Genesis: A Verse by Verse Study

Copyright © 2014 Arvle Cooper.

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Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6357-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6358-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6356-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014922339

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/16/2014

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

Introduction

1.   Creation

2.   The Sabbath And Creation Of Man

3.   Tempation And Failure

4.   Cain, Abel, And Seth

5.   From Seth To Noah

6.   The Flood

7.   Judgment

8.   God’s Covenant With Noah

9.   The Covenant Continued

10.   The Descendants Of Noah

11.   The Tower Of Babel

12.   The Promise

13.   Abram And Lot

14.   Melchizedek

15.   God’s Covenant With Abraham

16.   Ishmael

17.   The Sign Of The Covenant

18.   The First Intercessor

19.   Sodom And Gomorrah

20.   Gerar

21.   Isaac

22.   The Sacrifice And The Blessing

23.   The Death Of Sarah

24.   Rebekah

25.   Esau And Jacob

26.   Isaac In Gerar

27.   Deception

28.   The Vow

29.   Haran

30.   Rachel And Leah

31.   Going Home

32.   Israel

33.   The Return

34.   Dinah

35.   Bethel

36.   Edom

37.   Joseph

38.   Judah And Tamar

39.   The Slave

40.   The Prisoner

41.   The Prime Minister

42.   Joseph Meets His Brothers

43.   Benjamin Comes To Egypt

44.   Judah’s Offer

45.   Revelation

46.   Israel Moves To Egypt

47.   Israel Exalted

48.   Joseph’s Inheritance

49.   The Blessing And The Prophecy

50.   The Burial

Afterword

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A t this time I would like to thank all of those who helped to make this book possible. First, Landa Cook, who helped in the editing stages of this book. She personally read the transcript from start to finish checking for punctuation errors and my tendency to write compound sentences. She also made this book possible financially.

I also wish to thank my daughter, Tracy Hand, for her help with computer questions and re-writes. Her support has been invaluable.

Most of all, I wish to thank my wife, Lynn. She has been there from start to finish. She has taught me how to use a word processor. She has talked to the publisher for me. She has handled all the basic thankless jobs that come with this type of project. Her strength and her patience with me have been invaluable.

I also wish to thank my family, church family, and my class members at Vincent First United Methodist Church of Vincent, Alabama, for their prayers and support.

I also want to thank my primary mentor, Pastor Betsy King, for her help and support.

Last, but not least, I wish to thank the Holy Spirit who has given me the wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and even the words to say as I have written this book.

INTRODUCTION

M y goal in writing this book is to help others to a better understanding of God’s Word. The Word (Jesus) came to live and to die for us over two thousand years ago (John 1:14). I feel that my lifelong task is to write these verse by verse study books for all the books of the Bible. I pray that I will live long enough to accomplish this. I pray that people everywhere will be led to pick up these books and read them.

The book of Genesis contains the beginning of all life as we know it. While it is a book of beginnings, the Words in the book speak of God’s plan for us. They also speak of His goals for us. The people in Genesis lived and breathed just as we do. They are examples to us today of how we should or should not spend our lives, depending on the person and their actions.

God’s system of sowing and reaping is introduced in Genesis through His Covenant with Noah. Today, we still reap what we sow. So many of us fail to understand that which leads us to make many unwise choices in our lives.

God is real. God is alive. His Word, Jesus, is real and alive. He died for us so that we could live. He rose again so that we who accept His Salvation and Lordship could live forever.

In this book the Holy Spirit introduces and expounds upon the basic promises, both good and bad, found in the Word of God. In this book you will learn how to forgive and why it is necessary. You will learn the joy of having your priorities in order. You will learn the joy of having a relationship with our Father God, through His Son Jesus Christ. You will also learn the dangers of fear and the importance of faith.

My hope is that, as you read, you will acquire a greater understanding of who God is and what His Word means to us as Christians.

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and

there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from

ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My

counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Isaiah 46:9-10

CHAPTER ONE

CREATION

G enesis is the book of beginnings. It is the first book of the Hebrew ‘torah’ and was written by Moses who was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

We don’t know how long ago God created the stellar heavens and the earth. We can only know that He did this long before the beginning of known time. Time as man knows it begin approximately six thousand years ago. Yet there are fossils and layers of rock, among many other things, that tell us that the earth was created long before this.

For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:18 (KJV)

This verse shows us that God created the earth so that it could be inhabited. I believe that the earth was inhabited before the six day creation. I believe that for some reason, that only God and possibly the angels and demons know, all life on the original earth was destroyed by a flood that was never removed until a few days before the creation of man.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:4,7 (KJV)

These verses prove without a doubt to us that God created the stellar heavens before He created the earth. Of course the stars of heaven that were singing as the earth was created were, I’m sure, also an example of angels.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:2 (KJV)

The word ‘was’ as used in this second verse can also mean ‘became’ So, if we take this to mean that it became without form and void we can see a whole new meaning to Isaiah 45:18. God originally created the stellar heavens. Then He created the earth to be inhabited. I believe that this was done ages ago. The words ‘without form, and void’ describe a chaotic and confused state. Here are some scriptures that we should look at that might help explain to us something about the original creation of the earth.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Isaiah 14:12-14 (KJV)

This scripture tells us of the fall of Satan. I believe that Satan, who was originally named Lucifer, was made ruler of a previous creation that God had put on earth. I believe that he, and some of his angels, later known as demons, rebelled against God because Lucifer became filled with pride and decide that he would be god.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus iath the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Ezekiel 28:11-17 (KJV)

The first ten verses of Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight would show us that there is a prince of Tyrus that God first prophesies against through Ezekiel. This King of Tyrus is Satan, who was actually ruling that country through the prince of Tyrus. This prophesy contains much information for us.

First of all we see that Lucifer, who later became Satan (adversary), was in the garden of God. We know that he brought sin to Adam and Eve, but I believe that there was a previous Eden that he was part of.

In the previous Eden, which I believe was the original created Earth. Lucifer was the anointed cherub that covered. In other words he ruled this earth under God’s authority. God even reminds Lucifer in this scripture that he set Lucifer up as ruler. Lucifer had spent time on the Holy Mountain of God, I’m sure that he was with God on these occasions, and that he had walked upon the stones of fire. I believe that these stones reflected the presence of the glory of God. God goes on to say that Lucifer took pride in his beauty, which was actually a gift from God. His pride corrupted his wisdom. Thus iniquity was found in him. God promises to one day cast him to the ground.

I truly believe that Lucifer (Satan) ruled a world that was created before the time of Adam and Eve. I believe that he ruled it under God’s authority and became prideful. He then led a rebellion against God with his angels and the other beings that God had created here. I believe that these created beings included the dinosaurs. I believe that before Lucifer’s rebellion this Earth was a very rich garden filled with many species of living beings. I don’t believe, however, that there were any beings there that were created in the image of God as there are today.

Below are some scriptures that described the original earth after Lucifer’s rebellion.

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

Jeremiah 4:23-26 (KJV)

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

II Peter 3:5-7 (KJV)

Both Jeremiah and Peter describe a world that has been flooded. It no longer had form. It was void of all life and light. This was not Noah’s flood because the earth did not perish at the time of his flood. Only the people and the animal life perished. There were still fish, and obviously there were insects, spiders, etc. that hatched after Noah’s flood from eggs laid before that flood.

I believe that this first earth perished in this original flood and that this flood happened many, many years before the creation of Adam and Eve. I believe also that God called for the earth to remain dark and void of life, including atmosphere, until such a time as He returned.

The next thing that we see in Genesis 1:2 is the Holy Spirit moving upon the waters. Thus, if we read verses one and two together we see that the earth was created ‘in the beginning’. At a later date it ‘became without form and void’. It also was in darkness. Now, we see the Holy Spirit moving upon the waters. The Holy Spirit of God always brings life.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:3-5 (KJV)

First, I would like to remind everyone that the stellar heavens, along with much of what we call outer space, already existed at the time of these verses. The word ‘Let’ used by God in this verse is not a word with a creative tense. Light already existed. In fact, we know that God is Light. We know also that the sun and the moon were already in existence. However, because of the world wide flood, the fact that no life existed on this earth that was flooded and void, which would also mean that it had no atmosphere, and because God had cast darkness upon it, we can believe that God actually called for the light to be made visible upon the earth again.

God sees the light shining through the darkness from the sun and the moon and declares that it is good. God then divided the light from the darkness. I believe He did this by restoring the earth to its axis and allowing it to begin to rotate again. I believe that the very reason that it was without form, and void of life and atmosphere was because God had literally taken it off of its axis during the previous rebellion. The Bible does not state this. It is just something that I personally believe.

The word ‘good’ in Hebrew, can also be translated beautiful. God also saw that the light and the day and night were beautiful. I believe that everything that God has created, when loyal to the use that He created it for, is beautiful, both in our eyes and His.

God then called the light Day, and the dark Night. In other words these were temporary light and temporary darkness. This temporary light contains shadows and the temporary darkness cannot overcome light, just as Satan’s darkness will never be able to overcome the Light of Christ.

The evening and the morning becoming the first day, gives us insight into the Jewish day. Their day begins at six pm and ends twenty four hours later. It does not begin at midnight as ours does.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Genesis 1:6-8 (KJV)

God called for the atmosphere to become, as He separated the waters covering the earth from the water above (clouds). The atmosphere separates the waters above us from those below us. At the end of the pre-Adamic world, God removed the atmosphere when He removed the light. He literally caused it to rain itself out into the original earth. Therefore the earth flooded and remained flooded until this point. Noah’s flood only lasted one hundred seventeen days because the sun evaporated the water and the atmosphere divided it. This flood lasted for eons.

God called this atmosphere Heaven. The second day ended.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:9-10 (KJV)

God called the water to go back into low areas so that land would appear. Of course, because of heat from the sun in the renewed atmosphere, much of the water had become gaseous and returned to the atmosphere. God called the dry land Earth and the waters that had gathered together Seas, and He saw that they were beautiful.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Genesis 1:11-13 (KJV)

Notice that in verse eleven God calls for the earth to bring forth the grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit trees which yield their fruit. God created the earth to bear fruit, just as He created us to bear fruit. The thing that we must realize here is that these grass seeds and herbs, and fruit seeds, and, I believe all the seeds needed to grow the vegetation upon the earth were already in the earth. God merely called them forth because he had restored the light and the atmosphere that would support plant life.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19 (KJV)

God called for lights to divide the day and the night to mark our seasons and the passing of time. He also wanted them to light the earth. Just as He created the earth to bear fruit and be a witness of Him, He also wanted the sun and the moon to bear witness of He and His Word, Jesus.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Genesis 37:9-10 (KJV)

These verses about Joseph and his vision show us that God created Israel and his descendants to be His people. Jacob, or Israel was represented by the sun, Rachel, by the moon, and the stars represented the sons of Israel.

Later, in the Book of Revelation the mother of Jesus is described as the ‘woman clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet with a crown of twelve stars upon her head.(Rev. 12:1).

There is also a deeper meaning given to the sun, moon, and stars. Malachi 4:2 names Jesus the Sun of Righteousness. The moon represents His church. The stars represent the individual Christians (Phil. 2:15-16). We are all supposed to reflect God and His love, just as the sun, moon, and stars reflect God and His love to us.

The sun was to rule the day and the moon was to rule the night. Notice that darkness is always bound by light.

God also states other purposes for the light. He would use them for signs, seasons, and for days and years. The light would literally supply mankind’s timetable. Again, languages in these verses are not creative. The word translated made in verse sixteen means to restore. Please don’t misunderstand. God did create the sun, moon, and stars. He created them before He created the earth. But at the time of His actions here in verses fourteen through nineteen, they were already created. He was just restoring them to their original purpose which was to give light to the earth.

Again, God saw that the earth, the atmosphere, the plant life, and the sun, moon, and stars were beautiful. The fourth day ended.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Genesis 1:20-23 (KJV)

Here we see the beginning of the new creation. In these verses God literally called those things that are not so that they would be (Rom. 4:17). By his Word, Jesus, He commanded the water to bring forth living creatures that have life, or souls. The literal Hebrew states, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let fowl fly above the earth’.

Verse twenty one goes on to state that God created great whales. He also created every living creature that moves. He created the birds. He created all of these living creatures ‘after their kind’. This means that He created them all so that they could reproduce. So that they could procreate, but only after their own kind. Their offspring were to be made in their image.

The fact that they had life or souls and could move means that they were equipped with feelings, desires, appetites, passions, and wills. For instance, a mother bird has a will to protect her young even at the cost of her own life.

God saw that they were beautiful.

He then blessed them. His will is to bless every living thing upon the earth, including us.

He then commanded them to use the gift of procreation. To ‘be fruitful and multiply’. His will was that the swarming or swimming things would fill the waters of the earth, and the birds would scatter out over the earth. His will for every living thing, including us is to be fruitful and multiply.

At this point the fifth day ends.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-25 (KJV)

Here we see that on the sixth day God created all the land animals including; mammals, reptiles, and even some amphibians. He also made the creeping creatures such as earthworms, insects, and spiders.

God saw that they were beautiful.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV)

At this point we are still in the sixth day. Here, for the first time we hear God say, ‘Let us’. This is the first evidence given to us that God is a triune being. Us only denotes more than one, but is still our first definite clue as we study the Word in order to have a better understanding of Him and His will for our lives.

God’s plan is that ‘they’ will make man in ‘their’ image and after ‘their’ likeness. This is a most awesome thing. God, the Trinity, wants to create something after their image and likeness. Now, if we are made after God’s own image, we need to know what or who God is.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24

Here we see that God is a spirit. We also see that we must worship Him in spirit and truth. So this means that we are spirits also.

We know that God also has a soul, a mind, will and emotions, because He created us with a soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions. God’s will, of course, should be the only one that should matter to us. True peace and contentment only come when our will lines up with His will. This is the reason that we should devote ourselves to the study of His Word, so that we will know and understand His will. Not only for us, but for the whole world. So that we might know and understand His plans for us as a whole.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 (KJV)

Here we see that God is also flesh. He literally spoke the Word and became flesh. We know Him as Jesus. But Jesus was there from the beginning. In the Old Covenant He is known as the Angel of the Lord. He came in the flesh and visited with Abraham. He informed Abraham of His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah so that Abraham could intercede for Lot. Jesus was part of God before the original creation of the earth.

Verse twenty-six also states that it was God’s will to give us dominion over every animal, fish and bird that He has created. He also said that He wanted us to have dominion over all the earth. God gave us His creation to keep and to bless and to prosper, just as He desires to keep us, bless us, and prosper us. He demonstrated an awesome amount of trust in us.

Also, we must come to understand something else about God. He does not waste words like we do. His Word will not return void. He only speaks what He wills to come to pass. He created us under the same principal, but without a deep understanding of the Word we don’t have the same wisdom or faith to do this. However, our spoken words do affect our daily lives. An example of this is found in the Book of Exodus. The people of Israel spent their lifetimes murmuring and complaining. God was doing everything He could to bring them into their promised land but they never entered into it. Why? Because they only spoke their circumstances. They never spoke the goals and visions. You’ve heard the old saying You are what you eat? Well, we are what we speak.

If our circumstances are bleak and all we do is speak those circumstances, then our circumstances will remain bleak. It is very important to only speak words of faith, love, and joy, no matter what our circumstances might be.

Again, God, who is the One whose image we are made in, spoke the Word, and the Word became flesh. Adam was created. He was created in God’s own image. He was created both male and female. He was the ultimate goal of God’s creation.

Adam was a spirit. He had a soul, which was his mind, will, and emotions. He lived in a body. God created him to love, to be a recipient of His love. He created him to visit with him and to fellowship with him so that he would come to return God‘s love.

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. 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. 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.

Genesis 1:28-30 (KJV)

Here, in these verses, the Dispensation of Innocence begins. We know that it won’t last long but, at this point man, was created to have dominion over the earth and to fellowship with God.

These verses contain the first great covenant between God and mankind. The Edenic Covenant. This covenant made Adam and Eve responsible for:

1. Replenishing the earth with a new order. I believe that the word replenish denotes that there was a previous habitation of sentient beings upon earth during its original creation.

2. They were to subdue the earth and have dominion over it.

3. They were to take dominion over the animal creation.

4. They were to eat herbs and fruits (this would have included vegetables).

5. They were to till and keep the garden of Eden. They were to dress it and protect it.

6. They were to abstain from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

7. The last provision contained the penalty of breaking the covenant which was death.

We can see several truths from these verses as well as from the Edenic Covenant. It was God’s will for man to be fruitful and multiply. He then gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to accomplish His will for them. He gave them dominion, a place to live and to grow, and to prosper. He gave them the power to produce ‘after their kind’, to procreate. He made everything on earth to support and supply Adam and Eve with both beauty and provision.

God doesn’t change. His will for us is still the same. We are to be fruitful and multiply. We are to bear fruit after our kind. Sure, we are to build families and have children, but it goes much deeper than that. We are to build a spiritual family, the family of God. We are to spread the Word of God to all peoples so that we can bear spiritual fruit. We are to teach and to help the spiritual fruit to be in our likeness just as God originally intended. We are to tell a lost and dying world about Jesus. Just as with Adam and Eve, God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to produce after ‘our’ kind. He has given us the tools that we need, His Word, and our own witnesses and testimonies to tell the world about Jesus, the Son of God.

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.

Genesis 1:31 (KJV)

God looked at everything that He had made. He saw that it was beautiful. And thus, the sixth day ended.

I believe that this chapter contains some very important truths for us as Christians today. First, we saw that it is God’s will (God does not change, Mal. 3:6) to bless and prosper us. So, if we abide in Him, as Jesus commanded us to, then we abide under His protective covering and also in the area that He blesses.

We also see that it is His will for all mankind to become fruitful and multiply. We are not just to procreate fleshly children, but also spiritual children. Children includes all people, both young and old, who have discovered Jesus through our testimonies.

We have also learned that we are made in His image. We are eternal spirits just as He is. His goal for us is to have eternal life with Him through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER TWO

THE SABBATH AND

CREATION OF MAN

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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. 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.

Genesis 2:1-3 (KJV)

H ere we see that God completed His work in six days. This is an awesome example of God’s power. He had restored the earth to its axis. He reformed the atmosphere around the earth. He had also re-arranged the waters over the earth, returning them to seas, rivers and atmosphere. He then called the earth to bring forth the seed left in her from the previous creation, which then produced all plants and trees, both in the sea and on the land. He then created everything that moves in the waters and upon the land. Last of all He created Adam.

On the seventh day He rested. I would like to point out that this was not a rest because God was tired. This was a rest, in that He took a step back and reviewed his accomplishments with satisfaction. God then blessed this seventh day in which He rested. He sanctified it, or set it apart for His service which was rest and enjoyment. We must remember that time as we know it had just begun again, and so, God was setting up His own personal timetable to coincide with man’s.

** NOTE ** God did not set aside the Sabbath Day for man’s use until approximately twenty-five hundred years later when he sanctified or set apart the children of Israel to be a nation for His use

(Exodus 16:23-26).

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, 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. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

Genesis 2:4-6 (KJV)

The word ‘generations’ can be interpreted as ‘history’ or ‘summary’. This history consists of Genesis through Deuteronomy. Every version of vegetation, including the trees, and also including the plant life in the waters had been created in their complete form before the restoring of the earth and atmosphere. I believe that they were part of original life on the earth that Lucifer had been entrusted with ruling. Thus, their seeds were still in the earth at the time of restoration. So, when the earth was restored upon its axis, by the power of God, these seeds went back into production.

Also, these verses show us that there was no rain at that time. Heavy dews would form during the coolness of night and water the earth. Thus the earth could bring forth the plant life. This all took place on the day before man’s creation.

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.

Genesis 1:7 (KJV)

God formed our bodies from the least of all His creation. He formed us from the dust. This is another example of how God reflects Christ. We were formed from the earth and yet were still dead. This is an example of the death that we had in sin. Then God breathed life into us. At that point He created life in us. Remember, we are triune beings because we are created in His image. Therefore, we are spirits, with souls, who live in bodies. So when He breathed life into us, our spirits gained life as the Holy Spirit joined them and our bodies gained breath bringing our flesh to life. This is another proof that without the spirit, the flesh is dead. This is why obedience to our flesh will always bring death.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (KJV)

This is something we should remember as we strive to remain humble. We were from the least and then promoted through Him to be in His image. This is something awesome to contemplate. Jesus did the same thing for us. He came and became the lowest of the low, took our sins upon Himself and went to the cross. Of course God then made Him the Highest of the high. Everything that God does reflects Christ. Everything that we do should also reflect Christ because we are made in the image of God.

The Hebrew word for man is adam. This means rosy or reddish from the red earth.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 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.

Genesis 2:8-9 (KJV)

God planted a garden to the east of the location of His creation of Adam. This garden was located in a place called Eden. God moved Adam into the garden.

God called from the ground every beautiful tree imaginable. If it was beautiful, and bore fruit or nuts, then it was in the garden of Eden. He also planted the tree of life in the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

About the tree of knowledge of good and evil, I am sure that the fruit of the tree was good. I’m sure it looked good and tasted good. The knowledge of good and evil came from the sin attached to the disobedience involved in gaining first hand knowledge of the fruits taste.

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 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.

Genesis 2:10-14 (KJV)

A river flowed west from Eden and watered the garden. In the garden of Eden it separated into four rivers. The first river was named Pison. It encompassed Havilah, which most Bible scholars believe is the area known of as Arabia today. According to scripture it contained gold and other minerals.

The second river encompassed Ethiopia. It was named here as Gihon. It is believed to be the Nile River.

The third river, Hiddekel, is believed to be the Tigris River which went east of Assyria and north of Babylon.

The last river is the Euphrates River. It flows west of the Tigris River and many miles east of the Nile. If you observe a map containing Egypt, Arabia, and the old locations of Assyria, Tubal, and Cilician, then remove the Mediterranean Sea, you might be able to envision where these three rivers would have originally met, west of the mountains of Ararat. We should remember that before Noah’s flood, the Mediterranean Sea probably did not exist.

There is much speculation on what became of Eden. Some believe it was destroyed. I personally believe that it was removed out of our reach, into God’s heavenly dimension.

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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.

Genesis 2:15-17 (KJV)

God reminds us that it was He that put Adam into the Garden of Eden. We should remember that every good thing that we receive in this life, and right on into eternal life, will come from God. We may work, and we may plan, but God even gave us the strength to work and the wisdom to plan.

God put Adam into the garden to dress it and keep it. The Hebrew word for keep is ‘shamar’ this word means to protect. It also means to form a hedge around in order to keep out intruders. Thus we can see that Adam’s service to God was to tend or cultivate the garden and to protect it. We can assume by this that there was an enemy, or enemies about, and that God had warned Adam of this. We learn as we study God’s Word that it is His Will to keep us informed of danger and duty.

Next we see that God gave Adam the use of every tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because if he did he would die on the same day.

God did not say that this was a punishment that He would dish out to Adam. Death would actually be the consequence of disobedience. God does not lie or exaggerate. Disobedience to God is sin, and sin always brings death as a consequence. This death is separation from God.

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Genesis 2:18 (KJV)

God announced that Adam should not be alone. He announced plans to make a helper for him, or a companion. God knew that, alone, Adam would never be able to procreate after his kind. A help meet would be a person who would suitable to him intellectually, morally and physically. That person would also be made in his likeness, which is also, ultimately, in the likeness of God. So this companion would be a spirit with a soul and a fleshly body also.

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. 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.

Genesis 2:19-20 (KJV)

God had formed the animals and birds just as He formed Adam out of the ground. The Hebrew used here does not give a present or past tense. However, we know from the previous chapter that God had already created all life that moved before He formed and created Adam.

Next, God brought all the animals and birds that He had created to Adam so that he could name them. The fact that Adam was naming them also illustrated his dominion over them. God allowed the names that Adam used to stand because Adam had dominion over them. I believe also that at this point all life that moved was informed that Adam was their ruler on the earth.

So, in process of time Adam named and took dominion over all of the things that moved and had life. However, a help meet or companion for him was still not found.

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; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Genesis 2:21-22 (KJV)

God caused Adam to fall under a deep sleep. He then removed one of his ribs and closed up the flesh around it. God is the only One I know Who can surgically remove something from a human being without leaving a scar.

From Adam’s rib, God made the woman, Adam’s helper. The word ‘made’ in this instance is from the Hebrew word ‘panah’ which means to skillfully build or to form. God literally formed the woman from Adam’s rib.

I think it is important to note that Adam’s rib was in a place next to his heart. God could have used part of his head or feet, or some other part of Adam. However, the woman was not meant to have dominion over Adam. She was also not meant to be trodden upon. She was meant to have a place next to his heart. God is showing us something here.

In His plan, Christ is to fill our hearts. When our hearts are filled with Christ and His love for us, then we are able to project that love to the one next to us. Our love for our spouse. Many people make the mistake of idolizing their spouse or their children. This was not God’s plan for us. He is to have first place in our hearts. Then our wives and children can truly enjoy His love for them through the love that fills our hearts. I know this from my own experience.

When we put self or family first and God somewhere behind them, we start experiencing trouble with self and family. Put God first, and everything else will work for good. We will enjoy lives filled with love for and from our spouses and children. This works for the wives just as the husbands.

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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:23-24 (KJV)

Adam called the woman bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, for she was formed from his body. Woman literally means she-man, or man with a womb. She was taken from Adam’s side because it was God’s will that she should occupy a place equal to him, a place of protection from under his arm, and a place of love next to his heart.

Next God created the institution of marriage. The fact that the woman was created from Adam was an example of how they should be one flesh in marriage, excluding all others in the flesh.

When we become married, we are following God’s plan for our lives. However, marriage can be a lot more satisfying and successful if we will consult God when choosing our partner. But even if we choose without God’s help, He will still honor our choice.

Below, we have an example of God’s perfect will for us:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, iath the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, iath the Lord Almighty.

II Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJV)

Here we see God’s best for our lives. Believers should marry believers. When we do this we are much more prepared to do God’s will in our lives and our faith makes us stronger in each other. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

I Corinthians 7:12-14 (KJV)

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

I Peter 3:1-2 (KJV)

Notice in the first scripture from First Corinthians chapter seven above, Paul states that it is the Lord, not him speaking. So the Lord commands those who are married to unbelievers, no matter the reason, should stay married. This means that since it is God’s will that you remain married, obedience will enable Him to turn that marriage to good (Rom.8:28). The marriage partner is sanctified by the believer’s faith and the children are sanctified also. The second scripture from I Peter shows us that the believing spouses lifestyle and example can bring the unbelieving spouse to the Lord. The word ‘conversation’ in this verse means ‘lifestyle’. The fear that Peter speaks about being coupled with our lifestyle is actually the reverence that we have for our Lord Jesus Christ.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:25 (KJV)

These people were not ashamed of having no clothes because they actually were clothed. At this point they had not sinned. Therefore, they were covered by the Glory of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER THREE

TEMPATION AND FAILURE

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1 (KJV)

T his is a reptile, not Satan. Before the curse, the reptiles or serpents were probably very beautiful. If you look at the colors and patterns on a snake skin, and imagine them on a walking, talking being, you could imagine this. There is even speculation based upon Isaiah 30:6 that this serpent flew down from the sky to speak with Eve.

This reptile, flying or not, allowed Satan to use him. That’s why the reptiles were put under a curse after the fall. Reptiles, before the curse, were subtle, wily, tricky … the dictionary says, wily, cunning or crafty. The word, subtle can also mean clever and refined.

I believe that this serpent could walk upright, possibly even fly, and could talk to people. I also believe that he was clever and tricky. He allowed Satan to turn him into a liar. Satan could not turn himself into a serpent. The serpent had his own will and allowed Satan to use him. That’s why he was punished.

Satan, through the serpent, raised doubt with a question. Like, are you sure you can’t eat of all the trees? He took what God said and twisted it. That is how Satan operates.