Genesis 2 Rest, Work and Spouses

What a wonderful God we have that would give us his wisdom and principles to apply to our lives that we could have a life of complete rest in Him.  Even more amazing is that we have a God who would begin by setting the example for us to follow.

In Genesis chapter 2, we see God has completed creation and on the seventh day He rests (verse 2).  The principle of rest is given to us here and we see 1. How productive God is in His days of creating.  He did it all in six days.  2. God Himself rested from the work.  It was a Holy day blessed by God because He rested on that day.  In applying this principle to my own life, I really struggle.  As we look at how the Israelites applied the principle of rest later in scripture we can see they struggled too to find and define this rest. 

Now, the seventh day is not Sunday, but we Christians honor Sunday as the weekly Holy day as it is the day that Jesus was resurrected from the tomb having completed the work of redemption for us.  So you can see that we start with identifying what day is the “day of rest”.  I don’t know about you, but I find that my Sunday’s are just as full of activity as my work days by the time I participate in the activities of the church.  I had a pastor once who said he nearly gave up his calling to preach because he was having a hard time reconciling his commitment to keep the day of rest.  I am not going to make excuses or justify the activities of the observance of the day of rest; my point is that God established it and it is a part of his order for our lives.  If we are not finding rest, then we know that we need to work in this area to order our activities to provide this rest we desperately need.

The chapter outlines all the provisions God made for man including water and food in the garden.  I find it interesting that there is mention of gold in verses 11 and 12.  I am not sure what purpose gold would have served in Eden, but perhaps God had already known that man would have a penchant to pursue shiny things.

In addition to rest, this is the chapter in which God ordains work.  Note, this is before the fall, so work is not punishment for a sinful act, but it is a part of God’s established order.  Work gives us a sense of purpose and belonging to the larger creation.  We fit into our world because we contribute to its productivity.  We need to work, if we feel that we need to avoid work in some way or we are overworking ourselves to accelerate our arrival at retirement, then we do not have a proper balance of work and rest.  Work was not done to supply our needs, it is clear from the chapter that God supplied the provisions, it is our response to our Creator; honoring Him who provides for us.

The types of work Adam was given were to care for the garden (verse 15) and to name all the animals (verse 19).  God was involving Adam in the work He started.  I find it interesting that given that we are created in God’s image, that Adam was given the responsibility to name the animals.  God gave him a creative nature as well!  God brought the animals and birds to him to see what he would name them.  God was interested to see what Adam would do with his talents. 

Finally, God recognizes our need for companionship and help.  In verse 18, God said “it is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.”  He created this helper out of Adam’ flesh and so it is appropriate that they would be considered one flesh.  There are so many applications out of this passage that I am not sure we could begin to unpack it in one blog post.  Here are just a couple of points.  1.  Even though Adam enjoyed uninterrupted fellowship with God himself, God recognized that he needed someone like himself who would not only help him in his work but would also be a companion to keep him from being alone.  2.  The woman was created out of the flesh of Adam.  While she was different from Adam, she was one flesh with him and complemented him in every way.

APPLICATION

God made us for relationship in addition to work and fellowship with Himself.  We see that God established an order of life that provides for our sustenance and enjoyment.  When we apply these principles in our lives we find that there is a sense of order and peace as well.  We live in an economy that has substantial unemployment.  For those who are not employed for pay, seek out work that you can do that will give you a sense of purpose and contribute to the welfare of your community.  I know one pastor who recommended to his unemployed congregation members to go to the place where you would like to be hired and then work there for free; they will see your commitment and you get a chance to show them you can do the work you are seeking.  I know there are people in my neighborhood who need help.  They could use someone to look after the children, mow the lawn, repair a car… Whatever talent God has supplied you, use it for his glory.

So often spouses focus on their differences and marriage becomes a real struggle.  When we view our spouse as an opponent we don’t act as one.  We should change our thinking about our marriage partner if we are in this mode.  God has supplied this person to be one with us; a partner and companion in life and a helper in the work God has called us to.  If you are at odds with your spouse consider ways that you can build a bridge to encourage them to find oneness with you.

Finally, we live in a world that is so jam packed full of activity we hardly have time to meditate or rest.  This is wrong.  From morning to night there is noise, activity, work and recreation fill our days.  You would think we would be the happiest people, but in fact, as a nation we are generally lonely and miserable; seeking out consolation from TV, recreation, trips, alcohol, or any other diversion that will allow us to have a small sense of peace.  If you are in a harried state of activity, I would like to challenge you (and myself) to find a way to make one day a week Holy to the Lord, a day of rest.  Just like God showed us.