Genesis Chapter 2

*When you see information in parenthesis, it means that I am giving you the Strong’s English definition for the translated Hebrew word or an alternate translation of the word/phrase.

The first part of chapter 2 of Genesis concludes the creation story in chapter 1.  In vs. 1-3 God rests on the 7^th day and blessed that day of rest.  This is the first Sabbath. 

Another version of the creation story is in chapter 2.  The order of creation is totally different than chapter 1.

vs. 4-6 There were no plants on earth because it had not rained.  Humans were not there to farm the land.  A stream of water nourished the earth.

v.7 Man was formed out of the dust of the ground and God breathed life into him.

v.8 The garden of Eden (delight, fertility, or pleasure) was created.

v. 9 Plants came to life including the tree of knowledge and good and evil and the tree of life.

v. 10-14 Talks about the rivers flowing out of Eden into the surrounding lands.  Each land is identified by their precious jewels.

v. 15-17 God puts man in the garden and forbids him to eat from the tree of knowledge and good and evil. God tells him that the result will be death.

v.18 God says that man needs a companion.

v. 19-20 God makes animals and man names them.  None of the animals are suitable partners.

I find it problematic that God creates animals as a potential companion for man.  If God is an intelligent creator, wouldn’t he know that man and animals aren’t partners?  This contradicts the notion that God is all knowing.   These verses make God seem like a like he doesn’t know what he’s doing; unlike God in chapter 1 who is in charge of every aspect of his intelligent design.  Maybe this version of the story was written by a different writer or maybe it was a part of a different oral tradition.

vs. 21-23 God puts the man to sleep and forms the woman out of his rib (side).  Woman (ishsha) Man (ish)

v. 24 Man and woman becomes one flesh again through marriage.

v. The man and woman were naked and unashamed.

This is symbolic of being free from sin, depravity, and sexual insecurity.  They were nude and free; bathing in natural love and divine union with each other and God.  They were innocent.

Genesis Chapter 1

Genesis is the first book of the bible and the first book in the Pentateuch (1^st five books of the bible).  It is a part of the Torah and the Christian Old Testament.  Genesis is Greek for “origin” or “birth”.  It is called Bereshit, in the Torah, which means “in the beginning.”  The writer(s) of Genesis is unknown but tradition attributes authorship to Moses.  It is speculated to be written around the 8-10^th century BCE.

*When you see information in parenthesis, it means that I am giving you the Strong’s English definition for the translated Hebrew word or an alternate translation of the word/phrase.

Genesis 1:1 begins with God creating the earth (or when God began to create). 

V.2 says that the earth was a formless (empty, confused, chaotic) void (waste) and darkness (obscurity, secret place) covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God (or the spirit of God or a mighty wind) swept over the face of the waters.

Is God creating from nothing or is God bringing order from chaos?  The original words are ambiguous in this.  What is happening in the chaos?

v. 3 God commanded that light be and it became.  

God begins his creations in vs. 4-31

Day 1-God created night and day.

Day 2-God separated water from sky.

Day 3-God creates dry land, seas, and vegetation.

Day 4- God creates the sun, moon, and stars.

I find day 4 interesting because this makes the earth the center of all creation and the rest of the universe is an afterthought.  According to this, the heavenly bodies were placed just to give light to the earth and to measure time.  If this is to be taken as literal, this may contribute to why people may not believe there is life on other planets.

The sun, moon, and stars, are unnamed because the neighboring people worshiped the heavenly bodies.  The writer(s) of Genesis wanted to ensure that the heavenly bodies were not emphasized.

Day 5- God created the sea creatures and birds.

Day 6- God created the land animals and humans.

v.26 God says let’s make man in our image and likeness. 

Who is “us” and “our”?  Is it the trinity?  Is it a heavenly council including God and God’s angels?  Is this a polytheistic writer?  The word used in this text is Elohim (God or gods).

v.27 God created male and female in his image.  Man and woman were created together.  They were created equal.

v.28 God tells man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth, and have dominion over all living creatures. 

Sex is blessed act.  This contradicts America’s Puritanical ideas about sex being dirty.  Heterosexual sex is actually the first commandment God gives to humanity and all living creatures.  Procreation is vital to survival.

Vs. 29-30 God gives humans and beasts vegetation for food.   This can support the argument that a vegetarian diet is the diet of a perfect world.

v. 31 All creation is good. 

Everything that God made is good in its natural state.  Nothing or no one is created to be a catalyst for evil.  Everything that God made at this point is completely good.

Journey Through the Bible

The Bible has always been fascinating to me.   It is no surprise that is the bestselling book of all time. It reveals God’s love and mercy to humanity.  The bible is full of adventure, poetry, rich narratives, blood thirsty wars, family struggle, drama, betrayal, jealousy, lust, excitement, sacrifice, romance, history, and love.  The bible is better than any movie Hollywood could create and more interesting than any novel.  The bible is a source of inspiration, enlightenment, motivation, and life lessons.  Most of all, it a guide book for this life and the next.

I would like to read the bible with you.  I want to examine each book, look into the history of the people, and contemplate on the wording, the imagery, and the underlining stories.  I seek to read without an agenda (if that is possible) and see the bible in a new light.  My heart will be open and I will try to destroy all of my embedded theology while I read with fresh eyes.  I will share with you my questions, thoughts, struggles, insights, and revelations.  And, I welcome you to read along with me and share where you are too.  Let us begin our journey together on http://rockandtreeministries.blogspot.com/.  Log in frequently to see new entries and please feel free to share! 

References for this blog series:
Oremus Bible Browser. February 10, 2011. http://bible.oremus.org/ (accessed April 5, 2013).

Strong, James. The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990.

Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Prod. E-Sword.

The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1997.

The Nelson Study Bible New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997.

The New Interpreters Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha . Nashville: Abingdon, 2003.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with The Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.