From Richard

Hi everyone

Hope you are ok. We looked at Genesis 1 last week; let’s look at Genesis 2. So let’s take our Bibles – however we do that – and read together Genesis 2; starting at verse 4.

This account looks at creation almost from a different angle and at some of the detail. It is interesting to note the references to life or source of life:

Verse 5                 Shrubs, plants, sprung up

Verse 6                 Streams, watered

Verse 7                 Breathed, breath of life, living being

Verse 8                 Planted

Verse 9                 Trees growing

Verse 10               River, watering the garden

Verses 19-20      Animals and birds

And so on.

There’s a sense of “rightness” about this passage. Of peace – of everything living in right context with each other. A sense of ample sufficiency. Life as it should be.

Then in verse 18 the Lord wants the man to have a companion and just to say at this point, how important friends and family are. How often we struggle with things on our own; the Lord blesses us twice; firstly Jesus himself. Go to him with all your burdens and “stuff” that brings you down and your joys and excitement. And the Lord gives us others too. We belong to a relational God!

Sandwiched in between all this life we find a command:

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2: 16-17)

Our culture appears not to like rules. The underlying sense is that anything that restricts my freedom must be bad. Our culture would look at this rule and say: “it’s up to you whether you follow this rule or not. They’re trying to restrict you. It’s YOUR choice. You decide.“

In going down that route what is being said is that the individual is the arbiter of right or wrong. So God is pushed out of the way; and the individual takes God’s place. There’s a lovely quote which gets this just right:

“In our heart there is a throne and a cross. We should put God on the throne and carry our cross. Yet what we do is to put ourselves on the throne and God on the cross.”

What is this tree all about anyway? Well – it’s not a magical tree. It contained no secret physical ingredient to stimulate the human brain. Rather it was there to prove (or not) the obedience and trust of people. It is interesting to note that people would have had everything they needed; food, companionship, meaning and purpose all in the context of trusting and living within the one rule that was stipulated. Just one rule. And yet….

So in the midst of all this talk about life and life in all its fulness; suddenly the result of breaking this one law is revealed: Death. And the death that comes from the breaking of the rule is spiritual death which results in physical death.

Our minds naturally will drift towards Genesis 3 at this point. That’s next week; but before we do that let’s reflect on this question:

In verse 18, our writer says: “It is not good for man to be alone.” The context in this account is that man was created first so we can easily say: It is not good for anyone to be alone.

So why not reflect on these questions:

Do you ever feel alone? How does that feel?

Why is it not good for people to be alone?

How does the idea of a God who desires relationship affect how you see and relate to God?

Why do you think God uses a law in this relationship?


Category: The Bridge , Thought for the week