Saturday, January 2, 2010

Genesis 2 elaborates the creation events, especially in regard to man's role and purpose. The emphasis of this chapter seems to center around four new relationships: between man and his Lord, man and the earth, man and the animals, and finally man and his wife (marriage). In this chapter God is referred to as "LORD", reflecting a more personal relationship that has been established. God "breathed into (man's) nostrils the breath of life", illustrating the beginning of this intimate relationship. His Lord planted a garden where He made all kinds of trees "that were pleasing to the eye and good for food" and He placed man in the garden "to work it and take care of it". Then the Lord formed all the beasts and birds and every living creature and brought them to the man, yet for him "no suitable helper was found". So, the Lord made a woman and brought her to the man, since God found that it was "not good for the man to be alone". The "man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame", since they had an entirely transparent relationship with nothing to hide and they shared a complete oneness described as "one flesh". So, man had a very special intimate relationship with God and all of creation in the garden, and enjoyed perfect fellowship. Then God gave him one command, that he must not eat from the "tree of knowledge of good and evil", thus giving man a choice to obey his Lord.