In Genesis chapter two we have the more detailed account of the creation of man. It should be noted that though man is a creation of God, man was not created out of nothing as was the rest of creation. Man was made from the dust of the earth and was given certain responsibilities to care for the rest of creation.
There are several things to consider when it comes to the creation of man. In this chapter we will examine the following: Man-formed by God’s hand, Man-made in God’s image, Women-taken from man, and Man-His responsibility.
The first subject to consider is Man-formed by God. In verse seven of Genesis two we find these words, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The amazing thing here is that God did not just speak man into existence, but He carefully formed man with His very hands. What do we learn from this? We learn that God cares about every detail of your life. Psalm 139 tells us that God knew us when we were just a blob in our mother’s womb. When you study the growth of a baby in a mother’s womb, we find amazingly a life being carefully formed and shaped. This is love. God loves us so much that He designed each of us in a unique and special way.
Secondly, Man-made in God’s image. The scripture tells us in Genesis one that man was created in the image of God. A lot can be said about what this means. If you examine the word ‘image’ you find that it is the same word to describe appearance or status. Ancient kings would have statues of themselves built in order to instill their ‘image’ in the minds of their subjects. Being made in God’s image is a ‘status’ symbol in the creation. We, as mankind, have a higher status than the rest of creation. We also are created in His image in that we have a spirit, soul, and body. The soul is the part of us that lives forever, either with God in heaven or apart from Him in hell. The spirit is our personality. God has made each of us different with various strengths and weaknesses. No two people are exactly alike. Each of our various personalities displays the glory of God and His creative power. We also have a body, flesh. This flesh is our earthly tabernacle that due to the existence of sin is prone to suffering, pain, age, and death. One day, as believers, we will have a new body that with the presence of sin no more, we will have no suffering, age, or death. We are also made in His image in that we have a mind, emotions, and a will. We are able to think like God thinks. We have been given the ability to reason and to think logically. We experience emotions just as God does; we hurt, we cry, we have joy, and anger. All of these unique and special attributes of man-kind display the wonder and glory of our creator.
We also need to understand Women-taken from man. In verse 21-25 we find women being made from the rib of the man. This is another display of God’s glory and awesome plan. One lesson to consider is how the woman is taken ‘from man.’ This shows that the man has a responsibility before God. He is to care for creation and for the woman. He is not to lord over the women, but rather lead her and guide her and care for her. The man and his wife are one flesh and they work together for the good of their family. Both man and woman has a distinct role and responsibility in this life and this is understood throughout the pages of scripture.
A final thought concerning the creation of man is Man-his responsibility. Man is given the responsibility to care for God’s creation. Now, I am not an environmentalist, but I do believe that we are to care for this planet. We are to nurture it and use its resources wisely. We are also to enjoy God’s creation and study it for the purpose of bringing the ultimate glory to God who is supreme.
It is an amazing and wonderful thing to be created in the image of God. We should embrace the responsibility that comes from being made in His image and we should to glorify God through the way in which He made us.