Genesis Chapter 2
Day 7
God had finished the work He had been doing. So on the seventh day He rested. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
Do you wonder why it says "God rested"?
This word rest is not used here as many of us use the word "rest". Many of us rest when we are tired. But God is "omnipotent" which means He doesn't have to rest.
In court after one of the sides has finished, they will say "The prosecution rests." or "The defense rests." It doesn't mean they are tired. It means they have finished. There is no more to be done.
It is the same here. God had finished creation. Everything was perfect.
God put man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to work the ground and take care of it.
The Garden of Eden was a paradise. What is your idea of paradise? Lying on a sandy beach? Relaxing in a mountain cabin? Working?
Yes. God had man working in the garden. God rested from His work on the seventh day. God works. Work is not a curse.
God told Adam he could eat any fruit in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said when he ate of that tree he would die.
God didn't want Adam to be alone.
God had formed all the animals from the ground. He brought them to Adam so Adam could name them. And the name Adam gave them became its name.
But Adam didn't find a helper that was right for him.
I know what you are thinking. God tried to find Adam a helper from among the animals.
No. This is not the original dating site. God is omniscient. This means God knows everything. Not only does God know everything that will occur until the end of history, but He also knows our very thoughts, even before we speak forth. He knows our hearts. Everything is done here for Adam.
God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and while Adam was sleeping, God took one of his ribs, closed up the opening and made another human from the rib he had taken from Adam.
God brought them to Adam, he realized where she came from, and Adam named her woman.
While God made the animals from the ground, He made the woman from Adam.
God brought the animals to Adam, so He also brought the woman to Adam.
Adam knew that the purpose of God bringing the animals was for Adam to name them,so, just as he named the animals, he named the woman.
Naming is an act of authority. When Adam was naming the animals, he was exercising dominion over them, so by naming the woman, Adam was exercising dominion over her.
Adam learned the lesson that the only fitting helper for him was not a beast from the ground but a creature made from his own flesh.
God was teaching Adam that man was a special creation and only someone from his own flesh was a fitting helper. And this helper he was to love as his own flesh
Adam and Eve were first in many things. They were:
the first people.
the first gardener. (Genesis 2:15)
the first to name the animals. (Genesis 2:17)
the first to have a relationship with God.
the first married couple.(Genesis 2:24)
the first parents.(Genesis: 4:1)
the first to sin. (Genesis 3:6)
God made you special. There is no one else exactly like you. But don't think that no one else is not a special creation of God. All people are God's special creation.
Pray: Pray for someone close to you. Someone you truly love. Now say the same prayer for someone that has wronged you.