Genesis 2: 5-17

Genesis 

Chapter 2    (5-17)

At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens--

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while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil,

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but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground--

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² the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.

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³ Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed.

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Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.

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⁴ A river rises in Eden to water the garden; beyond there it divides and becomes four branches.

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The name of the first is the Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

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The gold of that land is excellent; bdellium and lapis lazuli are also there.

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The name of the second river is the Gihon; it is the one that winds all through the land of Cush.

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The name of the third river is the Tigris; it is the one that flows east of Asshur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

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The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.

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The LORD God gave man this order: "You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden

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except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die." Reflection:  So much happens in these few verses.  At first it appears as though man was just one of the flowers placed in the Garden.  That changes as the verses go on.  The trees and plants are described in their benefit to God and to man.  It quickly becomes apparent that God created man differently than how He created other items in the garden of Eden.   Man, whom he formed .  I love that God had a beautiful design for men from the beginning.  We see this in how He plants the garden and places man in the garden.  He gave man the garden to work in the garden.  Man was called from the very beginning to be in charge of the land and all that was in it.  God created the trees and their beauty for the enjoyment of man.  I love that!  When the leaves would change and look wonderful my maternal grandfather used to tell us to enjoy the beauty.  "God painted that tree just for you to tell you how much he loves you."  I used to think that was just my Grandfather talking but I can see that the commit was based on scripture.  Right from the very beginning of the Bible we are told how God has created the earth as gift to mankind.  I find that to be very cool.  I must be more thankful.