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Jon Courson's Application Commentary: 3-Volume Set (New Testament, Old Testament Genesis-Job, Old Testament Psalms-Malachi)
Jon Courson's Application Commentary: 3-Volume Set (New Testament, Old Testament Genesis-Job, Old Testament Psalms-Malachi)
Jon Courson's Application Commentary: 3-Volume Set (New Testament, Old Testament Genesis-Job, Old Testament Psalms-Malachi)
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Jon Courson's Application Commentary: 3-Volume Set (New Testament, Old Testament Genesis-Job, Old Testament Psalms-Malachi)

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A complete devotional commentary set that helps you gain fresh insights into the Bible and understand how you can apply God’s Word to your life.

Few Bible commentators simultaneously articulate both insightful spiritual truths and memorable life applications for readers who want to be relevant witnesses for Jesus Christ. Gifted Bible preacher and inspiring teacher Jon Courson effortlessly combines these elements in this easy-to-read, verse-based devotional commentary 3-volume set.

Pastor Jon's years of immersion in God's Word, as he regularly preached from the Bible, produced faithful, valuable teaching that takes a balanced approach between a scholarly work and an encouragement for living the Christian life. His application commentaries combine the following elements in a unique blend of pertinent information and needed inspiration:

  • Deep love for God's word
  • Colorful cultural insights
  • Insightful historical information
  • Applicable topical studies
  • Vivid illustrations and stories
  • Humorous, practical, and inspiring life lessons

 

The three volumes of this devotional commentary offer thorough and comprehensive teaching on every paragraph in the Bible along with practical, in-depth topical studies. Courson has amassed a wealth of understanding in a very readable and comfortable expositional style.

Volumes include:

  • Volume 1, Old Testament, (Genesis-Job)
  • Volume 2, Old Testament (Psalms - Malachi)
  • Volume 3, New Testament (Matthew - Revelation)
LanguageEnglish
PublisherThomas Nelson
Release dateJul 22, 2013
ISBN9781401681135
Jon Courson's Application Commentary: 3-Volume Set (New Testament, Old Testament Genesis-Job, Old Testament Psalms-Malachi)

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    Jon Courson's Application Commentary - Jon Courson

    Title Page with Thomas Nelson logo

    CONTENTS

    Old Testament Genesis-Job

    Old Testament Psalms-Malachi

    New Testament

    Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Old Testament: Volume 1: Genesis—Job

    © 2005 by Jon Courson

    All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

    Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

    Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

    Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the King James Version of the Bible.

    Cover Illustration: The Disciple by Lyle Trimmer © 1992. Used by permission.

    ISBN 10: 1-4185-0146-8

    ISBN 13: 978-1-4185-0146-4

    ISBN 13: 978-1-4185-8699-7 (eBook)

    07 08 09 10 11 12 — 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

    Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

    Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Foreword

    Topical Table of Contents

    Genesis

    Exodus

    Leviticus

    Numbers

    Deuteronomy

    Joshua

    Judges

    Ruth

    1 Samuel

    2 Samuel

    1 Kings

    2 Kings

    1 Chronicles

    2 Chronicles

    Ezra

    Nehemiah

    Esther

    Job

    FOREWORD

    Many commentaries on the Bible are available today. Most are expositional or exegetical; and they often seek to be so exacting with respect to the letter of the law, or the possible meaning of a particular word, that they lack life and inspiration. It is hard to find a good devotional commentary on the Bible—one that brings both understanding and life to the passage, so that you are inspired to worship the Lord as you gain new insights into the truth of His love and grace toward us.

    This commentary is one that does just that.

    In Nehemiah, chapter eight, we are told that the people gathered themselves together and they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. I find this to perfectly describe what Jon Courson has done in his commentaries. Giving understanding and meaning to the Word is one of the greatest needs in the church today. In Nehemiah’s time, this method of commentary brought great conviction upon the people, and a genuine turning to God. The ultimate result was that the people went their way rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

    I am convinced that you also will go your way rejoicing after reading the insights that the Holy Spirit has given to Jon on the Scriptures.

    Pastor Chuck Smith

    Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel

    Costa Mesa, California

    TOPICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

    GENESIS

    Background to Genesis

    The word genesis means beginning. Therefore, Genesis is a fitting title for the book before us, for its pages record the beginning of everything—the beginning of creation, man, sin, family, culture, and industry. It deals with the beginning of everything one could possibly imagine—except it does not deal with the beginning of God.

    Why?

    First, because God has no beginning.

    Secondly, the Bible being, in a sense, the autobiography of God, He needs no introduction. Think about it. If you were to write your life story, you would not spend chapters trying to prove that you exist because the very fact that you were writing the book would be verification of your being.

    The more I study the Bible, the more I realize it was composed supernaturally. Comprised of sixty-six different books written by forty different authors over a span of 1,600 years in three different languages, there isn’t one contradiction. Instead, there is a unified theme that begins here in Genesis, the Book of Beginning, and extends through the Book of Revelation. That theme is the story of God’s gracious, glorious work of redemption.

    GENESIS

    1Genesis 1:1

    In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

    Lots of people get hung up on verse 1 of chapter 1. And this presents a problem, for if one doesn’t agree with the opening statement of the first sentence, it will be difficult for him to accept what follows.

    "You don’t really believe that God created heaven and earth in six days, do you? scoffs the cynic. That might be a nice legend, even a practical parable—but you can’t really take this seriously. It’s just not scientific!"

    Gang, the book in your hand doesn’t claim to be a book of science. Yet whenever it touches on issues of science, it is absolutely infallible. There is no proven scientific fact that contradicts a single statement written in the pages of this book.

    Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth . . .

    Isaiah 40:21, 22

    Every culture, every nation, every people throughout world history believed the earth to be flat as a pancake—until Christopher Columbus proved the validity of Isaiah’s words.

    He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

    Job 26:7

    God hangs the earth on nothing?

    Learned scholars in India would have said, We all know the world is held up on the backs of giant elephants. The Greeks maintained that the earth was held in place by the bulging biceps and massive shoulders of Atlas. South Sea islanders believed the earth was supported on the backs of giant tortoises.

    Sure enough, the more we learn, the more we find the Bible is right all along. I like that!

    Wait a minute, some say. Genesis 1:1 may address spirituality and theology, but it can’t be taken literally—not in this day, when the theory of evolution has been accepted so completely.

    Keep in mind that evolution at best is a theory—and a bankrupt one at that. Many men of science who are neither believers in Jesus Christ nor students of the Bible have turned away from the evolutionary hypothesis because it violates the most foundational, fundamental principles and laws of known science. For example, one of the most important laws of science is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It’s not a theory, not a hypothesis, but a basic principle which says everything goes from order to disorder.

    If I create the outline of a horse by arranging marbles on a sheet of plywood, place my finished work in the backseat of my VW, drive around town for half an hour, when I stop the car, will the horse be more intricate? Will the horse become even finer in detail, more elaborate artistically? Or will there be a bunch of marbles on the floor?

    One of the principles upon which science is predicated is the fact that everything goes from order to disorder. The theory of evolution completely violates this understanding, maintaining as it does, that things go from disorder to greater order, from simplicity to complexity.

    But the great minds embrace the theory of evolution, some insist. Do they?

    The man Discover Magazine rated as the greatest scientific thinker in history is Sir Isaac Newton. Newton was mocked because his contemporaries couldn’t understand why he believed there really was a God who created the world in six days. One day, Sir Isaac made an elaborate model of the solar system, which took up the entire front room of his house. Impressed by its details, his colleagues asked him where he got the model.

    I didn’t get it, Newton said.

    Oh. You made it?

    No, I didn’t buy it. I didn’t make it. No one put it here. It just appeared.

    And suddenly they got his point.

    The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

    Psalm 19:1–3

    The grandeur of the universe undeniably points to the existence of a Creator. But men suppress this truth, not wanting to be accountable to this Creator (Romans 1). That is why you can defend the Genesis account on the basis of science until you’re blue in the face—and still fail to convince the skeptic.

    You can engage people intellectually, banter with people philosophically, appeal to people rationally only to have them oppose you adamantly. The bottom line isn’t biology or philosophy, academics or genetics, Darwin or doctrine. The bottom line is the same as it is for every controversy or concern, debate or dilemma.

    The bottom line is Jesus.

    I and My Father are one, He said. And the people listening to Him that day clearly understood the implication. So incensed were they by His claim to deity that they picked up rocks to stone Him on the spot (John 10:30, 31).

    Show us a sign, they said, to verify You are who You claim to be.

    One sign only will I give you, He said. Destroy this body and in three days, I will rise again (John 2:18–21).

    Thus, the entire burden of proof for Jesus’ claim to deity lies in His empty tomb. And the door of faith to believe everything He ever said swings on the hinge of the Resurrection. His Resurrection, documented by over five-hundred eyewitnesses proves Jesus is God.

    As God, Jesus speaks with absolute authority. As God, Jesus fashioned the Garden of Eden creatively (John 1:3). As God, Jesus referred to Adam and Eve specifically (Mark 10:6). Therefore, when talking to a skeptic, take the argument away from all of the scientific debate, and back to the single issue that matters: Who is Jesus Christ? That’s the key.

    Genesis 1:2 (a)

    And the earth was without form, and void . . .

    The Hebrew phrase here is tohuw va bohuw. Suddenly, the earth was ‘tohuw va bohuw.’ We see this phrase again in Isaiah 45:18, where we read that God created the heaven and earth not in vain—not tohuw va bohuw.

    Now, if Isaiah says God did not create the earth without form and void, but Genesis 1 says the earth was without form and void, what’s going on?

    Along with many Bible scholars, I believe an event took place between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 described in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, wherein an archangel named Lucifer launched a rebellion against God and was kicked out of heaven. Along with one-third of the angels who followed him in his rebellion, he came to earth, where he would become the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). So great was the impact when, in a sense, hell hit earth, that our planet suddenly became without form and void.

    Genesis 1:2 (b)

    . . . and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved . . .

    God is always coming in on something which has been messed up by the enemy. Here, the world is a mess, without form and void, wiped-out, wasted. And God begins to move.

    Genesis 1:2 (c)

    . . . upon the face of the waters.

    Throughout Scripture, water is a symbol of the Word.

    Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

    John 15:3

    Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

    Ephesians 5:25, 26

    How does the Spirit of God move?

    Upon the face of the water—upon the Word.

    Suddenly you hear a Bible study, listen to a radio program, watch a crusade on TV, or talk to a buddy and as the water of the Word is shared, the Spirit of God moves.

    Genesis 1:3

    And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

    The Hebrew literally reads: Light be! And light was. Here we see the recreation of planet earth.

    Genesis 1:4

    And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

    In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth; the earth became wiped out; the Spirit moved on the face of the water; and God said Let there be light.

    That’s your story. You were created in God’s image, but sin wiped you out. The Spirit of God moved in through the Word. You saw the light—and you were born again. Then God separated the darkness from the light, and good things began to happen—not only in creation physically, but in your life personally because of God’s sovereign grace and mercy.

    Genesis 1:5

    And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

    Notice the phraseology. The evening and the morning were the first day. That’s still the way the Jewish people reckon their days. They begin in the evening and end in the morning. They go from darkness to light. I like that!

    Genesis 1:6–8

    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.

    Scripturally, heaven refers not only to the stars above us, and the destiny awaiting us, but to the atmosphere around us. This passage makes it clear that when God recreated earth, there was water above the firmament, or atmosphere—which means that, with a water canopy surrounding its atmosphere, earth would have been a great big greenhouse. It means nothing would get wiped out by ultraviolet rays. It means the whole planet would have shared the same climate. It explains why fossils of tropical vegetation are found in the Arctic Circle. It explains why man could live nine hundred years.

    To cause the Flood in Noah’s day, God collapsed the protective canopy, which deluged the earth with water. And as a result, cataclysmic changes took place. The climate was altered radically. And man had to wear SPF40 sunscreen just to live to seventy.

    Genesis 1:9–13

    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. 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.

    On the first day, light was created. On the second day, the atmosphere was created. On the third day, life is created. Why does life appear on the third day? Because Jesus—the Way, the Truth, the Life—rose on the third day.

    Genesis 1:14–19

    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.

    On the fourth day, God made the sun and the moon.

    Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He said we are also to be lights (Matthew 5:14). He is the greater light—the sun. We are the lesser light—the moon—reflecting His light to our dark world.

    I recently watched the moon appear smaller and smaller in an eclipse, and was reminded that to whatever extent the world gets between the sun and the moon is the extent to which the light of the sun upon the moon is diminished. The same thing is true with me and you. Jesus is the sun; we’re the moon; and to whatever degree we allow the world to come between us, His light in our lives will fade proportionately. If you were to chart your own life tonight, would you be a full moon, a three-quarter moon, half moon, quarter moon, or eclipsed moon? It all depends on how much of the world you allow to creep in between you and the Son.

    Genesis 1:20–25

    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. 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.

    This passage deals a deathblow to theistic evolution—the idea that God started the process and then let the species evolve one into another. The language in the Hebrew is emphatic: after their kind, after his kind, after its kind. In other words, there could be changes within a species but not changes from one species to another. Scientists have been able to breed fruitflies into millions of generations. And guess what. They’re still fruitflies. Not one has become a honeybee.

    Genesis 1:26 (a)

    And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .

    The Hebrew word translated God is Elohim. El is the singular form. Elohim refers to three or more. Thus, the very word God in Hebrew speaks of the Trinity.

    We, too, are triune beings. We are body, soul, and spirit. The body refers to our physical being. The soul refers to our mind and our emotions, and relates to people. The spirit refers to our eternal being, and relates to God. Animals have bodies and souls. But they do not have spirits because they’re not made in God’s image. Only man is a spiritual being.

    Genesis 1:26 (b)–28 (a)

    . . . 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. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it . . .

    Before things go haywire due to the Fall, God gives an assignment to man: Subdue the earth.

    Subdue it from what?

    From Satan.

    From the very beginning, God said, This little rock called earth is the place where there is to be a cosmic showdown between Me and Satan. So I’m going to use you, mankind, to partner with Me as part of the process to drive out the enemy.

    How?

    By being fruitful and multiplying.

    How are you to subdue your earth, your world, your family which seems to be in the grasp and grip of the enemy?

    By being fruitful.

    Because the fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22), and because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), you’ll be fruitful if you don’t criticize, gossip, or find fault with things, people, or situations. You’ll be fruitful if you speak words of love and peace, patience and gentleness, for such is the fruit of the Spirit.

    James talks about the tongue being an instrument of fire (James 3:6). If you find fault with your neighbor, your job, your school, your church, your family—you will hand your world over to the hellish flames of the enemy. But if you speak words of affirmation and encouragement, of faith and joy—you will replace the fires of hell with the fruit of heaven.

    I talked to a mom and dad who had opinions about the church and the country, the politicians and the government. All their kids ever heard was Mom and Dad putting something down. And now Mom and Dad can’t figure out why their kids don’t want to go to church.

    Could it be that you’ve poisoned your own well? I asked.

    But we only complained to our own family, they said.

    Ah, but their own family was the very world in which they were to be fruitful, in which they were to multiply.

    How do we multiply?

    Acts 6 tells us the Word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied when the Word was shared.

    If you talk to your kids, your classmates, your coworkers about the Word, you will see multiplication of life and love. And suddenly the world in which you live will be subdued, won back from the enemy.

    We now know that every solid object retains the imprint of a sound wave. The very principle which allows a CD to be pressed or a tape to be made affects this chair, this microphone, my tennis shoe. Jesus could have been hinting at this when He said, If I tell My disciples to be quiet, the rocks would cry out (see Luke 19:40). Thus, I challenge you to live tomorrow as though everything you say to your husband or wife, family or friends is being recorded to be replayed to the whole church. Such is the way to live, for every word you say produces life or death, fruit or fire. Kids who grow up hearing Mom and Dad talk about the Word and how good God is, how much they appreciate fellowship and prayer and praise, plug in and worship God, and walk with Him all of their days.

    Subdue your world, gang, by speaking love and by sharing the Word—by being fruitful and multiplying.

    Genesis 1:28 (b)–31

    . . . 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. 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.

    Our God is awesome. He could have said, For nourishment, take a pill. Instead He said, For food, here’s a thrill—the colors and textures and tastes of bananas and mangoes and guavas and avocadoes and tomatoes and celery are all yours to enjoy.

    He satisfies our mouth with good things, David declares (Psalm 103:5).

    Every good and perfect gift comes from above, James echoes (1:17).

    He has given us richly all things to enjoy, Paul affirms (1 Timothy 6:17).

    If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your kids, how much more will the Heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him? Jesus says (see Matthew 7:11).

    Then why haven’t I received what I’ve been asking for? you wonder.

    The answer is, Because it’s not a good gift. If it was good, God would give it to you, for He withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

    2Genesis 2:1–3

    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.

    At the time the Law was given, no culture had ever taken a day off of work. In agrarian societies, this would have been unthinkable. But here in the very beginning of time, we see the institution of the Sabbath.

    But I don’t need a Sabbath because I’m not tired, you might be thinking.

    Gang, God wasn’t saying, Whew, am I beat! This creating stuff is really draining. No, He was saying to you and me, I’m your Father, and here’s a key to navigate life successfully: Shut it down one day in seven.

    But I can get ahead if I just do a little bit of work on the seventh day.

    As an observer, as a Bible teacher, as a pastor, I tell you with surety that if you don’t take a Sabbath day, it will catch up with you either mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. Ever wonder how Samson could sleep through the looming of his hair? He was exhausted! I am convinced that many people—men in particular—find themselves sleeping on the lap of Delilah because they haven’t kept the Sabbath. I’m convinced many people have physical problems they wouldn’t have if they took one day in seven and said, I’m going to rest and relax, be refreshed and renewed. I’m convinced many people are seeing psychiatrists and taking pills because, failing to take a Sabbath, they’re just mentally fried. I’m convinced many people have collapsed spiritually because the weekend finds them revving up their ski boats rather than finding renewal and refreshment in the Lord.

    Be renewed, gang. I’m not saying what you should or shouldn’t do on the Sabbath day because that’s where the Pharisees erred. Instead, I would just remind you that because God rested on the seventh day, we get to as well.

    The principle He modeled on the seventh day of creation continues to be a healthy one for us.

    Genesis 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,

    Notice the word heavens is plural. Some people say this contradicts Genesis 1:1, which declares "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." But they fail to understand that Scripture speaks of the heavens in three dimensions . . .

    • The first heaven is where the birds fly (Daniel 4).

    • The second heaven is where the stars are (Psalm 19).

    • The third heaven is the place Paul went when he beheld things too wonderful to articulate (2 Corinthians 12:2)—the place all believers will ultimately be.

    These are three dimensions of heaven—and God created all three.

    Genesis 2:5, 6

    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.

    The Lord evidently had a built-in sprinkler system on automatic timer which kept everything watered, for before the days of Noah, there was no rain on the earth, which explains why the sight of him building an ark would have seemed laughable to his contemporaries.

    Genesis 2:7 (a)

    And the LORD God formed man . . .

    Genesis 1 and 2 both deal with the creation story. Chapter 1 uses a wide-angle lens to give us the big picture. Chapter 2 uses a zoom lens to deal specifically with the creation of man.

    Genesis 2:7 (b)

    . . . of the dust of the ground . . .

    Adam’s name literally means man. But the root of his name comes from that from which he was fashioned: dust.

    Genesis 2:7 (c)

    . . . and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

    The words breath, wind, and spirit are all the same word in Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament: ruach. The same is true in Greek, the language of the New Testament, where the words translated breath, wind, and spirit are all pneuma. Formed of dust, man does not become a living soul until God breathes into him.

    Genesis 2:8–14

    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. 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 [Tigris]: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

    We know where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are. But we don’t know the location of the other two. Of this much, however, we are certain: Eden means delight. This garden in which the Lord placed man was a delightful place indeed.

    Genesis 2:15

    And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

    Before the Fall, before the advent of thorns and thistles, before the collapse of the water canopy that kept the earth perfectly temperate, gardening was not hard work. Thus, Adam was a gardener not only by vocation, but also for recreation.

    Genesis 2:16, 17 (a)

    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 . . .

    Why would God place in the Garden a tree from which Adam and Eve were not to eat? Because God desires a loving relationship with man. And true love is built on choice. Therefore, in placing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden, God said to mankind, If you want to kill our relationship, if you want to turn your back on Me, I must provide this opportunity. All you have to do, Adam, to end our relationship is to eat from that tree.

    Genesis 2:17 (b)

    . . . for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

    The Lord is so good because He made it as scary as possible. He said, If you eat from that tree, it’s going to kill you. What else could the Father have done to provide a choice, but also to say, Don’t do that.?

    Notice God does not say, If you eat of that tree, I’m going to kill you. He says, "If you eat of the tree, it will kill you. For many years, I thought that if I did something wrong, God would track me down. No, the Bible says, Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). It is sin that tracks us down, our sin that wipes us out. In the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, perhaps there was something carcinogenic, something that would cause men to begin to die.

    Genesis 2:18 (a)

    And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone . . .

    Adam’s single state was the only thing God created that He declared not good.

    Genesis 2:18 (b)–20

    . . . I will make him an help meet for him. 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.

    Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe, Mr. and Mrs. Rhinoceros, Mr. and Mrs. Orangutan, Mr. and Mrs. Hippopotamus—Adam called out their names as the animals paraded before him. And as he did, there must have come a point when he came to the realization that everyone but him had a counterpart.

    I gotta make something happen, Adam could have said, climbing trees and beating bushes to find a mate. He could have searched the world to find his counterpart—but the closest he would have come would have been an orangutan or a chimpanzee. And that’s what happens to a lot of people today. Aware of their single state, they say, I gotta find somebody. So off they go to Rockin’ Rodeo and they come back with an orangutan. So she’s a little hairy? So he’s kind of big and overbearing, this is as close as I can get to a perfect match, they say. That is no more God’s plan for us than it was for Adam.

    Genesis 2:21, 22

    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.

    When Adam was in a deep, death-like sleep, from out of his side came a bride. Down the tunnel of time, another Bride would come forth from the side of another Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ. When a Roman soldier stuck a spear in His side and the birthing fluids of blood and water poured forth, a Bride was born: the church—you and me.

    Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, Paul instructed the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:25). Husband, you are to love your wife like Christ loved the church. In other words, you’re to die—to your needs, your desires, your dreams because that’s what Christ did for us.

    Father, if it be possible, let this cup of death pass from Me, He prayed. Nevertheless not my will, but Thy will, be done (Luke 22:42).

    Wife, you came from the side of man, and you will find fulfillment at the side of your man—neither leading him nor lagging behind him, but standing by him, standing with him, submitting to him. But know this, wives: Your husband will never be all you want or need him to be. A rib was taken from Adam and men have been missing something ever since. There is only One who has it all together. He’s not called the Second Adam, which means there might be a third one. He is called the Last Adam because there is no other. And He’s not missing a thing. Why? Because He wasn’t born the way every man since the first Adam is born. And He will be the One who will listen to you by the hour and walk with you in the garden in the cool of the day. He will be the One who will hear not only the words of your lips, but also the cry of your heart. He will be the One who will truly understand you.

    Thus, when we start seeking what we crave from the Last Adam, from Jesus Christ, we take pressure off our husband or wife and are then able to enjoy them without expecting something from them that they cannot give us.

    Genesis 2:23 (a)

    And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh . . .

    Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh is a Hebrew idiom meaning, exact counterpart. God is a triune Being: Father, Son, and Spirit. And because He made us in His image, man is triune as well.

    Our body is the physical part of us that relates to the material world around us. Our soul speaks of our mind and emotions and relates to the people around us. Our spirit is the part of us that relates to God and will live forever.

    I believe it was a matching of body, soul, and spirit that caused Adam to realize Eve was truly bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. And I believe the same can be true for us.

    With regard to the body, there must be a physical attraction between you and the one you marry. Secondly, with regard to the soul, one must be able to communicate on the same wavelength with the one he or she marries. Thirdly, with regard to the spirit, one’s love for the Lord, commitment to the Lord, involvement with the Lord must equal that of the one he or she marries.

    Body, soul, spirit—when those three are mirrored in another, it is a match made in heaven.

    The problem is, we usually settle for two out of three.

    I feel a spark for her romantically, he says. And she has that same feeling for me. Spiritually, we both love the Lord, go to Bible study, and pray together. But the soul? She likes malls and I like backpacking. She likes to talk and I don’t. But we can make this work. Yes, they can make it work. But it will take a lot of work to make it work.

    With regard to the soul, we’re best friends, she says. We talk by the hour and love just hanging out with each other. And spiritually, we both love the Lord and are committed to the kingdom. But physically? I can’t explain it, but he doesn’t do much for me. This relationship can work—but, again, it will take a lot of work to make it work because someday, someone will come along who will spark that physical connection, and then there will be problems.

    We’ve got the romance thing wired, he says. We’re also buddies and best friends. But spiritually? I want to be a missionary, and she’s content going to church only on Christmas and Easter. This relationship is destined for hardship because, due to different commitment levels spiritually, each will view life through a different lens.

    Body, soul, and spirit. It’s amazing to me how many couples connect only in two out of three, or even one out of three. When people settle for one out of three, their marriage almost inevitably ends in divorce. When couples settle for two out of three, they can make it work, but it takes a lot of work. It is those who connect on all three levels who, like Adam, are able to say, Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. Wow!

    Marriage and misery go hand in hand, wails the world. Not God. He says, I want marriage to be a taste of heaven for you. If you’ll go My way it can be just that.

    It’s a little late for me to hear this, you might be thinking. I am one of those who settled for only one match out of three and married the wrong person.

    That’s what Jacob could have said . . .

    After seven years of working and waiting, he woke up to find he had wed Leah instead of Rachel—the older sister instead of the girl of his dreams. But at the end of his life, when deciding near whom he would be buried, Jacob again had to choose between the two women. And this time with eyes wide open, he chose Leah. Why? Because Leah produced a son whose name was Judah, from whom would come Yeshua, Messiah, Jesus.

    So, too, as I look over this congregation, I see people who have difficult marriages, but who have developed out of necessity a deep walk with the Lord which never would have been developed if they’d had an easier, simpler marriage. I see people who have hung in there and could now say, If I could do it all over again, I would choose my husband or wife again because our marriage has brought me to a richness with Jesus I never would have known had our marriage been easier.

    If you have gone through a divorce, if you dropped the ball, if you missed the mark, know this: We all have. Every one of us has totally blown it (Romans 3:23). But the good news is that the work of the Cross completely takes care of my failure, my shortcoming, my sin. And it takes care of yours as well. All we have to do is say, Lord, I’ve failed. I determine by Your grace and with Your help to walk rightly to the greatest possible degree. And if my hurts or mistakes can help others, use my wounds. If we confess our sin rather than cover it up, excuse it, or justify it, our points of failure can be our point of greatest ministry.

    Genesis 2:23 (b)

    . . . she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

    The Hebrew word for man is Ish; the word for woman is Isha. In other words, in this first marriage, Eve was given Adam’s name.

    Genesis 2:24, 25

    Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

    True one-ness, true unity is based on two requirements:

    Leaving. Leaving Mom and Dad is not a problem for most of us. The problem lies in leaving the relationship at work, in leaving the man or woman at the office to whom you pour out your heart, with whom you share your dreams.

    But it’s nothing sensual whatsoever, you protest.

    Really? Jesus said no man can serve two masters, for he will eventually begin to hate one of them. Therefore, if you hold on to any outside relationship, almost imperceptibly at first, your husband or wife will slowly begin to bug you. I wish she would cut her hair, or I wish he wasn’t such a slob, you’ll find yourself thinking. So she cuts her hair and he cleans himself up—but then you’ll wish her hair was long or that he wasn’t so concerned about his appearance—because no matter what he or she does, it won’t be quite right.

    It’s all too easy to invest time and energy into relationships outside of marriage—and that will be hugely problematic in every instance because Jesus says wherever a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also (Luke 12:34).

    That’s why Paul says, If any woman has a question, let her ask her husband (1 Corinthians 14:35).

    Therefore, whenever a wife says, But my husband doesn’t know anything about spiritual matters. Pastor, you’re so wonderful. Could I please talk to you? it is the wise pastor who says, If he doesn’t know the answer, he’ll ask me and I’ll have the privilege of sharing with him, after which he’ll come home and share with you.

    I say this tonight because in the past few weeks alone, I’ve seen five or six good brothers and sisters hit the skids due to this very issue. They did not leave every other. And you can say, Well, I don’t know if I buy this, and you can continue to joke with the woman or laugh with the man at the office—but in so doing, they’ll become your treasure and later your heart will be sure to follow. There are no exceptions.

    Cleaving. Although the world doesn’t understand this, the Bible tells us that physical intimacy is more than simply two bodies coming together. It’s two souls being made one (see Proverbs 6:32). That’s why we are not to defraud our partner (see 1 Corinthians 7:5).

    Well, I would cleave to him if I felt more love for him, or, I would cleave to her if I had feelings for her, some say.

    But that’s backwards. As in every other area of spiritual life, the Lord says, Step out and I’ll part the water.

    Part the water and I’ll step out, we say.

    That’s not the way it works, the Lord says, because that’s not faith.

    Begin to give yourself to your spouse, and the feelings will come because by making him or her your treasure, your heart will follow. In the very first marriage seminar ever given, held in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve to leave and cleave. The degree to which we do this is the degree to which we’ll experience unity and joy in our marriages.

    3Genesis 3:1

    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?

    Are you sure you heard God right? Satan asked Eve. The Fall of mankind began with a question. The same is still true. Even in Christian circles, Satan’s strategy is to get believers to doubt their ability to understand the Word. Don’t fall prey to his tactics, gang. The Word of God is incredibly profound. But it is also amazingly simple.

    Genesis 3:2 (a)

    And the woman said unto the serpent . . .

    Eve begins to dialogue with the devil—always a dangerous thing to do.

    Genesis 3:2 (b), 3

    . . . We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

    God didn’t tell Adam and Eve they were not to touch the forbidden fruit, but Eve added an extra rule, a protective parameter to make sure she didn’t violate what God had said. And that is the beginning of legalism.

    Adding to the Word always leads to bondage, bitterness, and backsliding. Our intent might be to try and prevent ourselves or others from getting too close to forbidden fruit, but in reality, our rules and barriers only burden people and ultimately cause them to forget the whole thing and walk away from God.

    For topical study of Genesis 3:3 entitled He Didn’t Say That! turn to page 14.

    Genesis 3:4, 5

    And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

    After questioning the Word of God, Satan questions the way of God as he intimated to Eve that God was holding something back from her that would be good for her. Again, this is the same strategy he uses today. Satan slithers up to our friends, our children, our neighbors, and hisses in their ears saying, You know why you’re not ssssupposed to do that? Because it’s really fun. And God doesn’t want that for you. He wants you to be ressstricted and missserable.

    Not true. As I tell my kids, If you think sin is fun, if you want to eat from the tree of forbidden fruit, look first at another tree—the tree of Calvary—and you’ll see what sin will ultimately do. It will crucify you. And if you think God is holding something back from you, or doesn’t want the best for you, look at that tree again, and you’ll see Him with outstretched arms, nails piercing His palms, proving to you unequivocally that He loves you passionately.

    Satan’s three-pronged old lie is now part of the New Age: You’re not going to die. Your eyes will be opened. You’ll be a god.

    What’s the New Age philosophy? You don’t die; you just reincarnate. By embracing everything, you receive illumination. When you are enlightened, you become a god. Here in the Garden of Eden, at the very outset of time, Satan lays out a strategy he will maintain throughout human history.

    Genesis 3:6 (a)

    And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her . . .

    John tells us all sin falls into one of these three categories: the lust of the flesh—it tastes good; the lust of the eyes—it’s nice to look at; the pride of life—it’ll make you wise (1 John 2:16). Eve bought and bit into Satan’s lie, and invited Adam to do the same.

    Genesis 3:6 (b)

    . . . and he did eat.

    Timothy tells us Eve was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14). Not so with Adam. By eating of the forbidden fruit, he said in essence, I want to be with Eve more than I want to obey God. I would rather be doomed with the woman than trust God to resolve the situation. If Adam had turned to God, I am convinced God would have somehow reconciled Eve’s fallen state. But rather than turn to God, Adam chose to join Eve.

    Genesis 3:7 (a)

    And the eyes of them both were opened . . .

    In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, Satan had said to Eve, and ye shall know good and evil. Unfortunately, Satan was right. You see, before man ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he had to ask the Father about every matter, about every situation in order to discern good from evil. God and Adam walked together in the cool of the day in constant communion because Adam had to depend solely upon God for his knowledge. After the Fall, Adam grew independent from God—and knowledge without God is always deadly.

    The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is as deadly for us as it was for Adam. It can squeeze the life out of our relationship with the Lord if we’re not oh, so careful. Even Bible knowledge can be deadly to anyone who says, I’ve been to Bible school; I’ve been to seminary; I’ve been reading the Word for years. I know good from evil.

    Aren’t we supposed to know the Bible? you ask.

    Yes. But as we study the Word we are to fellowship with the Lord intimately, talk to Him personally, worship, praise, commune, and listen to Him constantly. You see, as parents our job is to get our kids to become independent. When they take their first steps, we say, Way to go! When they learn to tie their shoes, ride a bike, drive a car, move out, we say, Hooray! But our Heavenly Father wants just the opposite for you and me. He wants us to be totally dependent upon Him. He wants us to be constantly talking to Him just as Adam used to do before he ate of the forbidden fruit.

    Genesis 3:7 (b)

    . . . and they knew that they were naked . . .

    Before their Fall, it would seem as though Adam and Eve were, like God, clothed with a garment of light (Psalm 104:2). After the Fall, their garments of light were replaced with darkness, and the beauty of their sexuality became an embarrassment, a perversion, a problem.

    Genesis 3:7 (c)

    . . . and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

    The only identifiable tree in the Garden of Eden is this one—the fig tree. The national symbol of Israel, the fig tree speaks of man’s attempt to cover the nakedness of his sin with his own effort.

    Genesis 3:8

    And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

    Attired in their scratchy, itchy fig leaves, Adam and Eve hear the voice of the Lord and they hide. That’s what sin always does. It causes us to hide from the Lord. Like Adam and Eve, if there’s rebellion in my life, I’ll run from the voice of the Lord—I’ll lose my appetite for Scripture.

    Genesis 3:9

    And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

    Because none seeks God (Romans 3:11), it had to be God who sought Adam. And His question is not, Why did you? or, How could you? but simply, "Where are you?"

    Genesis 3:10, 11

    And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

    Because God knew precisely what Adam had done, He’s not after information from Adam, but confession from him. So, too, God wants to get me to a place where I confess to Him—not because He wants to embarrass me or needs information about my sin, but because when I confess sin, it loses its grip on me. That’s why confession is so important. Confession doesn’t bring forgiveness because forgiveness was already granted to us at the Cross. Confession doesn’t forgive us—it simply frees us from the grip of sin on our lives.

    Genesis 3:12

    And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

    Rather than confessing his sin, Adam blames the woman for his sin, and, indirectly, God Himself for giving the woman to him. The same is still true. Anytime I blame someone else—be it a spouse, a parent, a boss, an employee, a neighbor—I am ultimately blaming the One who put that person in my life.

    Genesis 3:13, 14 (a)

    And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent . . .

    You gotta love the Father here. He’s not heavy-handed with Adam and Eve. Rather, He just lets them play out their blame game.

    Genesis 3:14 (b)

    . . . Because thou hast done this,

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