Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Lesson 3: The Creation, Trial And Nature Of Man
This lesson introduces us to God's creative process which through the agency of the angels
brought order to the void condition that existed on this planet. It also shows how God's most
important creation -man- came under trial. Cause and effect are demonstrated by the entrance
of sin and death into the world and the remedy provided through God's mercy.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This verse is important because it gives us the reason why we live in a world of sin and
death. Paul demonstrates this in a concise summary of the cause and effect factor mentioned
above.
James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted
of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own ***, and enticed.
Then when *** hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death. These verses show us the process by which
sin develops and becomes fatal in its result. We discover the universal principle in these
verses, that trial is a requisite to reward.
I John 2:16 - 17 For all that is in the world, the *** of
the flesh, and the *** of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is
of the world. And the world passeth away, and the *** thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
These inspired words of John define the basic sources of sin. Temptation comes to us through
various channels as illustrated in these verses. The eyes, the flesh, and the appeal to our
pride.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earthů
Gen 1:26 - 27 And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Read the entire chapter. Particular emphasis should be laid on the 26th and 27th verses.
Man is the instrument through which God intends to realize the object of creation, which as
He told Moses, ôůas truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of
the Lord.ö (Numbers 14:21) Genesis 2:1-3
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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. 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.
The sanctified seventh day of rest is particularly important in relation to God's plan, for in
it He sets the pattern for the dispensation of the ages. A brief reference to the chart
here will illustrate this principle.
Heb 4:3 - 9 For we which have believed do enter into rest,
as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the
works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh
day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter
into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must
enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it
is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of
another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people
of God. Our reference to this chapter in the previous
lesson will have already acquainted us with creation and with the symbolic seventh day
of rest. This verse substantiates the symbolism of the "rest" in Genesis 2:2,3.
Genesis 2:7 - 9 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. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward
in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,
and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil. These verses describe the formation of man
from the elements of the earth and the motivating power by which he became a 'living being'
(RSV). It is helpful here to point out that a living soul is not meant to comprehend any
more than a living creature. See verse 30 of Chapter 1 where the word life, in the margin,
is rendered a living soul. Gen 1:30 - And to every beast of the earth,
and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein
there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
The 9th verse refers to two remarkable trees which had miraculous powers. The unique property
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is seen in the following references.
Genesis 2:16-25 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying,
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.
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an
help meet for him. 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. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to
the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found
an help meet for him. 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; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken
from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Verses 16 through 18 show the one law under which our first parents were placed, and the
penalty for disobedience. God's statement in the 18th verse is borne
out in the 19th and 20th verses. Adam did not find in all God's creation a
sympathetic partner adapted to his need. Verses 21-24 show the process by which the
first woman came into exČistence. It is interesting to note that she was not created directly
from the dust of the ground as Adam, but was taken from Adam's body.
The relationship between Adam and Eve was so much more intimate by this creative procedure.
In a symbolic sense this figure is related to Christ and His bride, the Church.
Verse 25. Nakedness in this verse is synonymous with innocence. Adam and Eve were physically
and mentally mature with a conscience free from the knowledge of evil.
Genesis 3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast
of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall
not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall
be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one
wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her;
and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and
they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees
of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said
unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof
I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest
to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman
said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because
thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou
shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule
over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened
unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying,
Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of
it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth
to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out
of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:
and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live
for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from
the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
verse 1 - The serpent's power to reason was superior to any beast of the field which the
Lord God had made. It also had the power to speak which, as far as we know, was not a
characteristic possessed by any other creature with the exception of man. The test of the
first man and woman was introduced by the insinuations of the serpent. Paul points out
in I Timothy 2:14, that the temptation was presented to Eve who was vulnerable to the
serpent's suggestion.
1 Tim 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression. In the 15th verse, the principle of God's
love and concern is shown in His provision for the redemption of our first parents. This
is a key verse and we cannot over-emphasize its importance. The "seed" is Jesus, the Lamb
of God slain prophetically from the foundation of the world. It is obvious that this provision
by God was not an expediency to take care of an unforeseen event. Jesus was the nucleus
of the plan of God before Creation. The result of Adam and Eve's disobedience is clearly
stated in this chapter. Their return to the dust of the ground was now a matter of sentence.
As like produces like, so their posterity would also follow the course of their nature.
Hope for escape from this dilemma could only come from their Creator. That it would come
is revealed in a marČvelous manner. The clear indication of God's love is illustrated in
the 21st verse. The provision of coats of skins required the shedding of blood on the
Bible principle that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Hebrews
9:22). An observation in conclusion: It is evident
that God intended man to live. Man being created in God's image had a prophetic connotation
- an indication that He intended to endow him with His own nature. This was man's potential
and the disobedience of Adam and Eve would not change or frustrate the intent and purpose
of the Creator. God's honor and dignity demanded the execution of the sentence, but His love
supplied the only remedy and the Redeemer. Here in the very beginning of human history
we see the first demonstration of the divine principle, ôGod is love.ö