Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, Verse 5when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up-for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; Verse 6but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground- Verse 7then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
Verse 8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Verse 9Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Verse 15The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
Verse 16And the Lord God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; Verse 17but 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 die."
Devotion
There is almost a cinematic freshness about the story of the early days of creation. Here a human being is formed from the dust of the earth. In the following verses he is given a companion, both of them living in the shade of the tree.
But there is a hint, a foreshadowing, of disruption to come, for the tree is "of the knowledge of good and evil." Many of us have a sense of living in the shadows, where there is both good and evil. It is good to give thanks to the Lord of creation. But it is better to be aware of the limits of human freedom and to be faithful in the presence of good and evil.
Prayer
O Lord of life, you have surrounded us with abundance which we often take for granted. Help us to focus on your command and your promise so that we may live fully and follow faithfully. Amen.