2 – Adam and Eve
Genesis 2:5-24 3:20
Imagine the earth when it was new—before the plants had come up. In those days, God hadn’t yet allowed it to rain on the earth, but caused a mist to come each day to water the land. During this time, God took some soil and shaped the first man. He breathed into his nostrils, and Adam was alive.
God planted a garden in a place called Eden. It had every kind of tree, and there was a river that owed out from the garden.
In the middle, there were two special trees. One was called the Tree of Life and the other was called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
God told Adam to take care of the garden. He said, “You may eat from every tree except the one in the middle, The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. You’re not to eat from that tree. If you eat from it, you will die!”
God said, “It’s not good that man is alone. I’ll make a helper that’s just right for him.” He then brought all the animals to Adam and told him to name them. So Adam named all the animals, and whatever he named them, that was their name.
As he was naming them, he noticed that all the animals came in pairs, male and female. Yet, as he looked around, he noticed that there wasn’t a female for him.
God caused a deep sleep to come down over Adam, and he slept deep and long. Then God opened up the flesh in Adam’s side and took a rib. Carefully he closed up the flesh. From that rib, God made a woman.
When Adam awoke, God brought the woman to him. Adam said, “This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. She’ll be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” This is the reason why a man leaves his parents and forms a relationship with his wife, and they become one flesh.
Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all people.
2 Woman
Inspired by Genesis 2:23
Gil Thomas
“Finally! One who was made from my bone,
Is there a being like me? She alone!
Oh what shall I call this one at my hand?
She shall be Woman; she was taken from Man.”
- How would you describe the Garden of Eden? What do you visualize when you think of it?
- Watch the video Adam & Eve.
- List the verbs that describe God’s actions in Genesis 1:1-2:3 ? What do we know about God based on these verbs?
- List the verbs that describe God’s actions in Genesis 2:4-25. Compare this list to your previous list of verbs. What do the new verbs tell us about God?
- Why was a rib the perfect bone for God to use to create woman?
- Based on Gen 2:24-25, what behaviors and attitudes are necessary for a successful marriage?
- Retell Adam and Eve as a group.
Group Discussion
- God said it was not good that man was alone. What benefits do we receive from our relationships with others? What is the best way to make our relationships stronger?
- God says a man should leave his family and be joined to his wife. Some people choose to remain single and be joined to their life’s mission. How could someone’s new life be different from their previous life? How might they be the same?
- Why do you think God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden?
- What does it mean that Eve was created to be a “helper” to Adam — someone who was “suitable” for Adam?
