Genesis 2:4-25: formed by God

Immediately after the story of creation comes…another creation story?  Some say that these are two different accounts of creation, because what other reason would there be for the story to repeat itself?

I would argue that rather than simply repeating an account of creation, Genesis is focusing in on a specific part of the story in order to elaborate on some very important truths as evidenced in the change in language.  For example, the narrative begins by speaking of the “earth and heavens” rather than the “heavens and the earth”.  The perspective has changed from cosmic, to very much down to earth.  This shift in perspective, considered together with the sudden addition of “Lord” before God, signals that the story is moving to a relational level.  Each part of creation will no longer exist in isolation, but instead in relationship with one another.  That relationship is demonstrated not only in the fact that humankind was created, but how humankind was created.  “Formed”, the word used for God’s creation of humankind, is more intimate than simply “created”.  It brings to mind a potter sitting at his wheel, carefully and painstakingly fashioning something.  However, this is no mere ornamental, inanimate object, but something that is very much alive.  Humans are said to have the very breath of God in their bodies.   This is likely the reason why they are referred to as living beings, or souls.  Humanity is placed in a garden possessing that which is both good for food, and delightful to the eye.  Work is part of humanity’s lot even before the fall, and was given as a blessing.  The fullness of humanity is described as both male and female.  God’s statement that it was “not good” for man to be alone is set in the emphatic position, so that man’s need for companionship is stressed.  It is for this reason that God creates Eve.  While our culture has conditioned us to see the word “helper” as pejorative, here it is meant to signify woman’s essential contribution.  Without the help of women, humanity’s task could never be complete.  This is confirmed by the Hebrew word for suitable, which actually means “equal and adequate”.  The Bible makes it clear, here and elsewhere, that true marriage is the equality of the husband and the wife, as they work together to fulfill their vocation.  Woman may be taken from man, but that means that she is forever a part of man, their destinies being entwined.  This is certainly the way the Apostle Paul sees it, when he tells the Ephesians that “husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:28-30)   There is something beautiful, something divine even, when a man and woman decide to invest as much in one another, as they do in themselves.  Bruce K. Waltke would say it this way, “a man and woman are never more like God than on their wedding day when they commit themselves unconditionally to one another.”  It’s not random, that the covenant commitment made in marriage is used to depict God’s relationship with His people on more than one occasion.  It’s the deepest expression of love possible between a man and a woman, and our greatest way of relating to God’s love for us. 

What does this story teach us about humanity?  First of all, it reaffirms what each one of us already knows deep down inside, that we are unique among God’s creation.  God does not just “create” humanity, God “forms” us.  We also learn that we bear the breath of God.  Finally, we learn that we can only find true companionship in other humans. 

We don’t just learn about humanity from this story, we also learn about God.  We are told of a God who takes great care in forming humankind, specifically because of His desire to have a relationship with us.  We are told of a God who gives to man not only the gift of creation, but specifically the gift of the ideal companion to work alongside him. 

Finally, what we learn of humanity and what we learn of God come together to teach us something about marriage.  In the Biblical view of marriage, husband and wife are shown to be equal.  An adaption of Matthew Henry’s words has often been quoted, that woman “is not made out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near to his heart to be beloved.”  Henry’s statement is a reflection of what the Apostle Paul would write to the Ephesians, particularly the Ephesian men:

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” – Ephesians 5:25-27

What a beautiful thing, that God creates us not alone, but to live in communion with one another.  While that communion can come in diverse forms and have many functions, it reaches its zenith when a man and a woman surrender a part of themselves, in order to become one.  

Genesis 1:1-2:3: In the beginning...

Why is creation so important?  Why does the Bible begin the story of God’s activity in our world, and even in our universe, with the account of creation?

God wants us to understand the fundamental truth that we are no accident.  Many of the leading atheists of our day would try to drive a wedge between our understanding of God’s role as creator, and our faith in Jesus Christ.  Richard Dawkins, perhaps the most prominent atheist in contemporary society stated the following:

“What you cannot really logically do is to say, well I believe that there's some kind of intelligence, some kind of divine physicist who designed the laws of physics, therefore Jesus is my lord and savior who died for my sins. That's an impermissible illogicality that unfortunately many people resort to.”

Dawkins, and others who share his beliefs, or lack thereof, would have us think that there is no connection between a God who creates, and Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us otherwise though, with the gospel of John clearly indicating that Jesus Christ ministry was one of re-creation, creating anew a world that had, and in many ways still has, gone horribly wrong. 

So what do we learn from the story of creation as told to us by the Bible?  In Genesis we see God first forming, and then filling.  God forms first the light on day 1, then the sea and the air on day 2, and finally the dry land on day 3.  With the formation of land, God’s reign advances from the realm of time, to that of space as well.  Imagine also the burst of color, as the white and black of light and dark are joined by the blue of the oceans, and green of the grass, the white of the snow, and the tan of the desert.  God has created the life-support systems needed for animals, and for humans: light, air and water, and land. Having formed vast habitats, God then begins to fill them with things, of both the living and non-living sort.  While he formed or created light and darkness on the first day, on day 4 God creates the specific lights: the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Their function is clear: to delineate between night and day, to serve as signs of the passage of time, and to illuminate the earth.  While in other ancient religions the sun and moon were seen as gods themselves, here they are created not to be served, but to serve.  The sky and the sea created by God on the second day are now filled on day 5 with fish and birds that God blesses, and commands to multiply.  In the final action of creation, on day 6, God fills the land that was made on the third day with animals, and then humans.  While there is no full-blown Trinitarian reference, the usage of “us” seems to strongly hint at a plurality in unity.  Man is created not with a grand pronouncement, “let there be”; but with the indication of effort befitting a masterpiece, “let us make.”  Again, ancient convention is turned on its head.  While many early societies saw the king as the image of God, humankind in its most democratic sense bears the image of God.  One does not have to venture into a throne-room to catch of a glimpse of the divine spark, but can see it in the face of the man or woman we pass on the road, encounter in the market, or do business with in town.  To this crowning achievement of creation God says not only “good”, but “very good”.   Finally, we see God rest.  Creation is now done, and from now on procreation will be the method of bringing about new life.  In a way, God hands over the task of bringing about new life to what has just itself been created, and in the process invites creation into the divine task of filling God’s created world. 

It’s a beautiful story, but at the same time it’s more than a story.  It’s a story, THE story, which tells us something about God.  It tells us that God is eternal.  It is mind-blowing, and yet not odd to ponder the fact that God is eternal.  However, normally we consider only the future, and not the past ramifications of that idea.  God existed before time began, and in fact invented time itself.  God has always existed, and will always exist, and God created humanity so that we can enjoy eternity with Him.  Our creation points to the fact that God exists in relationship.  God is not alone as God creates.  The account in Genesis says that “Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…”  (Genesis 1:2)  As God begins to create humankind, He states “let US make man in our image.” (Genesis 1:26)  It is not until the gospel of John that we learn that Jesus, the Word, is part of the “us”.  Finally, we learn that God creates.  God creates, in that things are brought to be out of nothingness, simply by God’s willing them into existence.  In so creating, God brings order out of the chaos. 

We’ve seen what creation tells us about God.  Does it also tell us something about ourselves?  We learn that men (and women) are made in God’s image.  In a world where violence against our fellow man seems to be the order of the day, we need desperately to hear the words spoken by God at creation, that humanity possesses a divine spark, and that the killing of a human is an assault against the divine image that each person bears.  Indeed, there is something special about humanity as creation.  God clearly approached our creation differently, with a special purpose in mind.  D. J. A. Clines would say: “In Christ man sees what manhood was meant to be…men are the image of Christ so far as they are like Christ…this is how man, the image of God, who is already man, already the image of God, can become fully man, fully the image of God.” It’s easy to get lost in the words, but in short Clines is simply stating that Jesus came to show us how to be human, and in the process how to bear the image of God. 

All this talk of the story of creation begs the question, what story is informing your life?  Do you believe that you are an accident, a historical coincidence with no greater purpose, with no deeper meaning for your life?

Or, do you believe that you were created by a loving God and that your uniqueness in creation points to a greater purpose? Do you believe that purpose is for you to exist in a relationship with Him?  

Creation was divine, not accidental. Genesis shares the story of creation with us as an invitation to believe that God, the Creator, is able to bring order out of chaos, just as He brought a beautiful universe from the void. The Creator is able to re-create as evidenced by the life of Jesus Christ and His ministry. Why not allow your Creator the opportunity to take the mess that you have made with your life and shape it into something beautiful?