Genesis

Lesson 9 w/AnswersLiving in The Garden

In this lesson, we will be taking a closer look at the story of the garden that God created for man—God’s purpose behind creating the garden, the specific instructions that God gave man, and the helper whom God created for man. In the lesson that follows this one, we will study what happened next—The Fall.

The Garden God Created: Eden

Beginnings

In both Genesis and Revelation, we are provided a picture of God’s intended relationship with mankind, and a preview of the restored Garden of Eden that is coming, for which God will be in the center.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5 [NIV]

Read Genesis 2:4-14 and list below the description of the components of God’s Garden.

  1. Genesis 2:4-6
    1. ANSWER: The land was barren; nothing was growing on it when God created Adam. The soil was watered by underground sources.
  2. Genesis 2:8
    1. ANSWER: God places man in the garden, indicating that God intended to do this and that He had a purpose in doing so.
  3. Genesis 2:9
    1. ANSWER: God causes all kinds of trees to spring up, including trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food. He included in His garden the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  4. Genesis 2:10-14
    1. ANSWER: God provided for the garden’s water. He had a river running through the garden that became the headwaters for four rivers: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and the Euphrates.

We see from this description that in a world where "no plant or shrub had yet appeared," God created a beautiful, lush, garden that included trees pleasant to the eyes and was full of food. He provided a source of water, a river, running through it—just as His coming new creation, the new Eden, the new city of Jerusalem, will have a river running through it. (Revelation 22:1-5)

Three things were not included in God’s garden: birds, other animals, and men & women.

God’s Purpose for Creating the Garden

As mentioned earlier, God had a purpose for creating the garden—a specific, intentional purpose.

Read Genesis 2:15

  1. What does this verse impart to us regarding God’s purpose for man?
    1. ANSWER 1: He made the garden for man and once He created the garden, He placed man in it.
    2. ANSWER 2: He intended for man to "work it and take care of it."

God has a specific purpose for man: man was to work and care for the garden. He was not simply placed there to enjoy the garden; man was created with responsibilities, and more are coming—as we examine shortly. Man had a purpose. As I have also mentioned in other studies lessons, we are not clones, and we weren’t brought to this earth with the specific objective of seeking pleasure. God made man to work, to lead, to be responsible, to be caring, and to achieve. God tells us that His plans for us are to prosper and not to fail, all of which implies activity on man’s part. (Jeremiah 29:11)

The Instructions God Gave Man

And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Genesis 2:16-17

God created a garden and placed man in the garden to work the garden and take care of it. Then He gave man his first instruction, his first commandment, if you will, in Genesis 2:16-17. It was the first "you must not" in the Bible, and it was direct and easy to understand. Note in the description of the things that God put in the garden, that all of the trees and plants are plural, but not so for the singular Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There was only one of each.

Now respond to the following questions:

  1. Where did God Place these two trees?
    1. ANSWER: Right in the middle of the garden, the center of his garden where no one could mistake them for anything else and they would be easy to find and care for.
  2. Which tree’s, or trees’, fruit was forbidden to eat?
    1. ANSWER: The fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was allowed to eat from the Tree of Life, just as we will be able to in the new Jerusalem.
  3. When did God give this instruction to Adam, before He created Eve or after?
    1. ANSWER: This instruction was provided to Adam before God created Eve.
  4. Did Adam understand God’s instruction?
    1. ANSWER: Yes, because we know from the events in Chapter 3 that Adam had given these same instructions to his wife, Eve.

We now see a clear picture of a lush garden with everything Adam needed: a source of food, a source of water, and a perfect environment in which to live and work. What more could a man need? Further, we see that, although the garden was perhaps large (given that a river ran through it), God planted the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil right in the middle of it. There was no mistaking these two trees from all of the rest.

The Helper that God Created for Man

As it turns out, everything in the garden wasn’t yet perfect. Man was missing something, i.e., a helper to carry out his responsibilities.

Respond to the following questions regarding God’s creation of Eve:

  1. What is the first thing God acknowledges once he has placed man in the garden? See Genesis 2:18.
    1. ANSWER: Man was not created to be alone. "It is not good for man to be alone."
  2. What does God create for man so that he is not alone? See Genesis 2:19-20. Careful…take a close look at the verse.
    1. ANSWER: He creates birds and animals for Adam, so that he is not alone. If any of you has a pet, perhaps a cat, dog, iguana, parrot, turtle, horse, pig, and so on, you know what great companions they are for us. There is something special about the relationship between person and their animal. This is how God intended it from the beginning. Animals and birds were meant to be our companions, so that we are not alone.
  3. Seeing that birds and animals weren’t the complete answer, God then creates a helper suitable for man. What does He create, and how does He do it? See Genesis 2:21- 22.
    1. ANSWER: God created woman, created from a man’s rib—not the dust of the ground man that had been created from. Woman was created from man’s flesh and bone. Eve was created from Adam’s own body.
  4. What did Adam say about Eve when he saw her? See Genesis 2:23-24.
    1. ANSWER: He called her "bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh."
  5. When did Adam marry Eve? See Genesis 2:24-25.
    1. ANSWER: Adam and Eve were married the moment that Adam acknowledged her, and it shows clearly why married couples form a single relationship, two coming together as one. Each needs the other. Each helps to fulfill the other’s purpose. This has always been God’s intended purpose for man and woman ever since He created them.

What a perfect environment God created for man! A beautiful garden, abundant food and water, animal companions, and a helpmate for Adam to carry out his responsibilities. All were provided as a gift from God. Perfect in every way, or was it? In the next lesson, we will study the fall of all mankind and God’s plan of redeeming and saving His fallen creation.

In Christ,

Wes

[2022]

[PDF Version]