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The central theme of Genesis 2 is all about God's blessings on mankind
When you read Genesis chapter 2, you may think that some things already mentioned in Genesis 1 are repeated in Genesis 2. Actually, it is not a repetition. Genesis chapter 1 tells us the macro view of our Supreme God creating the universe and the earth for mankind. Whereas, Genesis chapter 2 gives a micro view of how God, our LORD, our Heavenly Father, intricately wrote the love story of Adam and Eve and how He blessed them in every area of their lives.
The bible is God’s words. Every scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). There is no unnecessary details in the bible. If you study the scriptures in Genesis chapter 2, you will discover that there is a central theme in Genesis 2 — everything God did was out of His love and desire to bless mankind in every area of our lives and it is God’s desire to bless each and everyone the gift of love, marriage, family and descendants.
In fact God cares so much about our family and our descendants that from Genesis 2:7 onward, the bible is all about mankind — from Adam to Christ Jesus, and about God’s plans from generation to generation.
Open the next tab below to go indepth into the theme of Genesis 2.
Genesis 2 's theme - God's blessings of love, marriage & family & blessings in every area of our lives
Let’s examine the verses in Genesis 2:
1. Genesis 2:1-3 – God rested on the 7th day.
2. Genesis 2:4-7 – Verse 4 to 6 is the state before civilisation began. From verse 7 onward, the bible is all about mankind — from Adam to Christ Jesus, and about God’s plans from generation to generation.
3. Genesis 2:8-9 – God planted the garden of Eden– the matrimony home for Adam & Eve.
4. Genesis 2:10-14 -The rivers were for sustainability of the garden. The gold, aromatic resin and onyx stones were luxurious gifts (could be wedding gifts & dowries) for Adam and Eve.
5. Genesis 2:15,19 – Adam was given the mission to manage the garden and the authority to name the living creatures.
6. Genesis 2:16-17 – God’s provision of food and health as well as instruction for protection.
7. Genesis 2:18-25 – God orchestrated the love and marriage between Adam and Eve.
If you examine the above, apart from the first 3 verses (which we will address in the next tab), you will notice that all other verses in Genesis 2 is all about how God intricately planned and created everything for Adam and Eve. God orchestrated a beautiful love story, planted a garden (a matrimony home) and provided all the fruits that are good for food and health. He even made the fruits appear pleasant to the eyes! God went beyond the basic necessity of food and shelter — He provided gold, onyx stones and aromatic resin– these are luxurious gifts for jewelleries!
Genesis 2 is another love letter from God, is it not? From Genesis 2, we can see that God’s love for mankind is so perfect and sacrificial that He did not make man to be like a “pet” or “slave” having to follow and serve the master all the time. Instead, God orchestrated to let Adam and Eve experience the feeling of falling in love. This “love” that God designed for mankind is specified in Genesis 2:24 where it is written that a man shall leave his parents and be joined to his wife as one flesh. Now can you see how perfect God’s love for mankind is?
Hence, we can conclude that the theme of Genesis 2 is all about how perfect God’s love is for us and all that God desires for us is to be blessed in every area of our lives, particularly, to have love, marriage and family.
God rested on the 7th day to bless Adam and Eve
Genesis chapter 2:1-3 stated that God rested on the 7th day. However, we know that God will never be tired. So why did He rest? More importantly, this rest on the 7th day was mentioned again in Exodus 20:11 when God instituted the Sabbath law. Why is God’s rest on the 7th day stated as a reason for the institution of the Sabbath law which requires the children of Israel to rest?
There can only be one answer to the above questions– when God rested on the 7th day, He was with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve was resting in God’s presence and being blessed in every area of their lives. The LORD wanted the same for the children of Israel, that they should rest in His presence and be blessed in every area of their lives. Hence the Sabbath law was instituted in Exodus 20:8-11.
That means, God stopped work on the 7th day not because He was tired but because He wanted to bless Adam and Eve in every area of their lives.
This also explains why the 7th day is placed in Genesis 2 and not Genesis 1. The scriptures, which is God inspired, is telling us that the secret to having a good marriage, a blessed family and a life blessed in every area, begins with us resting in the perfect love and presence of God.
God wants us to be blessed in EVERY area of our lives
In the 25 verses of Genesis chapter 2, we see God’s blessings in every area:
1. Presence of God, rest, peace, protection ( Genesis 2:1-3)
2. Life and health (Genesis 2:7)
3. Provision, home (shelter), healing, food, abundance and luxurious living that satisfies the desires of our eyes and mouth (Genesis 2:8-9)
4. Wealth and riches (Genesis 2:12) as well as sustainability (Genesis 2:10-14)
5. Mission and career (Genesis 2:15)
6. Authority, position and power (Genesis 2:19-20)
7. Love, family and companionship (Genesis 2:18-25)
My child, if you can understand this great love of our perfect Father in heaven and how much He desires to bless you, there is truly nothing for you to fear nor worry because He watches over you and has only good and great plans for you (Psalms 139:17-18, Proverbs 10:22).
Never doubt God’s deep love for you and His mighty power to work in you. As you rest in His love, God will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request and your most unbelievable dream. Human’s imagination is limited but not God’s. If you learn to rest trusting in His love, God will exceed your wildest imagination. Whatever you can imagine, God will outdo them all.
If you are waiting for God to answer a prayer, to provide for a need, rest in His love and let His miraculous power energizes you as you wait upon Him. In the meantime, give praise to God in Christ Jesus and bless His holy name.
Did you notice…
Eve was not created soon after Adam was created
Did you notice that God did not make Adam and Eve at the same time? God could have, but He did not.
The reason why God did not make Eve immediately after He made Adam or immediately after what He said in Genesis 2:18 is because God’s intention is for Eve to enter this world enjoying Adam’s love and being cherished by him.
You see, God created mankind, not as robots, but as human with their own free will. Adam could choose whether or not to like Eve and how he would treat her. God, our Creator, wanted Eve to be loved and cherished by Adam and wanted Eve to respect and love Adam. So this is how God orchestrated a beautiful love story — He blessed Adam with the kingdom and the mission first and waited till Adam was ready to love and look forward to a companion of his own. In this way, when Eve finally entered this world, Adam would cherish her. Read more…
God puts Adam to sleep while He make Eve
God did not say to Adam that he needed to work some years or when he had achieved the result that God set for him before he could be blessed with a woman. This is very unlike the story of Jacob who had to work 14 years for his two wives. This is how good God is. He blessed us, not because we are good, but because He is a gift-giving God who loves to lavish on us.
God created everything before He created Adam and put Adam to sleep before He created Eve. Did you notice, it is all done by God. No human effort involved. This tells us that miracles happen when we rest. God’s intervention, God’s creation happens when there is no human effort and when we rest in His love.
If you need a miracle, if you are waiting for a miracle, you will have the miracle if you believe and rest in God’s love for you, believing that He already works all things good for you because He loves you and He is a good God.
God chose to use Adam's rib to make Eve
God made Adam out of the dust of the ground. Likewise, God could have used the dust of the ground to make Eve. However, God chose to use Adam’s rib. Essentially, Eve is part of the body of Adam.
In 1 Corinthians 12:27, it is written that we, the church, is the body of Christ and also the bride of Christ ( Revelation 21:9-11) that Christ gave himself for her ( Ephesians 5:22-23).
The intimate love that God designed is that the man should love the wife as he loves himself. It is for this reason that God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Women are not to be treated as dust. It is never God’s will to see women being abused.
God gave mankind freewill and He rejoices to see us blessed
God loves mankind. However, He did not make man a pet and slave that will have to stick to God. Instead, He gave man free will and freedom to choose. He blessed Adam with a wife so that together with Eve, Adam had his family.
There is a very popular myth that says shepherds will break the legs of lambs who tend to wander away and they parallel it to say God will do likewise to people who have an inclination to disobey God, so that these people will learn obedience. This is a completely inaccurate description of God’s character.
God is love. He is kind and patient with us. His mercies never end, His loving kindness never ceases. Look at how God first instituted marriage and we know that God rejoices when we are happy and in love.
God intricately designed everything beautiful for mankind
Genesis 2:9 stated that God made every tree pleasant to the sight (beautiful) and good for food (delicious). This is another dimension of God’s blessings. Even when He made the trees, He made them beautiful (pleasant to the sight) and He made them delicious (good to the taste). In Genesis 2:10-12, we read about gold and onyx stones. These are beautiful creation that God make for us!
If you have ever bake or cook something for someone you love, you will find yourself taking the extra effort to make them pleasing to the eyes and tasty. Now can you feel how much God loves you? He was thinking of you when He was making the earth. Everything He did to bless us is beyond what we can ask or imagine!
Are you wondering…
If God desires to bless us, why are we still facing problems in life?
Genesis chapter 2 tells us the original plans that God had for mankind before the fall of Adam and Eve. After Adam and Eve believed the lies of the devil and ate the forbidden fruit, sin came into our lives and there are all kinds of evil in this fallen world. Sickness, diseases and death enter this world. People live under the power of darkness and lose self control. They are filled with hatred, anger, deceit, greed, selfishness, fears, anxieties and all kinds of problems exist in this fallen world.
However, there is hope. When we believe in Jesus, we can break free from the power of sin and darkness.
How to become a believer?
God loves you, my child. He loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to come and die in your place (2 corinthians 5:21) so that you can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) and you can enjoy the original plan that God has for you — blessed in every area of your life. Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and accepts Jesus as LORD and Saviour will have eternal life (John 3:15, 16, 18). You will be born again by the Spirit (John 3:5-7), and have the Holy Spirit of God (John 14:16) guiding you (John 16:13) and giving you power to lead a victorious life (John 15:7, Ephesians 1:19-21, Romans 8:11, Luke 24:49). You can be a believer simply by saying this prayer:
Dear God, thank you for so wonderfully make me and thank you for sending your Son, LORD Jesus to die for me so that I can have the blessed life that you intended for me. I believe and accept Jesus as my LORD and Saviour. I believe that from this time forth, I am born again. I am a new creation. I have the blessed and eternal life that Jesus came to give me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can live victoriously in this life on earth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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