Jehovah Elohim Part 1—God Created Man (and set him up)

Gen 2:7-25

1. The First Compound Name: Jehovah Elohim—LORD God (Gen 2:7) "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 being."

a. In the Old Testament, there are a series of compound names for God—as with all of the 700+ names of God found in the Bible, these names teach us about God’s attributes, and about His ways.

(1) Some of the compound are based on El—the Strong One—El Roi, and El Shaddai, for example.

(2) Others are based on YHWH, such as Jehovah-Jireh

(3) But before we encounter those riches of understanding, there are a couple of compounds that are compounds of the major names themselves, and this is the first that comes up in the Bible.

b. The names’ significance

(1) Jehovah, the loving, personal Covenant God, but also the Self Existent One—I AM THAT I AM

(2) Elohim, the Triune God, nailed into man’s conscience from the start.

c. But, why here, why now?

(1) It is a logical next step in God’s continuing unfolding and revealing of Himself to us.

(2) Gen 1:1-31 established Elohim as:

(a) The Creator of the universe and the human race.

(b) The Giver of Law and Purpose—Man was given a place to live, a job to do, and a basic relationship for all human interaction

(Gen 1:27-28) "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…”

(3) But Gen 1 was an overview, it did not have the details about man’s creation in it. God revealed those in Genesis 2:4-25.

(4) It is vital to see how God lays this passage out—in each movement of Truth in this chapter, there is a pattern:

(a) A need expressed by God—“There was no man to till…”

(b) A need fulfilled—“God Created man…”


2. Jehovah Elohim Created Man—fulfilling the first need

a. The History—this chapter contains the details—“…This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens…”

b. The Need stated—(Gen 2:5) "… there was no man to till the ground;"

(1) This was no “news” to God, but this is stated in this way because of the nature of God gradually unfolding revealed Truth about Himself.

(2) This, of course, goes right back to Genesis 1:26-28—God had a purpose for man, to have dominion over everything, to be God’s “wildlife biologists,” “foresters” and “agriculture managers” over the whole Earth.

(3) There are two basic parts of this need—the man to till the ground, and suitable ground for him to till.

(4) And, as the detailed instructions in Genesis 1 and 2 show, it was more than what we would think of as tilling.

c. The Need Fulfilled

(1) First step—make a man—(Gen 2:7) "…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 being."

(a) God Formed Man From the Mud

(b) God breathed life into the man

(c) Man became a living thing

(2) Second Step—set up an agribusiness station for man

(a) God Planted the Garden—"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

(b) The Garden was rich in produce—“…And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food….”

(c) The Garden was well watered, with other resources as well— “…10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

(d) God Gave man a place to live and a place to work—one that required no commuting—(Gen 2:8) "The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed….”

(3) God Gave man a legal system and a dietary plan—

(a) Genesis 1 laws—“… "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food."

(b) Genesis 2 laws—“… 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 "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.""

d. Man’s Job Description—The man had a very simple and straightforward job description—“…15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."

(1) Tending the Garden—man was to be the husbandman, the farmer, the one who kept up the Garden. Indeed, had man stayed in Paradise longer, he would no doubt have planted an expanded garden for an expanding population.

(2) Keeping the Garden—the word “keep” is a military term. “…to hedge about (as with thorns),to guard; to protect…”

(3) What a simple task—farm the land and protect it from bad guys—and this is where Adam first failed, otherwise, why was the serpent allowed to even be there?

Biblical Manhood
created by God ruined by sin redeemed by christ APPLIED TO BELIEVING MEN
Lord of the Earth
Gen 1:26-28 Man was to take dominion by filling and subduing the Earth (Gen 1:26-28)
Through man’s failure, Satan became the “Prince of this world…” And today, Man either abrogates or abuses his rule Jesus took dominion over every realm of the earth. A good example is Matthew chapters 8 and nine where Jesus demonstrated His dominion over death, disease, the natural world, and the spirit world. We are to take dominion in the part of the world God has entrusted to us.
Husbandman
Gen 2:15-16 Man was to tend the garden and keep it—Gen 2:15-16 Man failed to protect his realm—Gen 3 Jesus grew his disciples and protected them unto death. We are to tend and protect the souls, possessions, and places that God has given us
Savior
Gen 3:15 Man was to right any wrong and defeat any injustice Men either make no effort to right wrongs and defeat injustices, or they oppress and abuse those around them. The ultimate Savior defeated the enemy on several occasions, spoke for the downtrodden, and finally, defeated Satan’s whole plan on the Cross. Man are to take stands against injustice, he is to be the civil protector (Rom 13) we are to conduct spiritual warfare, we are to crush the head of the serpent—Rom 16:20
Sage
Proverbs chapters 1-9 God made man to learn, to grow in wisdom, and to be a sage and prophet (telling forth the word of God) Man believes and teaches falsehoods; man speaks, lives, and acts like a fool. As a Man, He grew in wisdom, (a mystery), He confounded the scholars, demolished the false strongholds of the enemy and his representatives, and taught only and always the Truth We are to grow, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mentoring of Godly men in the church, so we can teach others also.
Glory of God
Is 43:7, 1 Cor 11:7 God made man in His image, to reflect God’s glory. Man reflects his sin, and reveals only a marred image of God Christ could say, “I have glorified thee on the earth…” Jn 17:4 Men are to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed—1 Cor 6:19-20, 10:31, 11:7, Isa 43:7 "Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.""

Worshiper
Gen 4:26 Man is to worship, and to lead in worship, of the Triune God Sin made man fear God’s presence rather than seek it. Gen 3:8. Because of this, Man worships that which is not God, and ignores the True God Christ, always in prayer, worshiped continually—see the worship from Mat 26:30 until He gave up the Ghost. We are to live in worship, to sing His praises, to live his Truth, and to lead our families in worship of Him.

* This chart is partially based on material from the International Council for Gender Studies, Waxahatchie, TX.

3. God’s statement of man’s need—2:18

a. Good theology is needed here—

(1) God had made all things according to plan
(2) God had planned to make male and female
(3) God did not “discover” that man needed woman—“Has it occurred to you that nothing has ever “occurred” to God?”
(4) God’s statement of man’s need was just that—a statement of an ultimate fact about people.
(5) But God left woman till the last (because it took forever for her parts to get designed and put together?)
(a) That man might see his need of her
(b) That she might be a surprise and delight to the man—2:23
(c) For her to be the crown of Creation
(d) That man might be the leader, the first among equals
b. Our marriage ceremony shows this all.
(a) The men come in, and little attention is paid
(b) Then the bride’s maids and matrons, the flower girl and ring bearer
(c) Then, the big moment, and the father and the bride come marching in, arm in arm, all standing, all eyes upon her. At the end of a long stately march, the bride is given away by the father.
(d) So it was in the Garden
(e) So it will be when the Father presents the Bride to the Son at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

4. First, Man Must See His Need—God’s Object Lesson to Adam

a. See the intimate relationship of God with Adam, and see the personal approach He takes to Adam. God is the first Father, telling His son Adam about how the world works. He demonstrates to Adam that nothing then existing will work as a helper comparable to man.
(1) He teaches Adam about the animal kingdom (over which Adam is to exercise dominion)—God is the first professor of Zoology!
(2) He prepares Adam for Eve by the lessons He teaches him. God is running the first charm school!

b. God, the first naturalist— Gen 2:19-20
(1) God has already made the creatures, but He brings personally-formed examples to Adam to use as visual aids in His teaching.
(2) In doing so, God shows Adam how he was formed, and demonstrates His creative power.

c. Recognition of Adam’s Headship and Dominion over the world— and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them:

(1) God rules the universe, and He named the stars—Isa 40:26
(2) But God delegates to man the task of naming the animal kingdom, showing in this way man’s dominion over the world.
(3) And also, God is showing off His handiwork to His favorite creation, just like you might show your child something you had made.
d. Adam exercised his dominion, and this dominion continues today—no animals name themselves; all names are supplied by man. and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;

e. God’s Design for Adam— but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." (But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.--NKJV)

(1) Nothing in Nature is a suitable substitute for human companionship. Gen 2:18 …..And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;
(2) Nothing in Nature is comparable to man, except for woman. Nothing in Nature was designed by God to be man’s partner, except for woman.-- but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(3) Woman was made for man…1 Cor 11:8-9
(4) This was the point of God’s object lesson to Adam, that nothing in nature sufficed as a helper comparable to Adam.

5. God’s Creation of Woman "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; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."

a. The First anesthesia and the first surgery
b. Of the same genetic material—the first clone!
c. Woman is Hand made by God, just as Adam was.
d. “Who Gives This Woman?” God did!

e. God’s Order for the Human Race

f. Adam’s recognition of the special nature of woman. 23 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."

(1) Adam says, in modern 20th century lingo—“the genetic material of which this new creation consists is the same genetic material as mine. Her DNA is the same as mine, we are a match!”
(2) Woman came out of man, she began as a part of man, and in proper relationship, she is to be one with a man.
g. The Order for Mankind:
(1) Leave— Gen 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
(a) Leave—husbands, when you wed, you are not Momma’s little boy any more. Momma still has a place in your heart, but your first priority in your family, and the most important woman in the world to you is your wife. That does not take place 10 years after the wedding, or 5 years after—from the time you become man and wife, your wife is the number one woman in your life, period!

(b) Leave—Moms, you respect the fact that the woman of your son’s house is now that “little girl” he married, not you. You respect her as the woman of the house, and you do not interfere with her position nor get involved in any power games for your son’s affection.

(2) Cleave— and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.",
(a) Cleave—be joined to her, heart, soul, mind, and body. She is the woman in your life, and neither your mother, your sister, your daughter, nor anyone else, should ever take that place as long as your wife lives—nor should any woman be allowed to become a rival.
(b) Cleave—this is not achieved overnight, but from the first, it should be the goal, and no one may be allowed to interfere with it. Young men, you may have to tell mom to back off, you may have to tell mom to take a vacation, but you cleave to your wife!

(3) Unity—and they shall become one flesh.
(4) Sinlessness, honesty, and No Barriers—25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
(a) Why can’t we be like this now? Why is modesty required by the Bible? Because we are sinners!
(b) There were no barriers between Adam and Eve, but there are for us! One of God’s actions after the Fall was to provide animal skins (adequate clothing) for Adam and Eve.

h. STILL The Way It Is Supposed to Be.
(1) Mat 19:4-5
(2) 1 Cor 11:3, 8-9
(3) Eph 5:28-33
(4) The way to restore the image of God and His order for your life: Reconcile with God, and order your life in accordance with His commands.