In our last lesson we talked about the Tree of Life (symbolic of
Jesus).
Genesis 2:10 “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and
from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.”
You know, in all of these lessons we have been trying to see the
spiritual, as well as the literal word. The Word of God in many instances is
spoken of as a river of water. It could be symbolic of the Word of God
represented in the four gospels (four heads). Four also means universal, so
this message was for the whole world. Are we part of that stream of truth
that flows from person to person carrying the salvation message?
This river spoken of here is in Revelation as well. In Revelation 22:1
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
You see, there is a physical river, and there is a spiritual river.
Genesis 2:11 “The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which
compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold;” Genesis 2:12
“And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx
stone.” Genesis 2:13 “And the name of the second river [is] Gihon: the same
[is] it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.”
There is very little known about Havilah except that it was near Eden
and that there was good gold there. It is interesting to note that the first
mention of gold in the Bible said that it is good.
Genesis 2:14 “And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is]
it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is]
Euphrates.”
The Euphrates is a river still known today, and many people try to
locate the Garden of Eden by these few locations mentioned above. No one has
ever decided for sure where Eden was located. Of course, this happened
before the continents broke apart in the days of Peleg, so the locations
have probably moved somewhat. It really doesn’t matter where the garden was,
or even is today. The garden that should concern us is in heaven.
Genesis 2:15 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the
garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
The literal translation of “took the man” in the Scripture above is
made him to rest in the garden. We are led into a life of happiness through
the liberty we receive through Jesus. Not liberty to do evil, but liberty to
do good. In the Garden of Eden, (we have been reading about), there was a
Tree of Life and a tree of death. In Heaven the tree of death has been left
out; completely conquered by Jesus.
Genesis 2:16 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree
of the garden thou mayest freely eat:” Genesis 2:17 “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.”
So many false religions base their belief on the few words above. Adam
truly brought physical death upon all of mankind when he ate of this Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam’s peace died, Adam’s hopes died, and Adam’s
innocence died. His mind was troubled because he now knew that his body
would return to the dust. The error is in believing that the spirit of Adam
died. The spirit never died. The spirit never dies. It is eternal. It will
live either in heaven or hell. It is eternal. It did not mean that our
bodies in their present condition will live forever. It meant Jesus had
purchased our eternity for us.
This day, then, that you shall surely die just means that Adam brought
physical death to all mankind, and Jesus brought life eternal. The wages of
sin is death. Jesus paid the wages and bought everlasting life for each of
us if we believe. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 from verse 44 on.
Some people do not believe that God ever threatens punishment, but that
is exactly what He did in the Scripture above.
With God, a day is not necessarily 24 hours. It could mean 1000 years
or anytime between the two as a lifetime.
Genesis 2:18 “And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
Notice why God made the woman, as an help mate for the man. The wedding
vows say, they two shall become one flesh.
You see, they (husband and wife) are one. They are to be in one accord.
Notice they are not one spirit; they are one flesh. This order of man and
woman is pertaining to the flesh. Woman’s flesh was flesh made for man; her
spirit is for God, if she wills it.
Genesis 2:19 ” 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.”
You see, Adam was to rule over all the animals, and he named them for
what their usefulness to him would be.
Genesis 2:20 “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.”
Man cannot communicate with animals. Animals are not on the same level
as man. They do not have souls or reasoning power as man does. The man was
lonesome.
Genesis 2:21 “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;”
God operated on Adam under God’s anesthetic and removed one of his
ribs.
Genesis 2:22 “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made
he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” Genesis 2:23 “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.”
You see, again the flesh and bones of woman are of man, not the spirit.
God took the woman from man’s side next to his heart, not from his heel bone
for him to walk on, not from his head to rule over man, but from his side to
walk with him. A man and woman should walk together side by side, not
divided. They two against the whole world, if necessary. Her name was woman
(taken from man).
Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:25
“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
So many problems in young marriages today are caused by interference
from parents who are not willing to cut the apron strings and let their
children form families of their own. I believe this happened a lot because
the parents are disappointed in the lives they have made for themselves, and
are trying to live again in their children. The order we should put our
lives in is: God first, husband or wife next, and then other members of the
family.
This “nakedness” spoken of here was probably literal and figurative.
Adam and Eve were bathed in innocence. They were not aware that they were
naked, because they had not eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of
good and evil. Husbands and wives even today should be so close that there
will be no secrets. We should truly try to walk without deceit.