25-1019a - Detailed Summary

Scott welcomes everyone, including visitors, and notes that they are continuing their journey through the first 11 chapters of Genesis, examining the very beginning of God’s narrative with humanity. Today, they are in Genesis chapter 2, a passage that zooms in on the creation of man and the Garden of Eden. Scott prays that the Father opens their hearts to his word and helps them see his design in creation, his provision for their lives, and his purpose for each one. As they continue the study, Scott brings some things to remembrance, stating that Genesis is not a science textbook but a history text, an account of real historical events woven into God’s metanarrative, his grand overarching story of mankind on earth. This is not mythology or allegory but the inspired record of how God spoke the universe into being and set the stage for his relationship with us.

To frame this, Scott recounts Hebrews chapter 3, verses 1 through 4, where the writer reminds us that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to God who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all of God’s house. But Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, as much as the builder of the house has more glory than the house itself. Verse 4 states that every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Scott urges thinking about that: when seeing a house, a beautifully crafted home with intricate details, one does not assume it appeared by chance but knows someone designed and built it, as an expression of intelligent design. We recognize the handiwork of a craftsman in man-made things, and likewise, we are called to see God’s design in nature.

Scott explains that God built everything, all things, through his son Jesus, as in Hebrews 1, verse 2. This echoes Romans chapter 1, verses 19 and 20, where it says what can be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain, for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made, so they are without excuse. God expects us to look at the world around us, the complexity of a cell, the vastness of the stars, the precision of ecosystems, and see evidence, expressions of intelligent design of his eternal power and divine nature; his God-ness, his Divinity shines through. It is not hidden but plainly seen, and in Genesis 2, we see this design up close, focused on humanity. Genesis chapter 2, verses 4 through 7, is a closer look at man’s creation. Scott notes they have already covered the opening verses of chapter 2 in the series but recaps to set the scene. Verse 4 introduces a more detailed account of creation centered on man: 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. This phrase "these are the generations of" appears 10 times in Genesis, like a signpost dividing the book into sections and outlining God’s covenantal blueprint, his plan unfolding through history.

Verses 5 and 6 paint a picture of the earth before full vegetation, 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, but a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground. This is a more detailed glimpse into day 6 of creation than in chapter 1. There was no rain yet; God sustained the earth through a mist, perhaps a vapor canopy or underground aquifers. In this very good world free from death and harsh elements, rain does not appear until the flood in Genesis chapter 7.

The text challenges the idea of an old earth with billions of years of rain and erosion and death before humans. What we see here is God’s creation immediate, perfect, and sustained by him directly through his word. Scott feels compelled to address the assumption that the earth is billions of years old because it is probably the most pervasive idea that directly conflicts with the beginning text of Genesis. It is so pervasive that it is a global worldwide commonly held belief, a truth claim that even many Christians believe as fact. The naturalistic claim of an old earth spanning billions of years rests on the assumption that only natural processes govern the universe. This worldview asserts that everything from the formation of galaxies to the emergence of life can be explained by observable, repeatable mechanisms, leaving no room for the supernatural. By embracing this perspective, one implicitly denies the existence of a spiritual realm and a purposeful, intelligent designer. Such a stance not only dismisses the biblical account of creation but also undermines the very foundation of a personal sovereign God who actively shapes history.

In contrast, the Bible presents Genesis as a historical narrative, not a poetic or mythological tale. The detailed genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 provide a clear timeline tracing humanity’s lineage from Adam to Abraham in a matter of thousands, not billions of years. These genealogies, taken at face value, align with a young earth perspective, suggesting a creation that occurred roughly 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. To interpret these accounts as symbolic or allegorical risks diluting their historical reliability, which is foundational to the rest of Scripture.

Jesus and the New Testament writers consistently treated Genesis as historical fact. In Matthew 24, verses 37 through 39, Jesus refers to Noah and the flood as a real event, using it to warn of future judgment. Similarly, in Matthew 19, verses 4 and 5, he cites the creation of Adam and Eve from Genesis chapter 1, verse 27, and the institution of marriage, Genesis 2, 24, to establish timeless moral principles. The apostles, including Paul, Peter, and John, also anchor their teachings in the historical reality of Genesis. If these events were merely mythological, the theological arguments built upon them, such as the origin of sin and the need for redemption, would lose their grounding, calling into question the authority of Jesus' teachings. Denying the historicity of Genesis has profound implications. If the early chapters of Genesis are not factual, then the doctrinal and moral framework of Christianity, as affirmed by Jesus and the apostles, begins to unravel.

The young earth view rooted in a literal reading of Genesis upholds the integrity of Scripture as a unified revelation. To reject this is to risk undermining the divine inspiration of the Bible and the credibility of Christ’s own words, which form the cornerstone of the Christian faith. To Scott, if Jesus and the apostles believed Genesis was a historical account of actual events, then why should not he? And if we do not believe Genesis, why should we even call ourselves Christians? Really,

The notion that a young earth conflicts with science often stems from competing worldviews like uniformitarianism and evolution, which assume that natural processes alone, operating as they do today, explain the past. Peter warned of this mindset 2,000 years ago in 2 Peter 3, verses 3 through 6, describing scoffers who claim all things continue as they were from the beginning. These scoffers, Peter says, deliberately ignore God’s supernatural acts, his creation of the world by his word and its judgment by the flood. By rejecting the supernatural, uniformitarianism and naturalism rest on flawed assumptions that limit reality to only observable processes. Yet science, while a powerful tool for studying the present, cannot directly observe the past without making such assumptions. They require assumptions. A young earth perspective aligned with both scripture and empirical evidence, such as rapid geological formations like those formed within 48 hours of the Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption, soft tissue in dinosaur fossils, and carbon-14 in diamonds, which challenge billions of years' timelines. By embracing Genesis’s history, we uphold a rational faith that honors God’s creative power without abandoning reason or the insights of science.

So, back to the recap of Genesis chapter 2, picking up in verse 7 rather. Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. There we see man created in God’s image. Just as God is triune, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, man is a three-part being also, his body formed from the dust, spirit breathed in by God, and our soul, our living essence. This reflects God’s design. We are not accidents but intentional creations mirroring our creator in complexity and purpose.

So now they are ready to move on to Genesis chapter 2, verses 8 through 17, where God plants a garden. This evening they will look at verses 15 through 17, where Adam gets a job and the Bible introduces us to the ideas of ethics and morals.

But for now, let’s move into the core of this morning’s text, verses 8 through 14, where God plants the Garden of Eden. This is not a fairy tale garden but a real historical place in pre-flood geography, marked by rivers like the Tigris and Euphrates. Verses 8 and 9 say, and the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed, 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. So God does not abandon humanity to a barren wilderness after forming Adam. Instead, he intentionally plants a garden in Eden, a cultivated oasis of abundance, beauty, and provision, verse 9, tailored specifically for the man he created.

This act underscores God’s relational care. Eden is not just a random patch of land, but a prepared home where humanity can thrive and fellowship with their Creator. Critics often point to this verse in Genesis 2 as evidence of, in their words, "a second creation story" that contradicts chapter 1. They claim it depicts God planting vegetation anew on the sixth day, after the broader creation of plants on day three, Genesis 1, verses 11 and 12. They argue this proves the Bible is pieced together from conflicting traditions, undermining its reliability and divine inspiration.

However, no such contradiction exists. Genesis 2 is not retelling the entire creation week from scratch, but zooming in on day six events with a special focus on humanity’s origin and role, Genesis 2, verses 4 through 7 and verses 15 through 25. The chapter’s topical structure, recapping and expanding on key details, complements rather than competes with the chronological overview in chapter 1.

On day 3 in chapter 1, God creates all the vegetation across the earth generically: let the land produce vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees, Genesis 1, verses 11 and 12, setting the stage for life. This is the first appearance of life on the earth.

In the detail of day 6 in chapter 2, within this already vegetated world, God plants a localized garden in Eden, featuring specific trees like those that are pleasant to look at and are good for food, plus the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam is placed there to work it and take care of it, verse 15, highlighting human stewardship that they will look at tonight.

These day six plants are purposeful additions, perhaps specially adapted or enhanced for Eden’s unique purpose, not a recreation of all of the earth’s flora. Scripture elsewhere supports ongoing divine activity within creation, for example, God causing plants to grow in specific context, as in Numbers chapter 17, verse 8, which is an interesting passage one ought to read.

Additional details in chapter 2 enrich our understanding of day 6 without negating chapter 1’s broader account. Far from conflict, this is harmonious elaboration, revealing God’s thoughtful design for humanity in a world already teeming with life.

Eden means delight or pleasure. It is God’s provision on display. Food from every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, verse 9. There is the tree of life, and it appears that eternal physical sustenance was a real possibility if they ate from that tree, given that when Adam and Eve are banned from Eden and prohibited from returning after they sin, this tree is mentioned as the reason why they are banned from the garden, lest they take from it and eat and live forever, Genesis 3, verses 22 through 24. And of course there is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which they will see introduces choice tonight when they tackle verses 16 and 17.

Verses 10 through 14 describe a river flowing from Eden and into the garden. The garden is in Eden and is a subset of the larger land mass of Eden. The river flows into the garden and splits into four rivers, the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. These rivers watered the garden and carried resources like gold and precious stones. This is not symbolic but geographical detail grounding Eden in real history.

Now recognizing that Eden is pre-flood geography, the world back then was different, looked different, and was different, as Peter mentions in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 6. Talking about the destruction of the world by the flood, he says, by the word of God, the world that then existed, that is before the flood, was deluged with water and perished. The surface of the world at that time was buried under thousands of feet of flood sediment. So the rivers existing today after the flood may have the same names but cannot be the same rivers as those before the flood.

And also note that verses 10 through 14 are an interruption of the text between chapter 2, 4 through 9, and 15 through 17. So verses 4 through 9 are focused on Adam, then the garden geography in verses 10 through 14, followed by Adam in verses 15 through 17. So verses 10 through 14 form a parenthetical passage giving pre-flood geography or geographical characteristics that describe and locate the garden in Eden.

So what is the purpose of this parenthetical passage? Post-flood, it cannot be used to locate Eden, since Eden is buried under thousands of feet of flood sediment. The passage does give us information about the richness of the materials available right from the beginning, precious metals and precious stones, plus abundant fresh water. Eden lives up to its description, paradise. But what else could the purpose be? Scott likes an idea expressed in an article from Answers in Genesis titled, How Did Moses Know So Much About the Pre-Flood World? And subtitled is Genesis 2, 10 through 14, describing place names in Moses' time or Adam’s. In the article, the authors reference Genesis chapter 5, verse 1, where it says, this is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. They speculate that the word book in that phrase implies a written versus an oral account, possibly from Adam himself. They also suggest that the other, these are the generations of signposts that have been talked about earlier, were journals from the persons named in the phrase. And they venture that Moses possibly used these written or oral journals as his sources for the book of Genesis. Without going through the article, Scott will leave that to the audience, and he will place a link in the online summary of the sermon.

But for now, let’s jump right to the conclusion, based on chapters 5 and 11 genealogies and the signpost source materials. The answers in Genesis authors conclude, whether through direct divine revelation or from written or oral records, actually preserved by the Holy Spirit, Moses had access to knowledge about creation week and human history up through the time of Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Therefore, the best explanation for what seems to be the disjointed insertion of Genesis 2, 10 through 14, is that it is not disjointed at all, but a roadmap for people of Adam’s time. Having lived 930 years and many of his descendants living the same or longer, Adam stops the creation narrative here in chapter 2, and explains to people who probably now live nowhere near Eden where it was in relation to other then present-day landmarks. Adam is anticipating the question of, where was Eden located by his younger descendants? And this would be especially true if the book or scroll Adam is writing was meant to be re-read by Shem and his sons. Then, after providing a brief roadmap, Adam resumes writing the detail about day six of creation week.

A point the article makes supporting the idea that the original audience targeted lived pre-flood is it mentions that the passage is written from a pre-flood perspective. All the rivers are named in the present tense. For example, verse 11 says the name of the first river is Pishon. So the rivers were still existent to the writer. For a post-flood audience, verses 10 through 14 are informational, letting us know that Eden and the garden were real historical geographical places. To a pre-flood audience who would be familiar with the then existing geographical names, it would be, in the author’s words, a roadmap. At any rate, it is a parenthetical passage.

Tonight they will venture into verses 15 through 17, where they will see that God puts Adam in the garden of Eden for the purpose to work and keep it. Though contrary to the world’s false truth claims, the oldest profession is gardening. Then they will turn to verses 16 and 17, where right up front the Bible gives us the origins of ethics, morals, free will, and consequences. Difficult topics for which the Bible has answers, and the competing worldview of naturalism has no satisfactory answer.

For now, let’s sum up and look at some application. Eden epitomizes God’s provision: physical needs met, food, water, beauty, spiritual access, and relational setup, man directly communicating with God. But it also sets the stage, which they will see tonight, for obedience. God does not force compliance. He invites trust.

So what does this mean for us in 2025? First, recognize intelligent design. Just as Hebrews and Romans teach, look at creation and see God’s hands. The human eye, with its millions of photoreceptors, is not random evolution. It is divine engineering. The DNA in every cell, a code more complex than any computer program, points to a programmer. It is the watch demands a watchmaker explanation on steroids. So in a world pushing naturalistic explanations, stand firm. The builder of all things is God.

And finally, embrace God’s provision. Eden shows a God who plants gardens for our delight. Today, he provides, through Christ, the ultimate tree of life. In John 6:35, Jesus says, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. Are you trusting his provision or chasing forbidden fruit? Things that promise satisfaction lead to death.

Genesis 2 is an ancient history. It is his story. It reveals a God of design, who created us with purpose, a God of provision, who delights in us, a God of purpose, who calls us to stewardship and obedience. Let’s be close. Let’s pray for eyes to see his design, hearts to trust his provision, and wills to follow his purpose. And if you are here today without Christ, come to the builder. He will make you new. Come while we stand and sing.