MONDAY, July 6, 2009 READ: Genesis 2: 15 - 25
GOD’S COMMAND GIVEN TO ADAM
MEMORIZE: ‘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: 16, 17
“To know is to be responsible.” When God spoke to Adam and commanded him to eat of every tree of the garden of Eden, except “… the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” telling him that “… in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” He was making Adam to become responsible and accountable for obeying Him. God holds us responsible for what He has made known to us and for what we know. Adam was responsible to believe that God meant what He had said, and that He would be faithful to do what He said He would do. Observe
In our text, Genesis 2: 15 – 25, we can see how God commanded Adam to behave in a manner that would enable him to preserve his relationship with God and avoid death. He was not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Observe that the first time that mention is made of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was in conjunction with the tree of life, which was “… in the midst of the garden… (v. 9). It was after He had commanded Adam that He indicated His intention to provide an adequate and comparable helper for him (vv. 18, 20). None of the animals were intended to be or serve as an adequate helper or companion for the man. Is it consistent with God’s will, or, in order with God’s will, when pets are elevated to the level of human companions? There are people who show more regard and concern for their pets than for other human beings. Why? In vv. 21, 22, we can see how God took the rib from the side of the man and used it to build the woman, the adequate helper, and presented her to the man. In v. 23, we see how the man experienced the woman as being compatible with him, complementary to him and adequate for him. He experienced her as answering to a significant need that he felt. That was the way that God intended that the woman that God built for Adam should be to him (cf. 1 Corinthians 11: 8, 9). That is what God intends to take place in the companionship which he provides for us. His choice is always adequate and appropriate for us. In v. 24, we see how God instituted the ordinance for the man to “… leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” There is a tradition which claims that when a man marries a woman, he marries her family. That is man-made tradition. That is not what this text is saying. This text does not sanction that kind of arrangement. When two individuals, whom God has brought together marry each other, it is required, actually, assumed that the woman will also leave her father and mother, and that both the man and the woman will become joined to each other, so that a new entity will be formed – “… one flesh.” There is to be an interdependent relationship with both families. Are you in touch with that? In v. 25, we are told that both the man and his wife were both naked and they were not ashamed. They were not ashamed of themselves before each other. What is shame? There was no evil within them. They were at peace with God and at peace with each other. They were satisfied with God’s provisions for them, and they were not experiencing any thing that they needed being withheld from them. They trusted God and were free to trust each other. They did not feel any sense of shame. Have you ever experienced a sense of shame? If “yes,” what was it that made you feel ashamed?
PRAY:LORD God, Almighty, thank You for helping me to get a glimpse of what life was like for the man and the woman in the beginning. Please help me to understand what Your word teaches about how things have come to be what they are. I really want to know You. Thank You, in Jesus’ strong name. Amen.