Genesis 2

This chapter provides a deeper view into God’s creative process. Verse 1 says the creation was completed. God had created a self-contained system. No further creation is needed. The final part of the completed creation was man. Man was God’s steward or representative of God for “ruling” over the earth. Man was to rule over every aspect of God’s creation: the fish, the birds, the creeping things, the beasts, the vegetation, the trees and “everything on the earth that has life.”

Sorry PETA

Man was distinguished from the rest of the living creation. Sorry PETA. All living creatures are not equal. The text uniquely points out that God formed him from dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The earth was filled with living creatures, but man was set apart as unique and above all other living things. Job 33:4 says “The Spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” And Psalms 139:14 says, “I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works and my soul knows it very well.” My soul knows it very well because I have a soul, which distinguishes me from other living creatures. Genesis defines it in this way, “Let us make man in Our Image, according to Our likeness.” Next time we will ponder this further.

Fearfully and wonderfully made

Psalms 39 is a beautiful Psalms to pray when considering God’s creation of ourselves. “I WILL GIVE THANKS TO YOU, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…how precious also are Your thoughts toward me, O God! How vast is the sum of them.”  And the closing prayer of Psalms 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me; and lead me in the everlasting way.” Amen!