Discuss Genesis 2 Page 44

Why did God make a law which if transgressed was deemed to be evil and the punishment of death given for the transgression, when at that stage Adam and Eve did not have the knowledge of good and evil?
How were Adam and Eve meant to understand good and evil when they had no knowledge of it?

I find it very intriguing when people ignore the obvious, and yet, they can develop a whole theory based on assumptions! The obvious: Man was “formed of the dust of the ground”, and after God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”, he “became a living soul” ( Genesis 2:7). He was not created “an immortal spirit” as there is no Bible support for that: but rather made of flesh, blood and bones. When Adam met Eve for the first time, he did not exclaim, “This is spirit of my spirit” but: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man ( Genesis 2:23). And, with all their sanctity, beauty and perfection, our first parents were given the First Commandment, under the penalty of death: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” ( Genesis 2:16, 17). Their very existence depended on their obedience to God. It’s a pity that Eve believed “the serpent” instead of God! But I guess we are no different today… God says: “THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN, (at creation) and not man for the Sabbath” ( Mark 2:27). And, “I rested on the seventh day from all My work which I had made. And I blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” ( Genesis 2:2, 3). But man says: “It don’t matter to me, the Sabbath was made for the Jews only”.

I cry!

Genesis 2 is similar to Genesis 1. They both deal with one Subject. The Subject at the core of these chapters is God, Creator. He does not allow man to be the central idea there. It is God. To be created in His image and likeness is to be created as essentially spirit, like God is ( John 4:24). We are at our core, spirit. The flesh is an outward shelter which is temporal. The spirit is what can know God and it is eternal.
Concerning the sabbath (rest). God was modelling what was good for man ( Mark 2:27). But God did NOT institute a sabbath commandment there at that point. He modelled the rest, and Adam and Eve in this place of heavenly oneness with God, free from sin, were at rest. The commandment came later.

This is one of the powerful chapters which exhibit the power given to man by God. The million dollar question is WHY DID GOD REST FROM HIS WORKS? It is clear when God thought of creating man with the same image as God and after his likeness, he transferred all power to man. Image means we look like God. This means when God was down in the Garden of Eden there was no difference between God and man. Secondly likeness, the power to create was given to man. God had to rest from all his works because he had created a man in his image and likeness. There was never any mention in the bible where God created a new thing except that man started to make cars, aeroplanes, houses, ships and new technologies. Man was given dominion over everything which God had created before man. Whatever we do not have it’s because we are not creating with our own mouths. God was pleased with his own masterpiece man who was to continue creating on his own behalf. He could have continued to create to the tenth day but chose the seventh day. The day is not important but what is important is why did God rest.

Hi Dylan,
In fact there are not 2 creations of man (and woman) in the book of Genesis, but one which took place in Genesis 1:27. God then created them male and female in His own likeness.
Now in Genesis 2, God did not create man the second time, but just formed man (body), because what man’s body is made of was already created when God created the heavens and earth, Genesis 2:7.
Which means Genesis 2:7 just completes Genesis 7:26-28 where God created the spiritual side of man, which creation no one can explain; yet in Genesis 2:7, God gives a body to that spiritual man, a body God formed from already existing natural elements. But that was simultaneous, it is only the count that separate them.
God bless you.

I have read this chapter and found a bit of confusion. It is a detailed account of the beginning. God created man plural and then women! From that seed we are all in existence. Lean not to your on understanding, but rather give the holy spirit freedom to expand your knowledge of the truth. God has given us more than just chapters 1 and 2. Just look around us and all the witness he has given us. I find no such witness for evolution! I’ve never seen an ape turn into a man. Evolution is of man and creation of God. I am a living proof that there is one God, and so are you!!

That is very touching.

The serpent was Lucifer (the prince of this world, the devil) in disguise; a fallen angel, and is not associated with the earthly beasts that were created in Genesis 2:19.

Genesis 2:
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; … 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” If the seventh day Sabbath was instituted at creation, along with the marriage between a man and a woman: why do people call it “the Jewish Sabbath”, and think that same sex marriage is OK? Could it be that we lost them both and now we are just looking for excuses not to listen to God? What kind of legacy do we leave to our children?

@Gary El,
Yes, the serpent was one of the animals Adam named.
Genesis 2:19 declares : “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof”.
The verse says “Adam called every living creature”, which definitely includes the serpent.
God bless you.

I like what Jane says, God knew us even before we came to be. Even before life was put in us just like before the plants got water to Grow, God knew of our existence. God is just awesome.

Your body = the garden Genesis 2:10. And a river (spinal cord) went out of Eden (brain/arc) to water the garden (body): from there it separated into four headwaters. Pison: urine --Gibon: intestinal tract --Tigris: blood --Euphrates: the nerve fluid.

Thanking God for his blessing upon us because it makes riches and adds no sorrow.

No Sin - No Shame. The blackness of sin is far worse than man can comprehend. I am so glad I have been born again by grace through faith in the blood of Christ Jesus my Lord. There is no Shame in Jesus!

I believe every written in King James Version is correct and there are no errors, but can someone please explain Genesis 1:27 it says God created man in his own image. And then in Genesis 2:5, it says after the seventh day, he rested and then God looked and there was not a man to till the ground, so he created one. But chapter 1 says he already created man? Please explain?

I think this "mist" formed a vapour canopy over all the earth. It came down to help flood the earth in Noah's time. Since it stayed on the earth a rainbow was seen for the first time.

The first and second chapters of Genesis gave a brief explanation of creation. It’s fascinating how God gives such a cryptic account of the world’s beginning and then the creation of man. What a marvelous act and how can we really understand the full significances of creation and what it meant with such little information. Genesis 1:7 says, “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.” A number of people believe that an envelope of water was formed around the world which formed a condition similar to a hot house that allowed an even temperature throughout the new world. Not only did water exist on the earth but additional envelope of water circled the planet. As far as I know there is no hard proof that supports this theory but sounds plausible to me. Another interesting passage is Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The idea that God stooped down and actually formed man from dust and then breathed into him to give life is mind boggling. Truly the work of creation is marvelous and wondrous.

Chapter 1 sheds a lot of light on not only the creation of the temporal earth but also the spiritual. In verse 1 it adds, "...and all the host of them”. We can ask, who are they? Then in verse 5 it reads "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground". In other words we were created spiritually before we and all the earth were created temporally (physically). Our origins come from heaven. That is why the Lord knew us before we were ever born.

Chapter 2 of the Book of Genesis is a recapitulation of Chapter 1. Chapter 2 is emphasizing and giving more light to Chapter 1. Chapter 2 answers the question how God created Man and Woman.

What I am getting from Genesis chapter 2 is that our God is teaching them and holding their hands. Yes, Adam was a man and Eve a women. Without God, they clearly wouldn’t know anything. Our God was teaching and showing Adam and Eve as his own children.

My "HELP MATE "is a gift from JESUS... SHIRLEY inspires me, loves me, corrects me, and completes me… THANK YOU JESUS for not creating us to be robots! WE CHOOSE YOU, after YOU CHOSE us...

I think that it may be related to the Garden of Eden, when God made man in His image, Genesis 2:8, 3:23. Genesis 4:16 tells of Cain going to the land of Nod and starting a family, whom God had marked for other men not to slay him. Maybe that Revelation 22:15 could be talking about that. Outside the Garden. Thank you and please write back to tell me what you think. Hope I expressed myself right. JESUS IS MY LORD! David.

I have often wondered when studying Genesis chapter one of creation, what the time gap may be as shown in Genesis chapter 2 verse 4. Chapter one states man and woman’s creation and all the creatures being sent forth to multiply. Chapter two shows the creation of Adam and all creatures again as well as Eve and the Garden of Eden.

We (women) weren't created as an afterthought or merely as an extension of man. God created us to fulfill Adam's need for an help meet ( Genesis 2:20). Ephesians 5:22-33 is also a great place to see the love of a husband for his wife. Verse 25 tells it best "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" Jesus loved us so much that He died for us; our husbands are to love us the same way and should be willing to sacrifice their lives for us as Christ did for mankind. That must mean that God wants men to recognize our value and worth as women.

Can someone explain these two scriptures?
#1 Genesis 1:26-28 " Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness."
Verse27 “He created male and female".
Genesis 2 "Formed man out of dust of the ground and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life," Verse 22 "Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and he brought her to the man.

Where is Havilah?

When we read the word of God, we accept it as truth, and let the Holy Spirit guide us. He will give us revelation of his word: I find as when I read, I can find ways to doubt; but when I decide to trust, he makes it clear through study; or somebody will have the answer to my questions.

Having read the question about Cain, how old was he when he slayed Abel. Can I suggest that Adam and Eve could have been in the garden for 100 yrs before sin entered. Therefore, Cain could have been in his 20's when he killed Abel. This would mean that Eve bore Seth a short while, say within a couple of years of Able being killed. People often think that Adam/Eve sinned within a short space of time after being put in the garden, but I think they were there much longer. This is only my thought. Hope it helps.

@Chris, it may seem that God created man twice but in reality the second mention of creation is a recap or retelling with details not mentioned the first time! I hope that helped?