 22:2, “for the healing of the nations”. It’s fascinating that this tree is found at the very beginning of the Bible and also at the end. It’s also important to note that, in the midst of the garden that God made for Adam, was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then, notice the environment surrounding the garden. Verses 10-14 tell us, “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.” The names of two of these rivers—Hiddekel (or the Tigris) and the Euphrates—are the names of rivers that exist today. But it’s hard to say for sure whether they are the same rivers; since the surface of the earth would have been transformed dramatically as a result of the world-wide flood. But the mention of these four rivers and the known directions and regions into which they flowed—and also the minerals and stones that could be found in them—suggests that a part of man’s essential nature involves the task of discovery, and of exploring his environment. Then God gave Adam a specific job to be done—and along with it a command to be kept. We’re told in verses 15-17, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” When God said that man would “surely die” on the day that he disobeyed God’s command regarding “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, it wasn’t because the fruit was somehow poisoned; since it was declared—along with all else that God made—to be ‘good’. Nor was it—as some have suggested—because God didn’t want man to have access to knowledge. It was the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil; and that distinction of knowledge came through disobedience and the personal experience of evil. We’re later shown the relational nature of that death in that man sought to hide from God after disobeying Him (Genesis 3:8-9). God had to call out to him, “Where are you?” What’s more, Adam’s relationship with the woman was also affected (see 3:12). Disobedience brought about “death”; and that death is presented in the Genesis story as a severing of relationship with God and fellow man—only later to be followed by physical death. The point of all this is that, just as a relationship of love with God is an essential part of our created nature, so also is obedience to His commands. Disobedience to God brings about a severing of the relationship. This is why the Lord Jesus has taught us,

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).

It’s why the Bible tells us, He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy,And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). * * * * * * * * * * Now, the two essential aspects of Adam’s created design that are presented to us in Genesis 2—that he was made both for a relationship with God and obedience to God—are what underlay the message of the gospel that saves us. We are made for a relationship of mutual love with our Creator; and our innermost being cannot help but yearn longingly for that for which we were made. And yet, sin through disobedience has broken that relationship; so that we are alienated from the God who created us for Himself, and are in a state of rebellion against His commands. But God has taken the initiative to restore the relationship by sending His Son—sending Him, in fact, to be in so close a relationship with us that He has taken full human nature to Himself through the incarnation, and has forever become one of us. Jesus, the God/Man, lived in perfect obedience to the Father’s commandments, and atoned for our sins in His own body on the cross. The two key notes of the gospel, then, are reconciliation with God (answering to our need for love) and the call to place our faith in what Jesus did for us (answering to our need for obedience). As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). We’re living in a time when the answer to the question ‘Why do we exist?’ is crucial. Throughout history, human beings have sought to define—or redefine—their own purpose. Some have sought to transcend human nature itself. The current advent of AI; the pursuit of man-made ‘artificial consciousness’; the proposition that human beings will eventually merge the human mind with computer technology and advance into a kind of trans-human state—all call us back to our desperate need for the Bible’s answer to why it is that we exist in the first place. And the answer is that we were made for a relationship of love and obedience to God.

AE