Sermon: The Garden Temple of God: Genesis 2:4-25

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:4-25

“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. 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, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 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. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 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. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.’ Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:4–25, ESV)

Introduction 

It has been my custom, whenever we come to a new section in a book that we are studying, be it the Gospel of John, the book of Revelation, or Genesis, to devote one sermon to the new section in order to make general, “big picture” observations, before moving through the section more methodically in subsequent sermons. I think it is important that we do this. Many of the errors that are made in the interpretation of the Bible are made when people loose sight of the context of a particular passage. And when I say “context” I do not only mean the sentences and paragraphs  that come before and after the passage under consideration, but also passages place within the book, and the books place within the whole of scripture. Critical to the proper interpretation of the Bible is this principle: scripture interprets scripture. So if we are to have any chance of interpreting Genesis 2:4-25 correctly we must pay careful attention, not only to the words, sentences and paragraphs found there, but also its context, both immediate and canonical. What does the rest of scripture say that might help us in understanding this passage correctly? That is an important question to ask. 

I’m afraid that when people read Genesis 2:4 and following many assume it is myth. They think they are handling a folktale – a fictional story with moral principles imbedded within. And I fear that others, though they might rightly believe that Genesis 2:4 and following is true and historical, assume that it is nothing more than a simple and direct retelling of the creation of the first man and woman. God made the man, he made the woman, and they were farmers. Genesis 2, in their interpretation, simply tells the facts. But the truth is found somewhere in-between these two extremes – neither is Genesis 2 myth (what it is says actually happened), nor is it a bare and plainly factual account of the creation of man. Instead, in Genesis 2 we find true history recounted in a literally style that beautifully rich, complex, and illuminating. 

How do we know that Genesis 2 is more than just a bare, factual account of the creation of man?  Well, by examining the passage itself, and by paying careful attention to the rest of scripture concerning the way that it interprets the text. 

A careful consideration of the passage itself reveals that there is structure to it. I will not linger here very long lest I bore you with too many details, but it should be noticed that Genesis 2:4 through to the end of chapters 3 make up a unit. Here we are told all about the first man and woman and their relationship to God while in the garden that was in Eden. This section (2:4-3:24) is made up of seven parts, and these seven parts form a chiasm, so that part 1 (2:5-17 – narrative – God the sole actor, man present but passive) corresponds to part 7 (3:22-24 – narrative – God the sole actor, man passive), part 2 (2:18-25 – narrative – God main actor, man minor role, woman and animals passive) to part 6 (3:14-21 – narrative – God main actor, man minor role, woman and snake passive), part 3 (3:1-5 – dialogue – snake and woman)  to part 5 (3:9-13 – dialogue – God, man and woman), with part 4 taking center stage (3:6-8 – narrative, man and woman) (See Wenham, World Biblical Commentary, p. 50). And what do we find in Genesis 3:6-8 (which is at the point or center of the chiasm)? It is this passage:

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:6–8, ESV)

Clearly, Genesis 2 is more than bare, simple and factual account of the creation of man. Instead it is a beautifully rich and complex piece of literature which communicates truth to us – not only the bare facts, but the deeper truths which lie behind those bare facts. 

When we consider how the rest of the scriptures view Genesis 2 we will find that there are are many things of great importance contained within this text that are only briefly mentioned or alluded to. These truths are deposited in seed form in Genesis 2, if you will. As we read on in the pages of holy scripture we will watch those seeds develop into full grown trees. This is what I mean when I say that the story of Genesis 2 is rich. It is a story that little children can understand. At the same time it is a story so packed full of meaning that the Christian can spend a lifetime pondering and applying its truths.

Today I have five general observations to make concerning Genesis 2:4-25. I should warn you ahead of time that points 3, 4 and 5 are very important – they are very significant concepts theologically – and yet I will rush through them today, providing very little support from the scriptures. Rest assured that we will return to these points in the weeks to come to flesh them out more carefully, Lord willing. I wish only to introduce you to these truths today.

Five general observations concerning Genesis 2:4-25:

First, notice that 2:4 marks the beginning of a new section of the book of Genesis. There we read, “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” (Genesis 2:4, ESV). 

The phrase, “these are the generations of…”, is very important in the book of Genesis. This phrase, “these are the generations of…” (or something very close to it),  is found 10 times in the book of Genesis and it marks the transition of one section of the book to another.

The book of Genesis is made up of 10 parts, not including the prologue or introduction of Genesis 1:1-2:3 which we have already covered. The phrase, “these are the generations of…”, appears in 2:4 – “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth…”, 5:1 – “This is the book of the generations of Adam…”, 6:9 – “These are the generations of Noah…”, 10:1 – “These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth…”, 11:10 – “These are the generations of Shem…”, 11:27 – “Now these are the generations of Terah…”, 25:12 – “These are the generations of Ishmael…”, 25:19 – “These are the generations of Isaac…”, 36:1 – “These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom)…”, and 37:2 – “These are the generations of Jacob.”

Notice that in each instance the phrase, “these are the generations of” functions as a heading to the section that follows. In every instance but the one we are considering today it is the name of some historical person that is listed after the phrase. “These are the generations of… Adam, Noah, Terah”, etc. What follows is either a genealogy or a block of narrative concerning the descendants of that individual.  These are the people who came from so and so, or, these are the people that so and so produced. That is the idea. 

Here in 2:4 it is not a person who is named, but two things – “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” (Genesis 2:4, ESV). And what is described to us in the narrative that follows except that which heaven and earth generate? God, who’s throne is in heaven, forms and fashions or causes the earth to bring forth certain things. The earth gave birth to, if you will, plants, animals and man by the creative hand of the God of heaven. 

Look at verse 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.” Verse 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.” Verse 19: “Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” “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” (Genesis 2:4, ESV).

Secondly, notice that the creation account of Genesis 2 does not in any way compete with the creation account of chapter 1, but complements it, providing a different perspective and emphasis. 

It has already been established that in the beginning God created the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. Over the course of six days God brought the earthly realm into a form suitable for human habitation. At first “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep”, but God did not leave it as such, for God created the world to be inhabited. In six days time God formed and fashioned the earth creating, first of all, realms and then filling those realms with rulers or creature kings. 

Light was separated from darkness on day one. The sun moon and stars were created on day four to govern the day and night. 

The sky and seas were created on day two when God separated the waters from the waters. On day five the seas and the sky were filled with fish and birds to have dominion over those realms. 

On day three the dry land was formed. Listen carefully to Genesis 1:9-13, and pay special attention to the emphasis that is placed upon the vegetation that God made to spring up from the dry land. This will become significant as we consider the creation account of Genesis 2. 

 “And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.” (Genesis 1:9–13, ESV)

On day six God created the land animals and man to have dominion over the earth – indeed, man was created to have dominion over all that God had made. Listen carefully to Genesis 1:24-31. Again, pay special attention to the emphasis placed upon the vegetation that God had provided for man and beast to eat. 

“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.’ And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.’” (Genesis 1:24–31, ESV)

By the end of Genesis we are convinced that God is God Most High. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Everything that is has come from his hand. And man, being made in the image of God, is king on earth. He is not king as God is King, for God is his Maker and Provider, but he is to rule as a king under God’s supreme authority. God provided for man’s every need. He prepared a place for him. He provided food to sustain him. King Adam was to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

Genesis 2 does not present a contrary account of creation to the one found in chapter 1, but a complementary account. The emphasis go Genesis 2 is different to the emphasis of chapter 1. Both are true. 

Notice that the creation accounts of Genesis 1 and 2 begin with problems. 

In Genesis 1 we are told that the earth was at first without, form, void and dark. The solution was for God to form and fashion the earth into a place suitable for human habitation. 

Genesis 2 begins with a different problem. The earth was not suitable for human habitation because there were no plants. Verse 5 takes us back to the time “When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up…” In other words, Genesis 2:5 takes us back to the beginning of day three. The dry land had been formed, but there was no vegetation. There was no “bush of the field in the land”, which means that there were no plants growing naturally in the wild. Neither had any “small plant of the field… sprung up”, which means that there were no cultivated plants either. 

And why the lack of plants, both wild and cultivated? Two reason are stated in verse 5. One, “the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land” and two, “there was no man to work the ground”. Wild plants are able to grow when there is rain, and cultivated plants are able to grow when man is there till the soil, irrigate and cultivate. The absence of rain and the absence of man meant no vegetation – only barren earth. The earth was not suitable for human habitation. 

And what was the solution this problem? Two things: God sent rain and God created man to till the ground. Verse 6: “and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 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.” (Genesis 2:6–7, ESV)

There was no vegetation, wild or cultivated, because of lack of rain and man. Solution: God caused it to rain (I think that is the best interpretation of the phrase “a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground”, and God created man.

Notice that in verse 8 we are told that “the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” In verse 15 we are told “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Days 3 and 6 of the creation week are emphasized in Genesis 2 and are viewed from a different perspective. Here I am simply making the point that the creation account of Genesis 2 does not in any way compete with the creation account of chapter 1, but complements it, providing a different perspective and emphasis.

This leads us to point three. Notice that the focus of Genesis 2:4-25 is God entering into covenant with the man that he had made. 

In Genesis 1 it is clear that man owes worship and service God by virtue of his creation. God is Creator. Man is creation. Therefore man is live in submission to his God to worship and serve him always. In Genesis 1 we learn that God offed rest to man should he faithfully accomplish the work that God had assigned to him. But in Genesis 2 a covenant is made. An agreement is made between God and man. The punishment of failing to follow through on the agreement is communicated. And a sign or sacrament is given. 

What is the agreement? Adam was to walk faithfully before God He was to fulfill his mission of filling the earth with the garden of God and with faithful descendants. God had abundantly provided for all of mans needs. He could eat from any of the trees of the garden with the exception of one. Adam was to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In time, he was to eat from the tree of life. In short, what was Adam to do? He was to walk in humble and faithful submission to his Maker. He was to complete his task living perpetually in depend on and in obedience to the God who made him. What was the symbol or sacrament given to Adam? What was the visible thing that would show forth the hidden realities of Adams heart? The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what would be the consequence of failing to keep his end of the agreement? In the day that Adam ate of it he would surely die (Genesis 2:17, ESV).

The word covenant does not appear in Genesis 2, but the elements of a covenant are there. Also, if we consider what the rest of the scriptures say about Genesis 2, it is clear that Adam, functioning as a representative for all of mankind, entered into a covenant of works with God in the garden (see Genesis 6:18, Hosea 6:7 and Romans 5:12-19).

The covenant of works established in Genesis 2 was, to quote Geerhardus Vos, “nothing but an embodiment of the Sabbatical principle [established in Genesis 1]. Had its probation been successful, then the sacramental Sabbath would have passed over into the reality it typified, and the entire subsequent course of the history of the [human] race would have been radically different” (Biblical Theology, 140).     

That the emphasis of Genesis 2 is God in covenant with man can also be seen in the change of names used for God. In Genesis 1 the name for God used is Elohim (simply “God” in English). But beginning with 2:4 the name used for God is Yahweh Elohim (“LORD God” in our English translation. Elohim is a generic name for God. It is fitting to the emphasis of Genesis 1 – God the creator of all things seen and unseen. But Yahweh is the personal covenantal name for God. Yahweh is the God of Israel. He is the God who is near. He is the God who makes and keeps covenants. He is the God who breathed into Adam the breath of life, and formed Eve from the side of man.

Genesis 2 has as its focus Yahweh Elohim entering into covenant with the man that he made. 

Four, notice that while in Genesis 1 we find a record of God creating the earth to function as a temple in which his glory would dwell, in Genesis 2 we have a record of God creating the holy of holies of this cosmic temple. 

This is a massively important concept and one that will take some time to develop and prove. This I will do in the weeks to come if the Lord permits. But I wish to simply put the idea before you this morning. 

The earth was created to be filled with the glory of God. The earth was created to be a place where man would commune with God. Read the end of the book of Revelation again to see that it is true. When God planted the garden in Eden and paced the man there it was to function as the most holy place in God’s cosmic temple. 

I am not saying that there was a temple made of stone in Eden, but that the garden itself was a temple or sanctuary where God’s glory dwelt and where man was able to commune with the God who made him. 

This all becomes very clear when we consider the tabernacle and later the temple of Israel and compare it to Eden. In brief, Israel’s tabernacle and temple were miniature replicas of the cosmos. And the holy of holies in the tabernacle and temple were crafted to remind the worshipper of Eden. This will have to be proven at another time. 

For now, consider that  God is said to have “walked in the garden” (Genesis 3:8). God’s presence was there. It was a sanctuary where man and God enjoyed communion. And consider that the same language is used to describe the temple. To Israel God said, “I will make my dwelling [tabernacle] among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:11–12, ESV).

The garden that God planted in Eden was a temple or sanctuary.

Five, notice that Adam’s task, with Eve as his helpmate, was to function as a priest in this temple, to guard and to keep it, working towards its universal expansion. 

Listen to verse 15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15, ESV). It would be a mistake to assume that when God commanded Adam to “work and keep” the garden he was calling him to simply be a farmer. In fact when these verbs appear together in other passage, the context is priestly. Listen to work of the priests and Levites of the temple as described in Numbers 18:2ff. To Arron it was said, “And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.” (Numbers 18:2–5, ESV)

Adam was not simply a farmer in the garden which God planted in Eden – he was a priest. His task was to promote the worship of God. His task was to work in the garden and to keep it. He was to preserve it as holy. He was to drive away all intruders. 

In fact, when all is considered, Adam was a prophet, priest and king in the garden. He was to have king like dominion over all creation under God’s authority, he was to promote the worship of God as a priest, preserving the sanctity of the garden sanctuary, and he was to proclaim God’s law as a prophet, urging other to obey it also. 

Conclusion 

When Genesis 2 is understood in this way then we are ready to adequately comprehend the rest of scripture. When Adam sinned, he broke the covenant of works. When Adam sinned he brought upon himself, as well as all of his descendants (including you and me) the curse of the covenant. Adam and Eve were expelled, not just from a beautiful and lush garden, but from the sanctuary of God and from his presence. When Adam allowed the serpent to deceive he failed, not as a farmer, but as a priest. He failed to defend the temple of God from all intruders. He failed to preserve its sanctity. Israel’s temple was a replica in miniature of the cosmos and of the garden of Eden. It communicated that a way to communion with God was still open, by God’s grace. When the Christ appeared, he came as the second Adam, the Prophet, Priest and King. He, through his perfect obedience, entered into the most holy place, clearing the way for all who have faith in him. And what did he secure? The new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwell. When Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to make all things new all will become holy of holies. All who are in Christ will enjoy the presence of God forevermore. 

Are you in Christ, friend? Or are you in Adam?  Christ is the perfect and faithful high priest, whereas Adam is the failed priest. Christ is able to bring us to God. In Adam there is only judgement and death.

Are you under the covenant of works, or are you under the covenant of grace?

Do you long for the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells?