Genesis 2:9-11

F. Chapter 2:9 –  And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

1.     Trees are used throughout scripture to represent physical characteristics of living beings. 

·       Psalm 96:12 – Let the field be joyful , and all that [is] therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

·       Isaiah 44:23 – Sing , O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done [it]: shout , ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel

·       Isaiah 55:12 – For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands.

·       Jeremiah 11:19 – But I [was] like a lamb [or] an ox [that] is brought to the slaughter ; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, [saying], Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered .

·       Jeremiah 17:8 – For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and [that] spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh , but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

2. In light of these verses are the “trees” discussed in 2:9 literal or figurative?  Lets take a closer look at the types of trees in the garden of Eden before we answer.

3. Lord God made to grow every tree (out of the ground) with two noteable exceptions that were there “also”:

a.      Tree of Life

                                                                                                                i.     Revelation 2:7 – He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

·       This looks like the same tree of life referenced here in 2:9

                                                                                                              ii.     John 6:51 – “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of this world.”

·       We have some similarities between the bread of life and the tree of life

·       But there are also differences: bread v. tree, tree of life IN the paradise of God v. bread of life came down from heaven, etc.

                                                                                                            iii.     What is the “Tree of Life”,   Lets examine through other scriptures to try and determine what this tree is.

-        Proverbs 3:18 – She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.

·       She = Wisdom - חכמה chokmah, identified in Proverbs 3:13

·       Wisdom is a “tree of life”

·       Proverbs 3:19 – The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

·       John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

·       By Wisdom God founded the earth, by the Word all things were made.  Word = Wisdom…Word = Tree of Life?

-        Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is] wise.

·       Revelation 22:2 – In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.

·       Ezekiel 47:12 – And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

·       Psalm 1:3 – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

·       Galations 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

·       When eating the “bread of life” are we actually physically eating?  Well we know that the bread of life is Christ which is also the Word of God.  When we “eat” the Word of God what exactly are we doing?

o      Romans 10:17 – So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

o      Revelation 10:9 – And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take [it], and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

o      Hearing, Reading = Eating

·       So the question then is eating of the tree of life the same as eating the bread of life?

-        Proverbs 13:12 – Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.

·       Desire - תאוה ta'avah – (feminine noun) desire, wish, longings of one's heart, thing desired, object of desire

·       Hope - תוחלת towcheleth, (feminine noun) expectation, hope

·       It is not the “hope” that is deferred, but the object hoped for.

-        Proverbs 15:4 – A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit.

-        Daniel 11:7 – But out of a branch of her roots shall [one] stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:

·       Isaiah 4:2 – In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth [shall be] excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

·       Isaiah 11:10 – And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

·       Jeremiah 23:5 – Behold, the days come , saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper , and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

·       Jeremiah 33:15 – In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

·       Zechariah 3:8 – Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they [are] men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

·       Zechariah 6:12 – And speak unto him, saying , Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying , Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

·       Ezekiel 15:2 – Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, [or than] a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

·       John 15:5 – I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

·       I think its obvious that we have Christ likened to a Branch and a Root, but is that the same as the “tree of life”?

b.     Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

                                                                                                                i.     How could a God who is 100% good put something that contains knowledge of evil in His garden?

·       If it was put there before it contained evil perhaps?

                                                                                                              ii.     What is this tree and why is it there?

·       Looking at 2:9 as a stand alone verse in the context of this chapter it appears that it should be taken exclusively literal, but are there other verses in scripture that may change our approach?

·       Ezekiel 31:6-9 – All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.  Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.  The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.  I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that [were] in the garden of God, envied him.

o      We have the description of a tree, a special tree that was in the garden of God.  Can we make the leap here that this is one of the two “special” trees mentioned above?

·       Ezekiel 31:10-11 – Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;  I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.

o      If this is one of the two trees, it doesn’t sound like it has the qualities as the tree of life, so then what or who is this tree?

o      What could it be other than Lucifer?

                                                                                                            iii.     What purpose does it serve?

·       “…All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations…”

o      Knowing that the whole passage is allegorical, one could make the connection that this is the established authority God gave Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:14, this is what the “anointed cherub that covereth” was covering.

o      What are the other options?

                                                                                                            iv.     What does it mean to have knowledge of Good and Evil?

·       Deuteronomy 30:19 – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

o      Isn’t this the same choice that God set before Adam & Eve in the garden

o      Life = blessing, Death = cursing

·       Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

o      Cursing and blessing = Death and Life

o      Fruit of death or the fruit of life

·       James 3:10 – Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

o      Blessing and Cursing = Life and Death

G. Chapter 2:10 – And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted and became into four heads.

·       River – The Persian Gulf

·       Distinguishing the difference between Eden and the garden

H. Chapter 2:11 – The name of the first is Pison: that is which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

·       Pison –mentioned once in scripture, Josephus identifies it as the Ganges, but there is much dispute as to which modern day river this is if any since it may be indistinguishable after the flood.

·       Havilah – “stretch of sand” or “cicle” mentioned 6 other times in scripture, 2 of which reference a geographical region, the other 4 reference 2 different men, 1 being the son of Cush (one of Ham’s offspring) and 1 being the son of Joktan (descended from Shem).

Genesis 2:1-8

I.                 Genesis 2:1-3 – Completion of Creation of the Heavens and the Earth “which are now”

A.    Chapter 2:1 – Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

1.     All creation was complete and set into motion, no further creation

B.    Chapter 2:2 – And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

1.     From this point on there is “nothing new under the sun”

2.     Ecclesiastes 1:9 - The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun.

C.    Chapter 2:3 – And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.

1.     God finished all His work – No more creating, it is finished

2.     The correct end of Chapter 1

II.               Genesis 2:4-25 – Man Before the Fall

A.    Chapter 2:4 –  These are THE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS AND OF THE EARTH when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

1.     Generations – family history

2.     Lord God – יהוה Yĕhovah אלהים 'elohiym - the proper name of the one true God preceding the creator God

a.      First mention of  יהוה Yĕhovah

                                                                                                                i.     YHVH, there are no vowels in the Hebrew language (and no Js or Ws)

                                                                                                              ii.     This is where both Yahweh and Jehovah come from and neither are correct pronunciations of the name Ya-he-vay

3.     “in the day” – figure of speech meaning “when” not saying all creation happened in a singular day.

a.      Synecdoche, a “part” is put for the whole, or the whole for a part.  What the “part” is must be determined by the context in each particular case

b.     In this case the whole = the entire 6 days and the part is a single day

c.      Like our present saying – “back in the day”

B.    Chapter 2:5 – And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

1.     What is special about not having a man to till the ground, there are a lot of places on earth that man does not till the ground, yet vegetation continues to grow.

2.     Plants and herbs of the cultivated field did not grow because:

·       No rain (water)

·       No man

3.     These two items are resolved in the subsequent verses

C.    Chapter 2:6 – But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

·       Resolves issue 1

D.    Chapter 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 soul.

1.     Resolves issue 2

2.     Zechariah 12:1 – The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

3.     Here it says God forms “the man” only, but in 1:27 “…male and female created He them”

·       Here we have God “forming” the man versus “creating” mankind in chapter 1. Is there a difference?

·       What is the basis for the majority assumption that this is the same account?

4.     Breathed - נפח naphach, (verb) to breathe, blow, sniff at, seethe, give up or lose (life)

5.     Breath - נשמה nĕshamah, (feminine noun) breath, spirit

6.     John 20:22 – And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

·       Ghost - πνεῦμα pneuma - the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son

·       This verse equates the breath of God to the Holy Spirit in that the action the risen Messiah performs (breathing on the disciples) is coupled with the command to receive the “Holy Spirit” one would assume this meant to receive His breath

E.     Chapter 2:8 – (And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

1.     Here until v. 15 is parenthetical

2.     Who planted the garden? The Lord

a.      Who did Mary Magdaline think Jesus was when she was the first to see him?

-        John 20:15 – “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?’  She, supposing Him to be the gardener…”

b.     Jesus is the gardener

3.     Eastward in Eden, eastward of what?

a.      So did God form “the man”, somewhere westward of the garden and He was using the location of “the man” as the reference point?

b.     Why wouldn’t God have just created “the man” in the garden rather than create him then “put” him there?

4.     When was Eden named? Who named Eden?

a.      Moses could not have been referring back from a known location that was named, because after Adam and Eve it was hidden from man; therefore, it had to have been named by God and revealed to Moses.

b.     Eden is referenced in the cuneiform texts as the plain of Babylonia

c.      The garden was in Eden, so Eden was not entirely the garden, most likely geographical location is the North end of the Persian Gulf

d.     Connection of “gardens”

                                                                                                                i.     Eden – Introduction of sin results in death, denial of everlasting life

                                                                                                              ii.     Gethsemane –  Sin and death conquered, re-access to everlasting life

Genesis 1:28-31

Z.    Chapter 1:28 – And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

1)     First command given to man… “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”

·       Replenish? Same word as Fill in v. 22 above,  מלא male' fill 107, full 48, fulfill 28, consecrate 15, accomplish 7, replenish 7, wholly 6, set 6, expired 3, fully 2, gather 2, overflow 2, satisfy 2, misc 14

2)     Second command “…subdue it: and have dominion over the fish…the fowl…every other living thing that moveth upon the earth”

·       Subdue what? It…what is it à the earth

·       Why do we need to subdue the earth?

o      Subdue = כבש kabash, to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage.

o      What do we need to do in order to subdue? Requires some sort of action on our part, right? Be fruitful and multiply…subdue the earth with progeny

o      God could have said “Rule the earth” but He didn’t He said, “subdue” it, thus territory must be taken as opposed to given

o      Who/What are we subduing? The earth, but who are we taking it from? The one whom it had been previously given?

·       Why wouldn’t God subdue it himself?

o      God had an enemy before the creation of man

o      Man is the vessel God has chosen to defeat His enemy

o      The defeat of an immortal enemy by weak and helpless mortals would obviously by the hand of God working through us, thus He receives the glory

o      God is defining the mission of mankind for his part in the struggle between light and darkness. Good and evil.

-        Light – to subdue darkness,

-        Darkness – to prevent from being subdued by light

-        I Thessalonians 5:5 - Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

·       Satan had been given dominion over the earth, God established it

o      Ezekiel 28:14 – Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so…

-        God gave Lucifer the authority over His creation

-        Obviously God did this when Lucifer was still perfect and had not yet fallen

o      Romans 11:29 - For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

-        God could not just take back this dominion he gave Lucifer or He would be in violation of His own Word

-        He enacted His plan

o      Luke 4:6 - And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

-        Power - ἐξουσία exousia, Authority or delegated power; the liberty and right to put forth power

-        Christ never disputes the fact that Satan has this authority

o      John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…”

-        Christ verifies that this world is not His kingdom (at least not yet)

o      Matthew 6:9-10 – After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven…

-        This is what we pray every time we pray as the Lord commanded us.

-        Do we understand what we are praying for?

·       Satan understands what God has done and he responds with his own plan, destroy man in order to preserve his life and also use man to retain dominion.

o      I Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

o      Ephesians 2:2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

o      Matthew 22:44 (Christ quoting Psalm 110:1) – The Lord said said unto my Lord, “Sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”

-        The Messiah is sitting at the right hand of God until He makes His enemies His footstool

-        How is He going to accomplish this? Continue…

·       Christ is establishing His kingdom by converting “children of men” to “children of God” in order to re-establish His Kingdom.

o      John 3:5-6 - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

o      Romans 8:19-22 (NASB) - For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

-        We see that the creation itself is in bondage

-        “because of him who subjected it” - ὑποτάσσω hypotassō , This word was a Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".

o      Revelation 12:10-11 – And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

-        The enemy is overcome by who?

-        By God? Yes…but with a twist

-        By the blood of the Lamb working through US!

-        This is the purpose of man! To establish God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven

o      Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.”

-        Christ now takes the throne AFTER His enemies are made His footstool

AA.              Chapter 1:29 – And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

1)     Does it say animals for meat?  Did God say we could eat animals? No, we were originally intended to be vegetarian only

2)     When did we start eating meat?

BB.              Chapter 1:30 – And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.

1)     Not only was man vegetarian, but all animals were vegetarian as well.

2)     This would have allowed the Lion to lay next to the Lamb in perfect harmony

3)     The later introduction of sin not only changed the nature of mankind, but also the nature of animals as some became predators

4)     If this is how things were at the beginning, is this how they will be in the end?

·       Revelation 21:5 - And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

·       Isaiah 11:16-19 - The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

·       Isaiah 65:25 - The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

CC.              Chapter 1:31 – And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1)     Day 6

2)     Everything He had made was very good

3)   Not yet corrupted…perfect