The Garden of Eden

Man is Special

Man is special in God's creation. When God created light He simply said, "Let there be light". Similarly, God created all things by speaking. But God's creation of man was different. Man has a special place and purpose in God's creation. The first thing that made man special is that man was created in God's image and likeness. This is very special.

How Man Was Created

The second thing that makes man special is the way God created him. God did not create a whole human race at once with thousands of people. He started with just one man. God formed some of the dust of the ground into a body for the man. Then God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. This breath of life from God became the human spirit within man. When the breath of life entered into the man he became a living soul. The soul is man's person. Hidden within the soul man has a spirit for contacting God. Outside man has a body for living in the physical world. The spirit of man is the most special part of man's whole being. It is the part God made for Himself. It makes us different from all the animals.

The Garden of Eden

God prepared a garden which we call the garden of Eden. There He put the man He had just created. Everything that the man would need was in the garden. There was a river that watered the garden. In the river there was gold, a kind of pearl, and precious stone. All kinds of trees grew in the garden. Some of the trees were very beautiful to look at. Some of the trees were good for food. The garden of Eden was a very pleasant place.

The Two Trees

Two of the trees in the middle of the garden were not ordinary trees. One was called the tree of life. The other was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told Adam that he would die the day he ate of it.

A Lonely Bachelor

Everything in the garden was just right for Adam except one thing. He was all alone. He must have started to feel lonely. Even God said that it was not good for the man to be alone. So God brought all kinds of birds and animals to Adam. Each time Adam saw another animal he gave it a name. Some of the animals were ugly or strange. Some of the animals were beautiful and attractive. But none of the animals could be a suitable companion for Adam. By the time Adam had finished naming all the animals he must have been more lonely than ever. There was nothing on earth like him.

Building a Woman

God put Adam into a deep sleep. While he was sleeping God took a piece of bone out of Adam's side. God built that bone into a woman. When Adam woke up God brought the woman to him. To Adam she must have been the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He became very excited and said, "This time it is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." All the times God brought an animal to Adam he was disappointed but this time was different. The woman had been built from a part of Adam. She matched him perfectly.

Living Together As One

The man and the woman were very happy in the garden of Eden. They became husband and wife. Now everything was perfect for them. Adam had the companion his heart had longed for. He must have told her all his experiences. No doubt he told her about all the animals and how much she meant to him. Adam also told her God's warning about not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Together the two of them shared one life and one living. There was nothing to spoil their happiness.