The Burning Bush
“The Garden of Eden” Genesis 2:4-17 Sermon Date: October 2nd, 2016 Reflections on Sunday’s Sermon *Since our study notes are based on the text being preached on a given Sunday, the aim of this section is to provide you with a space to write notes from the sermon, any questions you may have, any truths that stood out to you, any applications that came to your mind, and/or anything you may have committed to prayer and further reflection as a result of what you have heard.
Prayer As you begin your study this week, take some time to thank the Lord for all that we know about who He is through the creation account (i.e. His power, love, goodness, eternal nature, etc). Since you are likely familiar with our text this week, ask that the Lord would help you to see the truths in this passage afresh and with a renewed sense of joy. As you pray, consider the following words of this Puritan prayer taken from The Valley of Vision and make them your own before the Lord. “Giver of all good, streams upon streams of love overflow my path. Thou hast made me out of nothing, hast recalled me from a far country, hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, from death to life, from misery to peace, from folly to wisdom, from error to truth, from sin to victory... Thy will is in all thy provisions to enable me to grow in grace... I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near to me… I entrust myself to thee, for thou has redeemed me. I bless and adore thee, the eternal God, for the comfort of these thoughts, the joy of these hopes.” 1
Scripture Genesis 2:4–17 – (English Standard Version) 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 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.”
Handling the Word 1. Our text this week elaborates on the creation of mankind and fills in more of the details surrounding what that momentous event looked like. Take a minute to reread the overview of the creation of man provided in our text last week (Genesis 1:26-31). Summarize what that text has to say about the creation of mankind and make note of anything significant that you recall from your time studying those verses. What aspects of man’s creation are we given more detail about in our text this week?
2. There is a lot of ground that is covered in the 14 verses we are studying this week, so it might be helpful to try and summarize what they say as succinctly as possible. Write a brief summary statement of the text and explain what the main point or emphasis is?
2
Understanding and Applying 1. After describing the scene prior to the creation of man in verses 5 and 6, we are provided with several profound and significant truths related to man in verse 7. One of those truths is that mankind was not the result of a random evolutionary process but the result of a personal God forming and fashioning him. The picture of man being “formed” by God is the picture of a piece of clay being fashioned and shaped the way the potter wants it to be. What goes through your mind when you consider that you, as a human being, were formed like a piece of clay in the Perfect Potter’s hands (Job 10:8-9, Psalm 139:13-16)? What impact should this have on the way we think about and live our lives in this world?
2. We are also told in verse 7 that God formed man out of the “dust from the ground." Why is it important to understand the truth that man was created out of dust (Genesis 3:19, 18:27, Psalm 103:1114)? How are we to think about the value of mankind in light of the dual reality that we are both made out of dust and, yet, also formed in the image of God as we saw last week (1:26-27)?
3. Furthermore, in verse 7, we are told that God “breathed into [man’s] nostrils the breath of life.” One thing that is abundantly clear from this verse, and from the entire creation account, is that God is the giver of life. He is the One who breathed life into mankind. Why is it good to be reminded that God is the One who gives and sustains life (both physically and spiritually)?
4. The fact that God breathed life into mankind and formed him speaks of a God who is near to, and intimately involved with, His creation. This picture of God stands in direct contrast to the notion that He is distant and uninvolved with His creation. Why do some people prefer to view God as distant and uninvolved rather than near and involved? Why is it far better to know that the true God is near to you and intimately involved in your life?
5. We are told in verse 8 that “the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” While we may not know the exact location of where Eden was, we know from descriptions like those found in verses 10-14 that it was indeed a real and historical place. Why is it important to understand that the physical location, and the events that transpired therein, are actual places and events in human history? How would you respond to someone who tells you that they think the Genesis account of creation is simply a myth?
6. Not only did God create the garden in Eden and then place man there (v. 8), He also provided every tree that was “pleasant to the sight and good for food” (v. 9). What does this reveal to us about the nature of God and how He operates? What does it teach us about man and how we are to think about His creation and provision? 3
7. The fact that God placed man in the garden “to work it and keep it” (v. 15), prior to sin coming into the picture, tells us that there is something purposeful and good about man working. Commentator Bruce Waltke wrote, “Work is a gift of God, not a punishment for sin.” If God made it so that it is good for man to work, why do you think there are so many who simply view work as a necessary evil? Do you struggle with viewing work as a gift rather than a necessary evil? Why or why not?
8. This passage ends with God telling mankind that they can eat from “every tree of the garden” with the exception of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (v. 16-17). Adam and Eve were provided with everything they could ever need or want in the garden, yet the one tree they could not have was the one that seemed to grab hold of their attention. Why is it that mankind seems to pay the most attention to what we do not, or cannot, have rather than the abundance of things that God has richly given us? How have you seen this in your own life? How are we to combat this?
9. What we see from the very beginning of mankind is that living in a relationship with God involves human beings submitting themselves to His Word, trusting Him, and living in obedience to what He commands (verses 16 and 17). As the Creator, He alone knows what is best for man and His commands are meant to show us the way that is good. Even though you know that to be true, are there areas in your life where you have a difficult time submitting yourself to God’s Word and trusting that He really knows what is best? If so, what are they and why do you think you struggle in those areas?
10. In this passage we find a most wonderful and amazing description of man being created and then placed into a garden paradise. Although Adam and Eve’s falling into sin meant their removal from this paradise (Genesis 3 – paradise lost), there will come a day when paradise will be restored for all of God’s people for all of eternity (Revelation 21 and 22). What about the paradise described in our passage this week makes you long for the paradise that is to be restored one day? What aspects of the coming paradise, as described elsewhere in Scripture, help you to long for it as well?
11. What stirred in your heart this week as you read and studied God’s Word? What is an important truth that stood out to you in Genesis 2:4-17 that you will commit to thinking and praying about this week?
“Man is a strange mixture. He is next akin to Deity, and yet he is a brother to the worm. Such a creature God is now perfecting. A being in whom dust and Deity each own a kindred. Such a being, purified from taint of evil, shall greatly glorify God.” C. H. Spurgeon 4
Prayer As you begin your study this week, take some time to thank the Lord for all that we know about who He is through the creation account (i.e. His power, love, goodness, eternal nature, etc). Since you are likely familiar with our text this week, ask that the Lord would help you to see the truths in this passage afresh and with a renewed sense of joy. As you pray, consider the following words of this Puritan prayer taken from The Valley of Vision and make them your own before the Lord. “Giver of all good, streams upon streams of love overflow my path. Thou hast made me out of nothing, hast recalled me from a far country, hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, from death to life, from misery to peace, from folly to wisdom, from error to truth, from sin to victory... Thy will is in all thy provisions to enable me to grow in grace... I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near to me… I entrust myself to thee, for thou has redeemed me. I bless and adore thee, the eternal God, for the comfort of these thoughts, the joy of these hopes.” 1
Scripture Genesis 2:4–17 – (English Standard Version) 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 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.”
Handling the Word 1. Our text this week elaborates on the creation of mankind and fills in more of the details surrounding what that momentous event looked like. Take a minute to reread the overview of the creation of man provided in our text last week (Genesis 1:26-31). Summarize what that text has to say about the creation of mankind and make note of anything significant that you recall from your time studying those verses. What aspects of man’s creation are we given more detail about in our text this week?
2. There is a lot of ground that is covered in the 14 verses we are studying this week, so it might be helpful to try and summarize what they say as succinctly as possible. Write a brief summary statement of the text and explain what the main point or emphasis is?
2
Understanding and Applying 1. After describing the scene prior to the creation of man in verses 5 and 6, we are provided with several profound and significant truths related to man in verse 7. One of those truths is that mankind was not the result of a random evolutionary process but the result of a personal God forming and fashioning him. The picture of man being “formed” by God is the picture of a piece of clay being fashioned and shaped the way the potter wants it to be. What goes through your mind when you consider that you, as a human being, were formed like a piece of clay in the Perfect Potter’s hands (Job 10:8-9, Psalm 139:13-16)? What impact should this have on the way we think about and live our lives in this world?
2. We are also told in verse 7 that God formed man out of the “dust from the ground." Why is it important to understand the truth that man was created out of dust (Genesis 3:19, 18:27, Psalm 103:1114)? How are we to think about the value of mankind in light of the dual reality that we are both made out of dust and, yet, also formed in the image of God as we saw last week (1:26-27)?
3. Furthermore, in verse 7, we are told that God “breathed into [man’s] nostrils the breath of life.” One thing that is abundantly clear from this verse, and from the entire creation account, is that God is the giver of life. He is the One who breathed life into mankind. Why is it good to be reminded that God is the One who gives and sustains life (both physically and spiritually)?
4. The fact that God breathed life into mankind and formed him speaks of a God who is near to, and intimately involved with, His creation. This picture of God stands in direct contrast to the notion that He is distant and uninvolved with His creation. Why do some people prefer to view God as distant and uninvolved rather than near and involved? Why is it far better to know that the true God is near to you and intimately involved in your life?
5. We are told in verse 8 that “the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” While we may not know the exact location of where Eden was, we know from descriptions like those found in verses 10-14 that it was indeed a real and historical place. Why is it important to understand that the physical location, and the events that transpired therein, are actual places and events in human history? How would you respond to someone who tells you that they think the Genesis account of creation is simply a myth?
6. Not only did God create the garden in Eden and then place man there (v. 8), He also provided every tree that was “pleasant to the sight and good for food” (v. 9). What does this reveal to us about the nature of God and how He operates? What does it teach us about man and how we are to think about His creation and provision? 3
7. The fact that God placed man in the garden “to work it and keep it” (v. 15), prior to sin coming into the picture, tells us that there is something purposeful and good about man working. Commentator Bruce Waltke wrote, “Work is a gift of God, not a punishment for sin.” If God made it so that it is good for man to work, why do you think there are so many who simply view work as a necessary evil? Do you struggle with viewing work as a gift rather than a necessary evil? Why or why not?
8. This passage ends with God telling mankind that they can eat from “every tree of the garden” with the exception of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (v. 16-17). Adam and Eve were provided with everything they could ever need or want in the garden, yet the one tree they could not have was the one that seemed to grab hold of their attention. Why is it that mankind seems to pay the most attention to what we do not, or cannot, have rather than the abundance of things that God has richly given us? How have you seen this in your own life? How are we to combat this?
9. What we see from the very beginning of mankind is that living in a relationship with God involves human beings submitting themselves to His Word, trusting Him, and living in obedience to what He commands (verses 16 and 17). As the Creator, He alone knows what is best for man and His commands are meant to show us the way that is good. Even though you know that to be true, are there areas in your life where you have a difficult time submitting yourself to God’s Word and trusting that He really knows what is best? If so, what are they and why do you think you struggle in those areas?
10. In this passage we find a most wonderful and amazing description of man being created and then placed into a garden paradise. Although Adam and Eve’s falling into sin meant their removal from this paradise (Genesis 3 – paradise lost), there will come a day when paradise will be restored for all of God’s people for all of eternity (Revelation 21 and 22). What about the paradise described in our passage this week makes you long for the paradise that is to be restored one day? What aspects of the coming paradise, as described elsewhere in Scripture, help you to long for it as well?
11. What stirred in your heart this week as you read and studied God’s Word? What is an important truth that stood out to you in Genesis 2:4-17 that you will commit to thinking and praying about this week?
“Man is a strange mixture. He is next akin to Deity, and yet he is a brother to the worm. Such a creature God is now perfecting. A being in whom dust and Deity each own a kindred. Such a being, purified from taint of evil, shall greatly glorify God.” C. H. Spurgeon 4
