Genesis 1 presents a macro-creation, Genesis 2 a micro-creation. The latter follows the former, for humanity is micro-cosmic.<\/p>\n
The Spirit hovers over waters, and water arises to water the ground. God speaks light into existence, and by the same breath He makes Adam a living soul. Day 1.\u00a0Yahweh forms a firmament; Yahweh plants a garden east in Eden, a mid-space between the high land of Eden and the lower lands outside. Day 2.<\/p>\n
He plants trees in the garden, and the water that flows from the west through the garden, splits, and flows on to the corners of the world. This matches day 3, with the separation of water and land and the creation of fruit- and seed-bearing trees.\u00a0Yahweh places Adam the light into the firmament-garden. Day 4.<\/p>\n
Then Yahweh speaks to Adam, issuing an invitation and a prohibition: Eat from all, but do not eat from the tree in the midst of the garden. Day 5 is the first day of command in Genesis 1: Be fruitful and multiple. The creation of Eve matches the creation of man, male and female, on day 6, and the joy of the first humans in the garden is the joy of Sabbath. It is the Sabbath day.<\/p>\n
Now, how does this present Yahweh as teacher? He begins teaching at the \u201cday 5\u201d moment of Genesis 2. That\u2019s when He begins to speak. Adam is placed in the garden to serve and keep it, and simultaneously is taught how to conduct himself in the garden. Teaching does not precede task; it is concurrent with task.<\/p>\n
And the teaching doesn\u2019t take the form of indicative truth-claims. Yahweh\u2019s teaching of Adam is first an invitation (\u201cFrom any tree of the garden you may freely eat\u201d), then prohibition (\u201cbut from the tree of knowledge you shall not eat\u201d) and warning (\u201clest you die\u201d). Satan will deal in interrogatives, probing the truth of God\u2019s warning; Satan will deal in indicatives or predictions (\u201cyou shall not surely die\u201d). God\u2019s teaching begins with hospitality and command. Imperative is the first mood of Yahweh\u2019s teaching. It\u2019s not accidental that the invitation is to share a meal: Yahweh\u2019s teaching takes place at Eden\u2019s table.<\/p>\n
Finally, as the narrative is arranged, there appears to be an implicit structure of transmission. Yahweh speaks to Adam before Eve is created. Does He reiterate the invitation and prohibition to Eve? There\u2019s no indication that He does, and it seems just as likely (perhaps more) that Adam was supposed to communicate Yahweh\u2019s word to Eve. Having been taught, Adam is to become a teacher.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Genesis 1 presents a macro-creation, Genesis 2 a micro-creation. The latter follows the former, for humanity is micro-cosmic. The Spirit hovers over waters, and water arises to water the ground. God speaks light into existence, and by the same breath He makes Adam a living soul. Day 1.\u00a0Yahweh forms a firmament; Yahweh plants a garden […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-ot-genesis"],"yoast_head":"\n