Workmanship of God

Genesis 2:4-7 (NASB)

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.  Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 

The story of creation was given in Genesis 1.  Yet this passage in Genesis 2 (through verse 25) also gives the story of creation.  Are there two versions of the creation story?  Are there two authors, two perspectives, and, worse, two contradictory accounts?  For example, skeptics will point out that in chapter 1 man is represented as having been made “in the image of God” while in chapter 2 he is merely “formed…..of the dust of the ground”.   Another supposed contradiction is that plants were created before man in chapter 1 while plants were created after man in chapter 2.  The same argument goes for animals and man.  A great amount of theological scholarship has been undertaken over the centuries to explain these and other supposed discrepancies in the two creation accounts.  

One of these scholars, Edward Young, makes the following statement:  “There are different emphases in the two chapters...but the reason for these is obvious. Chapter 1 continues the narrative of creation until the climax, namely, man made in the image and likeness of God. To prepare the way for the account of the fall, chapter 2 gives certain added details about man’s original condition, which would have been incongruous and out of place in the grand, declarative march of chapter 1” (An Introduction to the Old Testament, 1960, p. 53).

Wayne Jackson (Reason and Revelation, March, 1991, p 9) pointed out a very interesting truth that, at least for me, concludes that the two Genesis accounts are complementary, not contradictory. In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus first quoted from Genesis 1:26, then quoted from Genesis 2:24.  Would Christ have done this if the two accounts were not true?      

A couple of very interesting points from this passage (although scholars could write pages of teaching).  First, notice that “God had not sent rain upon the earth”.  Estimates range between 950 and 1656 years between Adam and Noah before rain ever was sent upon the earth.  Since rain was unknown, people made fun of Noah for building the ark.  Second, the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and then breathed into his nostrils the breadth of life.  Humans come from the ground of the earth.  All 59 elements found in the human body are found on the earth’s crust.  

We worship an incredibly amazing and awesome God who created everything, including human life, from nothing and created you in His image.  You are the workmanship of God and you are His most special creation.  He created you with His own hands, He was involved with every detail of who you are and He loves you.  Don’t ever think and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are not special in the eyes of God.