Lesson 2 - Adam and Eve:
Life as God Intended It
Read Genesis 2:4-25 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gen.2

The saddest words in the world are these: "It might have been!" These words take on special thought when we see life as God originally intended it. Genesis 2 still provides the basis for understanding who we were meant to be in relation to God, nature and each other.

In our last lesson, we read of people in relation to the world that had been created for them to care for. Now, in chapter 2, we read the story of people in their relationship with God. They walked and talked with God each day in this perfect garden He had made for them. They could walk without fear of harm from plants or animals, and there was no bad weather or disaster to make their life unpleasant.

God also gave Adam a job to do – he was to name all the animals. Can you imagine living in that perfect garden without any thorns or stickers, and where all the animals would come to you without being afraid and without the desire to hurt you?

Adam and Eve also always got along with each other. They never argued or hurt each other’s feelings. They didn’t complain to or about each other. And every evening they took a walk through their garden home with God. They’d tell Him about their day, about which animals they’d met and the names they’d given them. They’d listen to God as He told them how things worked or what this tree or that plant could do.

*What are we told about the garden God has prepared for Adam (Genesis 2:8-14)?
*What responsibility, freedom and limitation does God give to the man (Genesis 2:15-17)?
*What does Adam's assignment of naming the living creatures reveal about himself and his relationship to them (Genesis 2:19-20)?
*Explain in your own words what Genesis 2:24 teaches about marriage.
*How has this passage helped you understand who you were created to be in relation to God, nature and other people?