Genesis 2

Genesis 2:1

CREATION OF THE FIRST MAN.—PARADISE.—THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.—CREATION OF EVE

[Genesis 2]

WHEN God created man, He said: “Let Us$^(1)$ make man to Our image$^(2)$ and likeness, and give him dominion$^(3)$ over all animals and over the whole earth.” He then formed$^(4)$ a human body of the slime of the earth, breathed into his face the breath of life$^(5)$, and man became a living soul$^(6)$. At the same moment God added to the nature of man many favours, and, especially, sanctifying grace, whereby He raised man to a higher likeness of Himself. Thus was made the first man, who was named Adam, that is to say, man taken from the earth. By his nature, man was the image of God: by grace, he was the likeness of God.

$^(1)$ Let Us i. e. We will make. When God called into existence the rest of the visible world, He simply said “Let it be!” But in making man, He took, as it were, counsel with Himself, and said: “Let Us make &c.” Why did He speak in that way before creating man? It was in order to prove that man was to be superior to other visible creatures, the first among them all.

$^(2)$ Our image, i. e. let him be a picture or image of Us, and like unto Us.

$^(3)$ Dominion, i. e. and let him be lord over all the earth.

$^(4)$ Formed To form means to make something skilfully. God Himself made the human body most perfectly out of the earth.

$^(5)$ Breath of life. The soul, therefore, is not made from the earth, but is a breath of God.

$^(6)$ Living soul By what means did man become a living being? God breathed a soul into the human body. The soul is the cause of the body’s life; without it the body cannot live. When the soul is separated from the body, the body dies.

— III. ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE.

By a special effect of His goodness the Lord God created expressly for man a garden of pleasure, called Paradise¹. There were in it all sorts of beautiful trees, covered with delicious fruit; and in the middle of the garden stood the Tree of Life², and the

Tree of Knowledge³ of good and evil. A river, divided into four branches, watered the whole garden. It was in this garden of delights that God placed man, that he might cultivate it for his own pleasure and occupation⁴. God then commanded⁵ man,

1 Paradise This Paradise was on earth (in Asia), for which reason it is called the earthly paradise. Heaven, the place of eternal happiness, is also called paradise, but it is the supernatural and heavenly paradise.

Tree of Life (Fig. 1). The tree was thus named, because its fruit had life-giving power, preserving the body of man in health and vigour.

Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. So called from the fact that God had forbidden man to eat of this tree, and that, if he transgressed the commandment, he would learn by a sad and terrible experience the difference between good and evil.

Occupation. In Paradise man worked for his own pleasure, and devoted his strength to the care of the beautiful garden of delights.

Commanded Almighty God imposed a command on man, in order to prove whether he were thankful and obedient. This command was very easy to obey, because there was an abundance of every kind of fruit in the garden.

— III. ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE.

saying: “Of every tree of Paradise thou shalt eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat; for in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.” ¹

Adam was still alone on the earth. Hence God said: “It is not good² for man to be alone; let Us make him a help like unto himself.” Then, God caused all the animals to come before Adam, that he might give to each its name. But for Adam there was not found a help like to himself; therefore, casting a deep sleep³ upon Adam, God took one of his ribs and formed of it a woman. When Adam awoke, God brought to him his wife; and Adam rejoiced to see another being like himself. He called her Eve, that is, the mother of the living⁴.

COMMENTARY.

God is good. To know this, you have only to count up the benefits and graces which He conferred upon Adam and Eve.

The twofold likeness of God. Man is the first among all God’s creatures on earth, because he was created to the image of God, and is, therefore, like unto Him. This likeness is, however, a twofold one, a natural and a supernatural one, for which reason the two words, image and likeness, are used. For something to be the image of a person or of some other thing, it must be, to a certain degree, like that person or thing; but “likeness” signifies a still closer degree of resemblance. If one person is almost the same as another, we say they are alike.

¹ Die the death i. e. become mortal, or subject to death. God added this threat to ensure the keeping of the command. By the threatened penalty of death it was easy for man to perceive how great his sin would be, if he ate the forbidden fruit.

² It is not good. This is the only time that God said of His work: “It is not good”, because the work was still incomplete. The human race required not only a father, but also a mother. The two form the head and centre of the family. Hence it was not good for Adam to be alone. Furthermore no social life was possible for Adam without a companion like himself. He could not converse with the beasts of the earth that are devoid of reason and language. But why did God call all the animals before Adam? (1) In order that Adam might exercise his dominion over them by giving to each one a name suitable to its character; (2) to prove to him that none of the animals were like himself, and that his nature was far higher than theirs; (3) that Adam, by finding himself lonely in the midst of all the beasts, might feel the want of a companion like himself, and might be the more grateful to God for creating Eve.

³ A deep sleep. It was a sleep of ecstasy, during which he was aware of the significance of God’s action, both to himself and to all future generations.

⁴ Living. i. e. of all men. Adam is the father, and Eve the mother of all men, because all men are descended from them.

— III. ADAM AND EYE IN PARADISE.

Thus the word “image” applies to the natural, and “likeness” to the supernatural resemblance of man to God. The natural likeness of man to God consists in this, that man has a spiritual soul, which not only makes his body live, but is also immortal, reasonable, and gifted with free-will. By these three qualities, it is, in a measure, like unto God, who is eternal, whose intelligence is supreme, and whose will is infinitely free.

These gifts are called natural gifts, because they belong to the nature of the human soul, and cannot be lost by it, though they can be marred and disfigured. The first man’s supernatural likeness to God consisted in those gifts which do not belong to the nature of man, but soar far above it, for which reason they are called supernatural gifts. The chief among these gifts was sanctifying grace, whereby the Holy Ghost dwelt in the soul of the first man, and made him a child of God and an heir of the kingdom of heaven. The indwelling of the Holy Ghost carried with it many other gifts, such as the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity, as well as the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost; the gifts also of freedom from ignorance, sorrow, and concupiscence or evil desires and inclinations. The body also of the first man possessed supernatural gifts. The natural body is frail and subject to sickness and death, because it is made from the earth, and, like every other earthly thing, is perishable. But so long as the first man remained in a state of grace, his body was immortal, and free from all sickness and need of labour. If our first parents had remained in a state of grace, they would not have died, but would have been translated, body and soul, from the earthly to the heavenly paradise.

The body of man, indeed, bears no likeness to God, for God has no body; but all the same it has high prerogatives. It is the dwelling-place and instrument of an immortal soul. It is more delicate and beautiful, more complete and better adapted to every kind of work than the bodies of any of the beasts. It stands erect, and raises its eyes to the heaven for which man was created. It is the masterpiece of the visible creation. Man should, therefore, hold his body in honour and not pollute it by sin. “Glorify and bear God in your body” (1 Cor. 6, 20).

Man is made to rule over the beasts and over the whole earth. The earth belongs to God. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof, the world and all they that dwell therein” (Ps. 23, 1). But He has made it over to man that he may use its good things according to God’s will. The rivers and mountains, the fields and woods, the plants and beasts, were made for the use of man, to preserve and gladden his life. We must therefore use the good things of this earth such as gold, silver, meat, drink etc., for a good end, and not abuse them. We should rule over the things of this world, and not make ourselves their slaves, like, for instance, the miser, who is not master of his possessions, but is their slave. Our thoughts and aspirations should

— III. ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE.

soar beyond this world towards those things which are supernatural and eternal. We must make such use of earthly treasures, as not by their abuse to lose everlasting treasures. It is, moreover, God’s will that man should have dominion over the beasts, but it is not God’s will that he should be cruel to them. “The just regardeth the lives of his beasts, but the bowels of the wicked are cruel” (Prov. 12, 10). Therefore, be on your guard against cruelty to animals!

Twofold death. By the words: “What day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death”, Almighty God threatened man with a twofold death, the death of the soul and the death of the body. This last did not take place immediately after the sin was committed, for Adam lived on earth till he was 930 years old; but all the same, from the moment he sinned, his body became liable to death. The death of the soul, on the contrary, took place the very instant the sin was committed. A distinction must, of course, be made between the natural and the supernatural life of the soul. It cannot lose its natural life, because it is an immortal spirit; but it loses its supernatural life, founded on sanctifying grace and friendship with God, the moment it commits a grievous sin. The loss of grace is the soul’s spiritual death, and leads to its eternal death, on which account grievous sins are called mortal or deadly sins.

The Blessed Trinity. The words: “Let Us make &c.”, imply that there are more persons than one in God.

The unity of the human race. Why did God form Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs? Firstly, because all mankind, even Eve, was to proceed from Adam. Secondly, because husband and wife ought to belong to one another, and to be but one heart and soul by their love and unity.

The happiness of Heaven. The life of our first parents in the earthly paradise was a type of the life of the blessed in heaven. They were perfectly happy in paradise. Peace reigned within and around them, because they were at peace with God. They had abundance of everything; they knew no pain, no want, no vexation, and lived in undisturbed joy and friendship with God and with each other. So also the life of the blessed in heaven is one of supreme happiness: there is no complaint nor sorrow there, nothing but peace, joy and glory. In the earthly paradise God held intercourse with our first parents, as a father does with his children. In heaven the blessed gaze on God face to face, and are united to Him by the closest love. But now comes the difference: the happiness of the earthly paradise could be lost, but the happiness of the blessed in heaven must be theirs for ever.

The probation of man. Man, like the angels, was gifted with free will, and like them he had to undergo a probation. God gave him a command, by means of which he could freely choose either to side with Him or

KNECHT, Commentary, 1. c. ed — III. ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE.

against Him. Adam being the representative and father of the human race, there rested on his decision not only his own fate, but the fate of all his posterity. An illustration of this we see in the case of a father who by gambling away his fortune makes his children losers as well as himself.

Marriage. When God gave Eve to Adam to be his companion, and pronounced His blessing on both, He instituted marriage. Being instituted by God, it is in any case a holy state, but Jesus Christ sanctified it still more and raised it to the dignity of a Sacrament. God Himself joins together man and wife. “What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mat. 19, 6). Marriage, therefore, is indissoluble, i. e. a man and his wife must remain joined together till death. Divorce is a crime.

The man is the head of the family. God Himself named Adam, but it was Adam who gave Eve her name. Why did God ordain this so? Because the husband is the head of the wife, and the wife is to obey her husband.

The Tree of Knowledge a type of the Cross of Christ. As by the Tree of Knowledge it was to be decided whether man would choose good or evil, so is Christ the Crucified “set for the fall and for the resurrection of many” (Luke 2, 34). They who believe in Him crucified, and follow Him, will obtain eternal life; but those who will not believe in the crucified Saviour, and will not follow Him, will be eternally lost. The devil conquered by means of the Tree of Knowledge; but by the Cross he was conquered. With the one, sin began; with the other, redemption and salvation.

The Tree of Life a type of the Blessed Sacrament. Even as the life of the body was preserved by this tree, so by the Blessed Sacrament grace, the supernatural life of the soul, is increased and preserved in it, and the soul made worthy of everlasting life. “If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever”, said our Lord (New Test. XXXIV). (About the Tree of Life in the paradise of heaven, see Chapter XCIX. New Testament.)

APPLICATION. God’s goodness to man is infinitely great. Just think how He has raised and elevated him! He created him to His own image, and gave him the whole earth for his use. He gave him an immortal soul and sanctifying grace, placed him in the beautiful garden of paradise, and in addition to this gave him the promise of eternal happiness in heaven; for man was intended to occupy those thrones in heaven which the fallen angels had lost. And all this was destined not only for the first man, but for all his posterity. Just think, then, how loving were God’s intentions towards man! “Praise the Lord, for He

— IV. THE FALL OF OUR FIRST PARENTS.

is good, for his mercy endureth for ever!” (Ps. 117, 1.) “Let us, therefore, love God, because God first hath loved us” (1 John 4, 19). Whatever you may be doing to-day, say: “I do it for love of Thee, O my God!”

BIRTH OF ISAAC AND ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE

[Genesis 2:]

SARA gave birth to a son, as the Lord had promised. He was named Isaac, and circumcised on the eighth day. Abraham loved this son very tenderly, and the Lord wished to see whether he loved his son more than God. When the boy had grown up¹, the Lord said to Abraham: “Take thy only-begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision, and there thou shalt offer him² for a holocaust³ upon one of the mountains which I will show thee.” Abraham instantly⁴ arose, and by night saddled his ass, taking with him two young men, and Isaac, his son. And when he had cut the wood for the holocaust, he went to the place which God had shown him. On the third day he came in sight of Mount Moria, where he was to sacrifice his son; and he said to the servants: “Stay you here with the ass; I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and, after we have worshipped⁵, will return to you.” Then he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon the shoulders of Isaac. He himself carried in his hands fire⁶ and a sword. As they went along, Isaac said: “My father.” And Abraham

¹ Grown up. He was perhaps about twenty or twenty-five years old.

² Offer him. Almighty God wished to prove whether his faith were firm and living, and if he really loved Him above all things.

³ Holocaust. In that kind of sacrifice the victim had to be first killed, and then wholly burnt.

⁴ Instantly. Abraham obeyed immediately, although the required sacrifice tore his heart. Since the destruction of Sodom he had lived at Bersabee which lay to the south of Hebron. From Bersabee to Mount Moria, which was near Salem, was about twenty-five miles. It was on this mountain that, in after years, king Solomon built his splendid Temple.

⁵ Worshipped. i. e. when they had offered their sacrifice in worship of God.

⁶ Fire. i. e. red-hot coals in a vessel. 5* — XIII. BIRTH OF ISAAC AND ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE.

answered: “What wilt thou, son?” “Behold”, said the son, “fire and wood: where is the victim¹ for the holocaust?” Abraham replied: “God will provide Himself a victim for the holocaust, my son.” So they went on together.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Abraham erected an altar, placed the wood upon it, bound his son, and laid him on the altar. Then he put forth his hand and took the sword to sacrifice his son. And behold! an angel from heaven cried out to him, saying: “Abraham, Abraham!” And he answered: “Here I am.” And the angel said: “Lay not thy hand on the boy, neither do thou anything to him! Now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only-begotten son for My sake.” Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw behind him a ram², sticking fast by his horns in the bushes: him he took and offered, instead of his son. The angel of the Lord spoke again unto Abraham, saying: “By My own self³ have I sworn, saith the Lord; because thou hast done this thing⁴, and hast not spared thy only-begotten son for My sake, I will bless thee, and will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea-shore. And in thy seed⁵ shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed⁶ My voice.” And Abraham returned home with his son.

COMMENTARY.

Strength of faith. Abraham’s faith was put to a most severe test. Almighty God had promised him a numerous posterity, and that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; and yet now He

¹ Where is the victim? How the father’s heart must have bled at these questions of his son! And what must Isaac have felt, when his father told him that he himself was to be the victim! He was so young, and now he was to die by the hand of his own father! Nevertheless, he submitted to God’s will, when he learnt that it was He who had commanded it.

² Ram. i. e. a male sheep. Abraham saw that it was by the will of God that the ram was on that spot; so he took him and sacrificed him, instead of his son.

³ By My own self. God, being the Most High, can swear by nothing higher than Himself.

⁴ This thing. i. e. because thou hast obeyed the command of God, and wert willing to offer up thy son.

⁵ In thy seed. i. e. in Jesus Christ, who is the son of Abraham (Matthew 1, 1).

⁶ Because thou hast obeyed. As a reward for his obedience God now solemnly repeats the same promise which He had made when He first called Abraham, that is, the promise of a numerous posterity, and that the Saviour should be born of his family.

— XIII. BIRTH OF ISAAC AND ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE.

commands him to sacrifice that son through whom alone he could have any descendants! Was not this an apparent contradiction? Nevertheless, Abraham’s faith in the word of the Lord was unshaken, and he doubted neither the goodness nor the faithfulness of God. He did not murmur and say: “How can God ask of me such a hard and unnatural sacrifice? How can His promises possibly be fulfilled, if my only son is slain?” No, on the contrary, he said to himself: “God is good, faithful and true: His promise will surely be fulfilled, though how, or in what way, I know not! God is almighty: He is able to raise up Isaac even from the dead” (Hebr. 11, 19). Abraham believed so firmly that he is called a man of faith, and the father of the faithful. His example ought to lead us to believe firmly in God’s word, and trust in His goodness and faithfulness, whatever our temptations and trials may be.

The love of God above all things. Abraham had a living faith, that is, he lived up to his faith, and consequently loved God above all things. His love of God had to stand a very severe test. He dearly loved the son whom God had given him, and the command which Almighty God gave him to sacrifice this son, was given to prove whether he loved God more than his son. Abraham, however, did not hesitate for an instant. He got up at once in the middle of the night, and made his preparations for the required sacrifice. He had interceded for the wicked cities, but he had no word to say for his son. He travelled along with the boy for three long days, and his heart must have sorely ached, as he looked upon Isaac and said to himself: “Very soon you will no longer be among the living, for you will have died by the hand of your own father!” However, his resolution never failed. He lifted up his heart to God and said: “Thou, O God, didst give me this son. Thou hast bidden me sacrifice him to Thee. So be it! Thy holy will be done! For love of Thee I will sacrifice him, however hard it be to me!” – Thus, during those three days’ journey he offered up his son a thousand times on the altar of his heart, before he actually bound him and laid him as a victim upon the wood, and raised his hand to slay him. What great, what mighty love! Isaac was dearer to him than anything on earth, and on him he had set all his hopes; but he loved God more than he loved Isaac, and for love of Him he offered up his son. He proved that he loved God above all things.

The object of trials. Why did God try Abraham? Was this trial necessary to show Him Abraham’s dispositions? Did He not know beforehand that Abraham’s faith was firm, and that he was quite ready to sacrifice his son for love of Him? Yes; God knew all this, because He is omniscient, and for Him, therefore, the test was not necessary: He need never prove men in order to discover their faith, obedience &c. Almighty God did not prove Abraham for His own sake but for Abraham’s, in order to give him the opportunity of practising his virtues of faith, love &c., and of thus increasing his merits, and drawing down

— XIII. BIRTH OF ISAAC AND ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE.

on himself fresh graces and blessings. This is why Almighty God so often tries us with all sorts of sufferings and adversities, these tests being of great benefit to ourselves.

The third promise of the Messias. The words: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”, contain a renewed promise of the Redeemer.

Isaac, the fifth type of Jesus Christ. (We have already studied the first four types: Adam, Abel, Noe and Melchisedech.) In what way was Isaac a type of our Blessed Lord? The birth of Isaac was promised repeatedly: so was the coming of Jesus Christ. Isaac was the only and dearly beloved son of his father: Jesus Christ is the only begotten and beloved Son of God, in whom His Father is well pleased. Isaac was obedient to his father, and was willing, out of obedience, to give up his life, letting himself be bound, and waiting patiently for his death-stroke: Jesus Christ was obedient to His Heavenly Father, unto death, even unto the death of the Cross. “As a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb without a voice before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth.” Isaac himself carried up the mountain the wood on which he was to be slaughtered: Jesus Christ carried up to Calvary the Cross on which He was to die. Isaac was saved from death by the wonderful intervention of an angel: Jesus Christ was brought back to life by the greatest of all miracles, His resurrection. You see in how many ways Isaac was a most plain type of our Redeemer, of His death and of His resurrection; but the sacrifice of Isaac, all the same, is not a perfect type of the Sacrifice of our Lord, for no figure can perfectly show forth the infinite love of God in giving His Son to die for us. In one main point Isaac’s sacrifice was very different from the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Abraham was quite ready, out of love for God, to offer up his beloved son; but Almighty God would not permit the sacrifice to be completed, because sinful man could not be redeemed by a human sacrifice; and therefore the angel of God cried out to him, just as he was going to slay his son: “Hold thy hand!” God spared the son of Abraham, but He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him over to a painful death for our sakes. When, on Calvary, the executioners raised their hammers to nail to the Cross the Hands and Feet of God made Man, no angel cried out: “Hold thy hand!” The Sacrifice was completed, and the Son of God died for us on the Cross in unutterable agony of Soul and Body. “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting” (John 3, 16).

The Vicarious Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The ram whose head was caught in the thorns, which was sacrificed instead of Isaac, is a type of Jesus Christ, who was crowned with thorns, and offered Himself for us on the Cross.

— XIV. ISAAC MARRIES REBECCA.

APPLICATION. Abraham obeyed without any questioning, when God demanded of him the hardest of sacrifices. God asks nothing very hard of you, and yet you are often disobedient, and transgress those commandments which, by the help of His grace, you might very easily keep. When you disobey your parents, you disobey God, for it is His will that you should obey your parents and superiors.

Abraham practised the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity in a most perfect way. Try to kindle them in your own heart. Let us conclude this lesson by making acts of faith, hope and charity.