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God concludes the act of creation by resting on the seventh day. God blesses and sanctifies the seventh day.
We begin to see what is happening on the earth. No shrubs or plants had started to grow because it had not yet rained. A mist from the earth waters the surface of the ground.
God makes man from the dust of the ground and he becomes a living being. Man is placed in a beautiful garden with food, the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river flowed out of Eden and divided into four other rivers, the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates.
Adam names all the living creatures, but a suitable helper was not found for him. God made woman from Adam’s rib and she became his wife.
Genesis is a book about many beginnings. The beginnings of the world, the human race, sin and redemption, and the nation of Israel to name a few. In fact, the word Genesis from the Greek means “origin,” and in Hebrew it means “beginning.” The book of Genesis contains the events of the flood, tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the lives of the Patriarchs.
In the beginning, God created everything by simply speaking, “God said…and it was so” (Genesis 1:6-7, 9, 11, 14-15). This is not a scientific technical account of creation, but it shows a loving God creating a universe and mankind to rule it and fellowship with God. Man was formed especially from the ground and given the breath of life from God. The woman was made from the man’s rib (Genesis 2:7).
After man fell into sin, things began to spin out of control quickly. Cain murdered his brother Abel and the human race became so violent that God decided to destroy them all with a flood. God saved one righteous man (Noah) and his family in an ark filled with animals to deliver the human race from extinction. God chose Abraham and blessed a special group of people named “Israel.” God began to unfold a plan of salvation from a coming famine by sending Joseph to rule in Egypt. The failure of man in every circumstance is met by the salvation of God. We fail, but the good news is God saves us.
If Genesis chapter 1 is a panoramic view, Genesis chapter 2 is the close-up view. It provides more detail about the sixth day of creation, especially the creation of man. In it, we find we (mankind) are special to God.