The Seventh Day, God Rests

January 12, 2025
Pastor Jack

man toiling land

Genesis 2:1-25

And heaven and earth and all their array were finished. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that there was to do. These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven—before any plant of the field was on earth, and before any plant of the field had sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no human being to cultivate the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—when Yahweh God formed the man of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And Yahweh God caused to grow from the ground every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food. And the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river flowed out from Eden that watered the garden, and from there it diverged and became four branches. The name of the first is the Pishon. It went around all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stones are there.) And the name of the second is Gihon. It went around all the land of Cush. And the name of the third is Tigris. It flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. And Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” Then Yahweh God said, “it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.” And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and he brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called that living creature was its name. And the man gave names to every domesticated animal and to the birds of heaven and to all the wild animals. But for the man there was not found a helper as his counterpart. And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. While he slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh where it had been. And Yahweh God fashioned the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said, “She is now bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh; she shall be called ‘Woman,’ for she was taken from man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. And the man and his wife, both of them, were naked, and they were not ashamed.

Genesis 2: God’s Perfect Design – Creation, Relationship, and Rest.

In this passage we step into the beauty and purpose of God’s perfect design. We see God as both Creator and Sustainer, crafting a world of order and abundance. It highlights the intimate creation of humanity, the sacredness of relationships, and the blessing of rest.

Genesis 2:1–3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

  • God rests; He does not speak nor create. Was he just tired from the previous six days of work?
  • What does it mean by “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy”? What does “holy” mean?
  • Why do you think it was so important to God for us to rest?

Genesis 2:4–6

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—

  • Jack mentioned that there is a lot of foreshadowing of things to come in this chapter.
    • What do you think he meant by that?
    • Unpack what you see here.
  • “God had not caused it to rain…” When is the first description of rain made in the bible?
  • “…there was no man to work the ground…” Work: Good or bad? Talk to us.
  • Jack said “God is not a tiller of the land but man is. God provides the water and growth.” What does this mean to you?

Genesis 2:7–9

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

  • We met Adam last week in chapter one; Who is this being formed from dust now?
  • What do you notice that is different about the creation of man from everything else created?
  • What comes to mind when you think of the Garden of Eden?
  • What was in the garden?

Genesis 2:10–15

A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

  • Here in verse 15, we see that word “work” again.
    • Why did God put the man in the garden?
    • Can we unpack this idea of work a little more?

Genesis 2:16–17

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

  • If we believe that God has all knowledge (and we do not have all knowledge), why is it so hard to let God tell us what is good? To direct our lives?
  • Put yourself in Adam’s place for a moment. What do you think he understood when God said “…you will surely die.”?

Genesis 2:18–20

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

  • God knew Adam needed help! How did God help Adam come to the place where he recognized his need?

Genesis 2:21–23

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

  “This at last is bone of my bones
  and flesh of my flesh;
  she shall be called Woman,
  because she was taken out of Man.”
  • Sleep, specifically deep sleep, is mentioned other times in the bible. For example:
    • Genesis 15:12 - God’s Covenant with Abram
    • Genesis 28:11 - Jacob’s Dream
    • What does God do at times like these?
  • What is God establishing in this passage?
  • How does Adam react?
    • Why do you think he responded like that?

Genesis 2:24–25

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

  • Why do you think it specifically mentions that they were “…naked and were not ashamed.”?
  • What did they need that God had not provided?

Wrap it Up

  • God gave Adam and Eve a warning: Leave that one tree alone!
    • If they failed to follow that warning, what would they learn?
    • What would they experience for the first time? (What would God tell them?)
    • How would their lives (work) change?
  • Church (small group, person), are we thankful for what we have? Are we satisfied with fellowship and obedience to God?
  • Are we seeking something God has not provided?
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