20240922 Genesis 2:4-17 - Edenic Bliss Part 1

 

I love Genesis 2. The Hebrew word “Eden” means luxury, exquisite, or delight. The Greek word that translates “Garden” gives us our word “paradise.” Genesis 2 presents wholeness, completeness, and satisfaction. Eden has a beautiful landscape, great food, and the human relationship is ideal.

Genesis 2 is important to Christians because it shows us the world as God intended it. Even after sin, this picture of Genesis 2 is never lost on the Biblical authors. The Promised Land flowing with milk and honey where Israel finds rest is described in Edenic terms.

There is also a sense in which Christians re-enter the delight of Eden when they become Christians. The Holy Spirit gives us new hearts to love God and love people. He gives us a renewed sense of stewardship for God’s world.

Genesis 2 offers us glimpses of what it will be like to live in the New Heavens and New Earth. With Genesis 2, every generation of God’s people has hope. Our world has been and is marked by wars, hostility, strife, sickness, depression, despair, death, hunger, idolatry, oppression, and envy. Genesis 2 teaches us that these are not from God and that there is hope for a better future.

There is much profit in meditating on this text and becoming very familiar with this picture of paradise. It can stir up our hope when things get hard. Christians have hope because Jesus took the judgment we deserve by dying. By rising from the grave, he gives all Christians the hope of life beyond the grave. Genesis 2 fills in the picture of this Christian hope and helps us imagine a world different from our own. This is the world we were made for and are destined for. It is one with no more tears, death, mourning, or pain (Rev 21:4).

Genesis 1-2 raises topics of much debate, so here are some principles:

First, concerning the relationship between Genesis 1 and 2: In Genesis 2:4, the phrase “These are the generations …” appears eleven times to begin new sections of Genesis. This phrase separates Genesis 2 from Genesis 1. There are also parallels between Genesis 2 and Genesis 1 that invite us to read them together. They highlight distinct aspects of the world we live in, our identity, and how we live for the glory of God.

Second, Genesis 2 has a similar structure to Genesis 1, which helps for interpretation. Genesis 1:2 introduced tension—the earth was without form, it was empty, and it was dark. In the six-day creation-workweek, God shone light, gave the earth form, and filled it. Genesis 2:5 introduces this section with a similar tension. Genesis 2:5 states that there was no vegetation because the Lord had not yet caused rain, and there was no man to cultivate the land. By Genesis 2:9, there is water, a man, and vegetation. In Genesis 2:6, a mist began to water the ground. In Genesis 2:7, the Lord formed the man from dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. In Genesis 2:8-9, the Lord planted a garden in Eden. The Lord brought up trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food. The point of Genesis 2 is to present the ideal world that God created for humanity to flourish.

Genesis 2 shows man’s ideal relationship to creation (Gen 2:9-14), to God (Gen 2:15-17), and to other humans (Gen 2:18-25). We will look at man’s ideal relationship to the Land, the Lord, and the Lady. This week, we will focus on the first two.

Gen 2:9-16 Man’s Ideal Relationship to Creation (The Land)

According to Genesis 2:15, the Lord God took the man and placed him in Eden. The text portrays Eden and its richness, beauty, and abundance for humans to enjoy. In Genesis 2:9, the Lord had made trees spring up that were pleasant to the sight and good for food. Among these trees were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. With the tree of life, we see that this garden has the resources for this ideal existence to go on forever.

Genesis 2:10-14 teaches of a river flowing out of the garden and dividing into four rivers. The author lists precious stones like gold, bdellium, and onyx. The four rivers that flow out of Eden show Eden must be on a mountain (Ezek 28:13-14). The Pishon flowed around Havilah, which is the Land of Canaan. The Gihon flows around the land of Cush, which is southern Egypt. The Tigris flows through Assyria, and Euphrates through Babylon. We have the whole story of the Old Testament summarized with these rivers. These regions of Israel's enemies each have life from Eden's life-giving waters.

Application

This picture of a past paradise remained relevant to the people of Israel. When God describes the Promised Land to Abraham in Genesis 15:18-19, the boundary markers include, “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” The river Euphrates is in both lists. The Gihon River matches the river of Egypt. Many texts parallel Eden with the Promised Land. For example, Joel 2:3 states, “Before them the land is like the garden of Eden” (c.f. Ezek 36:35; Isa 51:3; Zech 14:8). While Adam lived in an ideal land, God promised to be with his people in the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. When the people were heading to the Promised Land, the picture of Eden helped them to anticipate it. When the people were sent into exile, Genesis 2 was a reminder of what they forfeited.

Genesis 2 is also relevant for Christians. In Hebrews 4:3, the author teaches that the rest promised to Israel in the Promised Land is for Christians to enjoy in Christ. If the Promised Land is like Eden, in Christ we enjoy Eden as we anticipate it in its fullness at Christ's return. In John 7:38, Jesus says that the hearts of believers will be like fountains of living water. By the Spirit, our lives are to mirror the abundance of Eden with the good fruit God produces in us.

Colossians 1:20 reads that through his shed blood on the cross, Christ reconciled all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven. This anticipates the New Creation and the New Eden of the New Heavens and New Earth. Genesis 2 presents human life in the ideal environment. For Christians, Genesis 2 helps us imagine the consummation of God's work of redemption in Christ in the New Heavens and New Earth. Genesis 2 comforts us in our trials and allows us to comfort fellow Christians. We know that all forms of suffering will only be temporary.

Gen 2:7, 15-17 Man’s Ideal Relationship to the Lord

In Genesis 1, humankind stands out from the rest of Creation. They are uniquely made in God’s image and commissioned to rule the entire world. Genesis 2 teaches us more about what God requires of us, revealing the ideal relationship between God and humans.

First, according to Genesis 2:7, we must remember our finiteness and dependence on God. In Genesis 2:7, the Lord formed the man of dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Concerning the breath of life, according to Genesis 7:22, the animals also have it. Genesis 2:19 teaches us the animals are made from dust. According to Psalm 103:14, all human beings are made from dust. The Bible teaches that those who have mothers are made of dust. Both Ecclesiastes 3:20 and Genesis 3:19 connect being made of dust with our mortality: “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”

Application

The main takeaway from the forming of dust, based on how other biblical texts use this expression, is that it is a declaration of the kind of creatures we are. We are formed from dust, meaning we are mortal beings. We have the breath of life, meaning that God keeps us alive. God gives life and sustains life, and without Him, we would have no life. The ideal relationship between God and Man is one where Man acknowledges he is dust and depends on God. Our prayer lives teach us how dependent we are on God.

Second, according to Genesis 2:15, God calls us to be His priests. In Genesis 1:28, the implication of being like God was to rule like God. Humans were presented as kings. In Genesis 2:15, the Lord God took the man and put/rested him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. The verbs “work” and “keep” are used together four times in Numbers. They refer to the work of the priest in the tabernacle. Given that the tabernacle is a mini representation of the created world, we can conclude that Adam foreshadows the priests to come. So, Genesis 1 portrays humans as kings, and Genesis 2 portrays humans as priests. As priests, they worship, keep and teach God’s commandments, and protect God’s sacred space.

Royal Priesthood in the Bible

Adam foreshadows what Israel was supposed to be. According to Exodus 19:6, Israel was to be a kingdom of priests in the Promised Land. Where Israel failed, Christ did it perfectly. He was a priest who offered the sacrifice of Himself to provide forgiveness of sins for those who believe, and He is now the King who conquered even death.

Because of what Jesus did, in Christ, Peter calls Gentile Christians a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered for this ministry. We have the responsibility to work/worship and keep/obey God’s commandments.

Adam and Eve’s mission is now our mission. When we read Genesis 1 and 2 together, we learn that humans were to both take care of a garden and multiply and fill the earth. It seems like the original plan was to cultivate the garden and slowly expand it to fill the whole earth.

This is what expanding Eden looks like for Christians. In Christ, we enjoy hints of Eden's delight. Christians enjoy a restored relationship with God, people, and nature in Christ. We can understand the call to be fruitful, multiply, and grow the spiritual Eden as the Great Commission Jesus gives to Christians. We announce what Jesus did on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. We pursue spiritual, emotional, and relational maturity. We model and teach what Jesus commanded inside and outside the church. We do this with great expectations because this is where all of history is going. Revelation 21-22 envisions this worldwide Genesis 2 picture becoming a reality. This is how we act as royal priests—we make disciples.

Living by Faith and Obedience (Gen 2:16-17)

In Genesis 2, God forms trees from the ground, and the man is allowed to eat from all of them except one. Genesis 2:17 prohibits eating from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil,” warning that “in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” In the context of Genesis 1, this is a call to live by faith in God. One of the features of Genesis 1 is the repetition of “and God saw that it was good.” This repetition teaches us that God is the one who declares what is good. Eating from this fruit would mean wanting to be God, desiring independence from God, and refusing to trust His revelation of what is good and bad.

This command comes with the threat of death. God gives life for a purpose. As kings, humanity must rule in His name. As priests, humanity must worship and obey His instructions. If humans reject their role, it is God’s prerogative to take life away. The consequence of sin is death.

There is a hidden promise in this threat: If you obey, you will live. Genesis 3:22 suggests that life in Eden was intended to last forever, with access to the tree of life.

Covenant of Works

Because obedience is required to enjoy God’s presence forever, many refer to this arrangement as the Covenant of Works. This covenant is still in place. It is impossible for us as sinners to keep, but if someone were to live perfectly without sinning, they would “earn their way to heaven.” Part of Jesus’ ministry and living the perfect life was fulfilling this covenant of works on our behalf.

Application

The command not to eat from the tree is a call to live by trusting God. This text calls us to faith, trust, dependence, and reliance on God’s declaration of what is good. This is the ideal relationship with God in Genesis 2. It is still what God requires of us today. Now, God requires us to trust in Christ.

Conclusion

Genesis 2:4-25 presents the ideal Edenic state of humans’ relationship to creation, God, and each other—"the Land, the Lord, and the Lady." We examined two of these three. We saw a land flowing with living water, precious metals, and trees for food. Before God, humans must remember their finiteness and dependence. We must serve Him as His priests and live by faith, which expresses itself in obedience. Genesis 2 presents a picture of what we long for.

When we imagine the perfect holiday, it often includes three things: a place flowing with milk and honey (like the beach, a mountain, or a lake), lavish meals, and the company of loved ones—friends or family. Our holiday dreams reflect our longing for Eden.

The Christian life is not just about enjoying Eden on holiday. We have a God who gives us Genesis 2 for hope in a broken world. One day, we will be truly satisfied in our Creator forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. But even now, we can enjoy nature, prioritize relationships, and enjoy good food.

In our families, some are dying, some have long-term illnesses, and there are difficult relational situations. Yet, in the midst of it all, we can experience small glimpses of Eden. Christ has restored our relationship with God. Within the church, we can experience new creation relationships, and we can all pay greater attention to the beauty of God's creation.

Curt Thompson speaks of the importance of Eden. He says that when someone wants to have a hard conversation or voice strong disagreements, you need to invite them to Eden. Host a feast with good food and drink, and communicate upfront that the relationship is always more important than the problem. He believes that all people want to be seen, heard, celebrated, and safe. The context of a festive, Eden-like meal provides the right environment for delight, satisfaction, and right relationships, which allow for hard conversations to take place in a healthy manner.

Let’s enjoy Eden in our day-to-day lives. Let’s live Genesis 2.