Monday, October 5, 2009
The Beginning- Covenant Life, Death and Renewal Gen 2:4-4:26
Dr. D
- Focus on Genesis 1
- Gen 1:26-28 “have dominion (ladies are part of the ruling over creation, there is an equality here in ability to image God, rule on behalf of God, and ability to relate to God) be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” (this is a team thing :-) and this is a family thing)
- Yahweh, the Lord of Creation
- The Creator-King Over All
- everything starts from him, he alone creates and is the ultimate overseer of the cosmos and the Garden
- God is passionate for his image to be displayed gen 1:26-28
- God alone will enable the fulfillment of his commission through blessing Gen 1:28
- God alone sits enthroned in sovereign rest Gen 2:1-3
- God alone creates a kingdom family and enables birth (Gen 2:7, 22 with Matt 19:6; Gen 4:1) Marriage is the DEED of God.
- Yahweh, the Covenant Maker and Renewer
- The Language of covenant is absent in Gen 1-3 but the features of covenant are present.
- Relationship between God and a people int he context of the cosmos
- Obligation with promise of life and call to loyalty.
- Trusting in God’s way, that it was best.
- Some think of Adam having a probation with the tree what is that all about. Discussion is forthcoming.
- Yahweh, the Standard for and Judge of Good and Evil
- God alone gives guidelines for sustained life and determines good and evil - no dualism possible
- God alone confronts and condemns those guilty of kingdom - treason:
- After the fall of the serpent and humanity
- After Cain’s murder of Abel.
- Humanity, Creation Stewards
- The Kingdom Family: Ideal (Gen 2)
- Introduction:
- Marriage is the Deed of God. Matt 19:6
- Marriage is about the Display of God: Couples image God in a unique way
- Eph 5:21-23 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
- Ultimate Rel: Christ(head) + Church = One Body
- Model Rel: Husband(head) + Wife = One Flesh
- Marriage as the display of God’s tenacious covenant love with his people
- Adam’s role (2:15) “to work it and keep it”
- this is not someone who is underneath creation, but one who is over it. Rulership looks like serving.
- Watch over is the same verb as keep.
- Num 3:4, 7-8 “But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai... They (the levites) shall watch over his (aaron’s) duty and over the duty of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to serve the work of the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and watch over the people to serve the work of the tabernacle.”
- Gen 3:23-24 “therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
- Adam is to keep evil out, serving and guarding.
- Evil was anticipated in his guardian role.
- Gender roles are derivatives of the marriage distinctions.
- Marriage is being shown as the central piece of Covenant relationships
- Interpretation of Adam’s role in Gen 2:15
- Cultivate = stewardship - unburdened “work” (3:17-19)
- Keep = Guard - oversight/ spiritual leadership (3:24)
- Adam’s need/ wife’s role (2:18): a helper corresponding to the husband.
- God’s word: helper.
- Ps 115:9-11
- Ps 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my Help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.”
- Not derogatory at all.
- Very little call is made for men to do what they were called to do, not to worry about how to interact with women.
- Adam’s role clarified (2:23): Love his wife as his own body (Eph 5:28)
- Bone of my Bone and flesh of my flesh... who is he talking to?
- Love wife like you love your own body.
- this is LOVE! You are as important as me.
- when the girl that God has given them hurts them, we want to cut them off, but we must not. We must nurture and forgive.
- Paul was doing good exegesis here.
- Very little focus on the woman, it is the man that leaves and cleaves. Moses is saying this is very important to keep this formation. Leaving and cleaving language is everywhere in covenant making language.
- Care for wife FIRST, principally to your wife.
- All this is in context of imaging: to display God.
- To display relationship God has with his people.
- Husband: to steward and guard/love
- Wife: to Help
- Adam is called to PROVIDE and PROTECT
- This isn’t domineering, this is care and nurture.
- They are a team, and he is the initiating servant leader.
- Protect Provide
- Physical Spiritual === primary responsibility to do all 4. Taking initiative with devotions, walk with the Lord, determine what to be involved with.
- Mrs. D’s wife writes books for devotions and all that. She wrote it and Dr. D taught it. She has no theological training, Dr. D is now refining it.
- Satan comes to the Garden and goes to Eve
- Where is the protector? Should be right there, he is right there.
- God comes to Adam not Eve
- Satan knows that God’s kingdom will be subverted by corrupting roles.
- Narrative is structured exactly opposite of the satan, woman, man...
- Paul is showing that when creation order isn’t kept things go bad.
- Gen 3:8 “The wind of the day” This is Theophany, God showing up, not cool of the day.
- The woman whom you gave me” is this “bone of my bone?” now he is being aggressive when he was patience. That is cursed reality, not Genesis 2 ideal.
- Paul: headship and submission::: this is the Gen. 2 role.
- Curse on the Kingdom Family
- The curse against the woman/wife
- Pain in childbirth
- desire will be for your husband, but he will rule over you
- Both confront responsibility as helper
- The curse against the man/husband
- The reason for judgment emphasized failure in responsibility as protector-leader and lover
- toil/burden in work/life
- deterioration of the body
- deterioration of creation
- All target responsibility as steward and leader.
- The big deal here isn’t ability
- the issue is the picture of corporate worship which displays God’s glory by showing the relationship of Christ and his church.
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