It is Not Good

Genesis 2: 15 18

It is not good is the topic of this sermon and hopefully not the quality of its delivery. If you Google search Common questions people ask about life, you will find these questions on: Origin: Where did I come from? Purpose/ Reason: Why am I here? Relationship: Why is this need for intimacy? Destiny: Whats after this? "What is man?" the psalmist asks, and the world has an answer. A quick answer but not the right one: Philosopher: "The measure of all things Anthropologist: "The Naked Ape" Scientist: "A complex machine" But for the right answer you will have to turn to the Bible. Let us take Purpose Evolution has been terribly inadequate in answering these questions. Mission Statement: Every well run company wants their associates to ask themselves that questions why are we here? They call it their Mission Statement. Harvard asks each of its new students on their first day of orientation What is your BHAG What is your Big Hairy Audacious Goals? what are your big dreams? What is it that you wish to fulfill? What is true of companies and Universities is also true of life in a much bigger way. Innate to ask: We ask these questions because these are innate to us. Bible says in Ecc 3:11. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men. Lifes purpose can only be fulfilled by God and only He can provide the answer. Let us take Origin Paul Bloom (Yale Psychology professor) in TED Talks speaking on the Origins of Pleasure presents three choices and which we would pay for? A golf set; an old shoe; a chewed up gum. We will agree that in and in itself it doesnt have much value. Youd be more surprised when you hear him explain that the golf set sold for $750,000; Chewed up gum for several hundreds or thousands of dollars, and the shoe purportedly for 10 million dollars. Why this ridiculous value for chewed up cud? It was the origin or its history that made the difference. Golf set belonged to John F Kennedy; the Gum was previously chewed by Pop Star Brittney Spears; and the money for the shoe is rumored to be paid by a Saudi gentleman because it was the one that was thrown at the US President, George Bush while in Iraq. You can see how even a weak example can explain why origins provide value.

Erasmus Darwin and later his grandson Charles Darwin set to prove the origins because it was important. And because they did not turn to the Bible, they ended up with the wrong answers. I could go on, but thats not the reason for todays topic. I share this because from our reading this morning, we get the answers to these questions. Answer to the questions on origins, intimacy, and purpose. Its a rich passage. Traditionally however, we read this passage during weddings or on the couples first Sunday at Church as man and wife, as it is in this case. Okay! So this is not when the rest of the Church checkout leaving the new couple by themselves. This is Gods Word and it is unfathomable to the brightest, and yet the child can play in it like a splash pad. There is enough for all of us. J.K. Rowling took 3407 pages to describe the life of a young boy time at a Wizard School and it became a best seller; and yet when God uses half of the number of pages to tell the most compelling story. Bible is the greatest life changing book- most miraculous in its history and the best seller through the ages. Incidentally NY Times does not want to acknowledge it on its list because it is almost rhetorical. This Bible remains for us the only true source of daily encouragement and sustenance. With that in mind let us take the opportunity to understand the passage and unravel some of its lessons.

The Principle

Before we get to the lesson for the day, lets see the passage in its setting. Let us view it to understand the principles as it unfolds.
1. Delight Gen 2:8 God places man in Eden. Eden means pleasure, or delight. The word garden provides a sense of space, and peace. Even though the whole earth prior to the curse was like one big Paradise, God plants a garden for Adam, as if only the best of the best will do him and his spouse. We read also that rivers flow from Eden to water the world around. It is the source and the reservoir of all things good. We thank God that He is not concerned just with profit of man but also with his pleasure. When it comes to bringing a man and a woman together in marriage, it is His doing that is grace and in addition He provides for them to be able to enjoy it too.

2. Dominance Gen 2:19-20 (1:28) Here we see Adam giving names to the animals.

Giving of names is an indication of authority. We see an example in the book of Daniel (Dan. 1:7); Nebuchadnezzar with Daniel and his friends. Other examples of name giving are that of Abraham and Jacob. If it is the act of authority to give names, then the ones receiving it are the ones who are subject. In Genesis 1, God gave names to the day and night, to the firmament, to the earth, and to the sea; we read later, He calls the stars by their names. In Genesis 2, in having Adam, who is made in Gods image, name the beasts and fowls, he is placed as their subordinate lord. Man was to have dominion over all the beasts. Sadly, by Genesis 3 man has lost their dominance due to sin. And it was that dominance that Jesus later regains as the Perfect Man.

3. Duty Gen 2:15 The privilege of dominion also carries with it responsibility. Adam was placed in the garden to work it and watch over it. Tending and keeping the garden was not a 15 minute workout program to keep the Edenites fit Dress: abad-- to be worked, be tilled (of land) 2) to make oneself a servant. Keep it: shamar-- to keep, preserve, protect. Intentional: Note that the Lord took the man, and put him in the garden. It was intentional and purposeful. Adam didnt find himself in Eden wondering what do I do next. Labour: Eden wasnt a place for the lazy bone. There was work to be done; the difference is that it is work not labor. It was sin that brought pain and weariness. Human Responsibility: The picture of work in Eden is a picture of human responsibility for us on earth. Work that each of us have to faithfully complete. Not completing all of the work that there is, but the work assigned to you. Even Jesus while here on earth did not complete all the work. He prays in Jn 17. I have completed all the work Thou gavest me. Work in Heaven: Work continues in heaven. Rev 22:3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: His servants shall serve Him. The servants here refers to us not the angels. Night Shift: Again we read in, Rev 5:17. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple:.. Serve night and day oops there is night shift in heaven.

Okay so there is no night, but you get the picture. It is not going to be an eternal vacation with your feet up by the crystal sea taking in the no-sun in heaven. Principle: The principle is we could not be happy being idle. Also, if he did not work, he had not right to eat. 2 Thess 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

4. Decree Gen 2:16 We covered Delight; Dominance; Duty and now decree God gives Adam a command and it is put out as a command of choice with the two trees in the middle of the garden tree of life and tree of choice (if we may call it). And placing it in the centre of Eden, God is indicating to Adam that the principle here is important. God has always provided choices. Centuries later God sets before the nation of Israel good and evil, the blessing and the curse (Deut. 30:19). Christ as the Bread of Life He does so even now, since Christ is now to us the tree of life, and the bread of life (Jn. 6:48, Jn. 6:53). Peoples Choice: But just like Adam and the Nation of Israel, people continue to choose not the blessing found in the tree of life, but most unashamedly choose the tree of good and evil, to their damnation. So why the command? Why does God even provide a choice? Lawgiver : God till now has been mans creator and provider. He is now the lawgiver, the ruler. God puts him into the Garden of Eden, not to live there as he wishes but to be under government. Example: It was important for Adam to know that only the one under governance will be able to govern and in that Jesus becomes our example. And this is true of Christians. Jesus was willing to learn obedience so that Hed be our perfect Savior.

It is in this setting, we here this statement.

Gen 2:18. And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone.

It is true that Genesis 2 is not a chronological narration of events but a summary, yet it is interesting that the Holy Spirit would include this here. In providing the setting, God says it is not good for man to be alone. Let us look at the implication. Why is God saying this? What are the unique characteristics of the relationship where He brings Man and Woman together? One thing is for sure, we know what it is not. It is not about replenishment alone.

Replenishment: God does not bring man and woman together with the sole intention of multiplying and replenishing the earth. To use Genesis 1:28 to prove it would be a misquote. Gen 1:28. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: . I can think of two reasons why it is not the main reason. Populate: If Gods sole intention of marriage was replenishment, He could have made thousands of Adam and Eves, just like He did with the angels in heaven and the plants and the animals on the earth. Pleasure: Even the pleasure in marriage, the intimacy between husband and a wife which is in high disproportion to the need of multiplication shows that God intended marriage to be more than mere Baby factories. God has higher intentions about this relationship.

What is happening here?

1. Relationship: God of relationship understands that those made in His image are relational. It is a pleasure to exchange knowledge and affection with those of their kind. Solomon says it well in the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecc 4:9. Two [are] better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. Solitude in perfect paradise will turn it into a desert, and a palace a dungeon. Beauty of Trinity: One God in three persons is complete, because a solitary god would be depended on His creation for company. No Parents: God tells this of Adam even though Adam had no mother or father, because it is the principle God wants us to understand. One flesh: We read that in Gen 2:24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. A relationship so unique that its the only one where two become one flesh. Echad: The word One is echad, the same as in: Deut 6:4. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: In fact, the oneness that man and wife enjoy is compared to the one that Godhead enjoyed through eternity. 2. Partnership: Genesis 2:18 I will make him an help meet for him. Some translations: I will make a help-meet for him; or a help like him. Same Nature and Rank: One of the same nature and the same rank as Adam. No animal that passed before Adam could be his help meet. Dust and Breath: Eve was meet for him or corresponding to him means what was true of Adam in Genesis 2:7, as being made of dust and having the breath of life, was also true of Eve. Visual Lesson: The reason God brings all the animals to Adam is a visual lesson for him and for us that nothing else is in equal footing with the man Adam, except Eve.

Each animal came with its mate of the same nature, form, and habits, Adam alone had no companion.

Eve differs from Adam only in gender and not in nature or kind.
Compensation: What Adam lacked, Eve made up for; and if you have experienced married life already, you know that this is true. It is God who decides to make a helper suitable for man (v. 18). Helper is not a derogatory term; it is often used in Scripture to describe God Almighty - Psa. 33:20; 70:5; 115:9. Need for Help: Note, that even in our best state and without sin we have a need of one anothers help. Principle: That principle applies to the Church 1 Co. 12:21 For we are members one of another, and the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee. God alone is our Help True, it is God only who knows our needs perfectly and it is He who supplies them, we read in Phil. 4:19. In him alone is our help, and from him are all our helpers. As Mathew Henry puts it beautifully about this relationship, woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.

3. Submission: A tricky subject, but there are many lessons to be learned. Gain: Notice that though Adam lost a rib, he did not lose his strength or handsomeness but rather gained much more. Christ as an example: Isnt that true of any relationship Christ in giving His life got a bride, and husbands are asked to love just as Christ Himself loved. Submission in our sinful setting seems very demanding and oppressive. In relationship: Just as in the upper room the night before Christ was crucified, very often there is no one to wash the feet of the other. Submission involves giving in. In the tradition of the times, the job of washing the feet was fit only for a gentile slave. No Hebrew would ever condescend to that level. That night, each disciple, very unlike Christ, thought it robbery to make themselves equal to a gentile slave the lowest they could ever get. We then see, Christ giving us an example and then says do unto others what I have done for you.

Jn 13:14-15. If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. With this as a background, who then can lord it over their spouses to desecrate the sanctity of marriage. Impossible without Christ Sin makes submission so difficult, without the dependence on God. As you start your married life you will realize submission and love the basic ingredients of marriage are the most difficult to blend. So Paul brings this issue of submission much later in the Bible because headship was never an issue with Adam and Eve their sinless state,

Opportunity for submission as a God given virtue is therefore available to us in a marriage.

A practice that begins at home and is evident to all. So in view these principles and characteristics the silence of Adams loneliness becomes increasing deafening. Demands on Adam seem to be huge and those of us who suffer the blight of sin it is even more. Who can live life when it is so demanding? Who can be successful unless it is lived depended on God?

Gracious God
God not just makes Adam aware of his need but provides for him. Gods Provision So Adam sleeps, not in carelessness nor of concern, for He knows that God who created Him will also provide for Him. For it is the Lord who provides to His beloved even in his sleep, we read in Ps 127:2. Jehovah LORD It is the LORD God who says it is not good. The name by which God identifies Himself here is with the covenant name the redeemer the self-existent one. The capital LORD, the name that was revealed to Moses. The name that Abraham understood.

A word for those seeking and waiting for a partner Provider: Is 34:16. Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. Picture : Even in that sleep Adam provides a beautiful picture of Christ, the second Adam. A picture of how His spouse the Church is formed, when He slept the sleep of death. How upon the cross His side was opened, and there came out blood and water, blood to purchase his church and water to purify it to himself. (Eph. 5:25-26).

Most Important Reason:

Yet for all this if we miss the most important reason for this relationship we will be lost. This partnership, the one compared to that of the Godhead, is for worship. The reason for Adam and Eve coming together was for them to glorify God. Marriage is also a great picture of redemption and sanctification. Leave and Cleave Not just physically but emotionally, mentally and completely. We make a fresh start. We dont come into the marriage with baggage. We dont bring our experiences as our template for living, because each of has a different one. We come together in Christ, for He is the only who does not change and thats the recipe for success.

Work as a response of worship Eden is called the garden of the Lord (Genesis 13:10; Ezekiel 28:13 ). The work Adam and Eve were to do in Eden was a response of worship in itself.

Quote The Bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the scriptures reads: Mans purpose is to provide spiritual service, as the carefully selected words indicate: he was placed (na, set to rest) in the garden to work it (a, to serve) and to take care of it. Whatever work he 1 did was therefore described as his service to God. No Blood Sacrifice: In the sinless environment in the Garden of Eden there was no need for a blood sacrifice. Yet the moment sin entered there was sacrifice made. I understand the two coats that God uses to clothe Adam and Eve was symbolic of the covering the sacrifice they offered provided. Similar Environment: As ones who stand on the other side of cross, we have the same understanding of blood sacrifices being redundant. Christ, the Second Adam, accomplished this by dealing with sin once and for all And so we read in: Heb 13:15-16. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. I want you to note that this is only for those who acknowledge His Name. To them it is asked that we: Do good, and Communicate, meaning to fellowship or share Just as Eden could not be enjoyed and served as an individual, God reminds us that in His Church the principles remain; and not only in the Church but also at home.

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Ge 2:1517). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

A word for the newly wed and for the rest: If I bring 10 gallons of different coloured paints for $100 and try to sell thema gain, depending on the situation I might make a $50 profit, or I might have to sell it during a garage sale for a loss of $80. But if the artist uses those paints to mix them into an art, it may even sell for $10 million. The same applies to buildings. Christ is our master builder it is only in Him that we have any value in eternal currency God has brought you together to do good and to communicate. May it begin at home, between you and the charity that begins at home will be made manifest everywhere, and even this prayer for the rest of us. Amen.