Genesis 2:5-17
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
There are several aspects of manhood found in Genesis 2 that we will cover over the next two weeks. In the creation story there are distinct characteristics of man that God intended for him to pursue and perpetuate. Work, obedience, leadership, and acceptance of responsibility are characteristics of manhood. This was the original plan of God. After the fall of man, we see the original design and purpose distorted, and the devastating impact continues to take its toll. Through Christ’s sacrifice, men are given the power to accomplish God’s purpose and see a taste of the restoration to come.
Work
Genesis 2:5 “5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,”
Genesis 2:15 “15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
God’s original design for man was to be actively applying his ability to accomplish tasks for the benefit of himself and the glory of God. Work was to be pleasant and fruitful. It was for his benefit and enjoyable. Sin distorted work but did not remove it.
Genesis 3:17–19 “17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.””
Ecclesiastes 4:4 “4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.”
The New Testament restores the value of work as being unto the Lord and for God.
Colossians 3:23–24 “23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Work is shown as the outflow of faith
James 2:14–17 “14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
While most men today work, the proportion of adult males who do not is higher than at almost any time since statistics started to be collected 70 years ago. There are many caveats to these numbers, but there’s no getting around the reality that at least one in nine men between 25 and 54 years old, and one in five between their early 20s and mid- to late 60s, isn’t working – conservatively, three times the comparable figure in 1960. Milken Institute Review
Fifty-two percent of prime-age men out of the labor force indicated health insurance benefits as a very important consideration when deciding whether to enter or return to the workforce. Workplace benefits were close behind, including paid sick leave, accommodations for disability, flexible work arrangements, and paid personal medical leave. Otherwise, 40% of men out of the labor force considered the provision of mental health benefits as very important for starting to work. Meanwhile, 28% of prime-age men out of the workforce due to physical or mental illness specifically said they would have been more likely to have stayed in their past job if they had access to paid personal medical leave. Bipartisan Policy Center Feb 29, 2024
There are more able bodied men out of the labor force today than at almost anytime in the last 70 years. This is a group of men not looking for employment.
Proverbs 12:11 “11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.”
Proverbs 14:23 “23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”
Proverbs 21:25 “25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.”
Proverbs 22:29 “29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
2 Thessalonians 3:6–12 “6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”
1 Timothy 5:8 “8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that men experience a steeper cognitive decline after retirement than women.
Obedience
Genesis 2:15–17 “15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””
As men, we are commanded to listen to and obey the voice of God. Adam had one explicit instruction: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Men are called to obey the word of God.
Genesis 3:17 “17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;”
It is man’s calling to know the voice of God and obey it. Modern men and families have relegated spiritual things to women. We have abdicated our responsibility to know the word of God and obey it. We are the filters for our families. Adam decided to listen to someone other than God, and it happened to be his wife. Wives, encourage your husbands to know the word of God. It is a protection over your family.
Romans 12:2 “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We are to conform our will to God’s through the renewing of our minds, and it comes through the knowledge of and obedience to the word of God.
2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Ephesians 6:16–17 “16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”
You are setting the standard for your family. Who will you listen to and who are you teaching others to listen to?
Obedience is required before understanding; this is what we call faith. “Do not eat of the tree” did not come with an explanation of what the tree meant or why there would be such a harsh penalty or even what death meant. There was a call to simple obedience. Men must be able to traverse the never-ending why’s of life and embrace obedience as a characteristic of Godliness.
Teach your children by example: Do what I say and what I do. Endeavor to ensure that your decisions are grounded in the word of God. This is our responsibility. The blessing that comes with obedience cannot be understated in the context of family.
Luke 5:4–5 “4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.””
Begin with responding to God’s call for salvation through Christ.