This lesson is compatible with the "Creation, Adam, and Cain" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 2:1-25
God spoke, and the stars flashed into place. Some were super giant suns, and some were small but bright. Planets appeared of all sized and colors. Some were small, some had rings, some had moons in orbit. The vast expanse of space had been filled with God’s creation. God took special care when creating Earth. He put plenty of water on the planet. He made sure the air was fresh and clean. He made the grass to grow, and flowers to bloom. This was the planet God would showcase His greatest creation. God stooped down to the ground and began to mold something out of the clay. It began to take shape, and within seconds the detail was amazing! God bent over and breathed His own breath into it. In that instant, it was man! God named him Adam. In Hebrew, Adam means “to be red”. Adam had the color of the red clay God formed Him from.
Adam was amazing! He had lungs that first came to life when God breathed His breath into him. Now they were filled with the clean, fresh air God had put on Earth. Adam had a heart that pumped blood through tiny tubes (we call them arteries and veins) so that his body could make good use of that fresh, clear air. Imagine the first time Adam breathed in through his nose. What do you think he smelled? Flowers, elephants, the salt air on the beach? He had eyes that could see all the vivid colors around him. What a sight to behold, the first time he opened His eyes!
Fruit, animals, waterfalls, birds flying…so much to see! Not to mention God! At this time, God walked on the Earth with Adam. God, who was bigger than the universe He created, walked with man on Earth! He must have loved man very much! God brought the animals to Adam and asked him what he would call them. God, the creator, let His creation name the animals! So, one by one, Adam gave them all their names. Hippopotamus. Alligator. Gazelle. On and on they came, and Adam had a name for everyone! After a while, Adam must have noticed something. Each animal had a pair. A male and female. Every one of them! But he didn’t have a pair.
God knew that Adam, too, needed a companion. God said He would make a helper for Adam, that would be different than Adam. He didn’t make another Adam, because that is not what Adam needed. God made Adam to fall asleep. Then, the Bible tells us that God then took one of Adam’s ribs bones. He took one of the bones close to Adam’s heart. I guess you could say God performed the first surgery! He took the rib bone, and then formed the first woman out of it. Her name was Eve. Why do you think God formed Eve out of a rib that was close to Adam’s heart? God intended for Adam to love Eve. She was his helper, and they were alike, but different. God didn’t want Adam to think that Eve was above him, or below him…Worse than him, or better than him. God loved BOTH Adam and Eve, and thought they were BOTH very special. They were different in many ways, and alike in some ways. God made them both to complement each other and help each other. They were to love one another. The same is true today of us! Man and woman, boy and girl. God thinks each one is special, and very valuable. No one is better than the other. Each one is different, but that is because man and woman can help each other in ways the other one needs. God knew exactly what He was doing when he made Adam and Eve. God never intended for one to abuse the other. Man should never abuse a woman, or think he is better than her, and woman should never abuse a man and think she is better than him. We are all God’s creation. We are all very loved by Him. Isn’t God WONDERFUL?!
Adam and Eve became the first family on earth. And God made a special garden for them to live in. Just imagine, God had already created a beautiful Earth, full of plants and animals. Now, He decided to make a garden that was even MORE special for Adam and Eve! It was called the Garden of Eden. In that garden, God put every kind of fruit that was good to eat. The tastiest and best fruits were in abundance! I imagine the flowers there had the brightest colors, and the best scents. The animals could come and go as they pleased. And Adam and Eve made their home there. God gave them one rule. They could eat any fruit in the garden, except one. The fruit off of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Any other fruit was just fine for them to eat, but God wanted to protect them from what would happen if they ate of that fruit.
Adam and Eve were the perfect married couple. They never yelled at each other. They never got annoyed with each other. They didn’t use bad language. Adam and Eve were never angry or sad. And the best of all, God came to visit them in the garden. God came to earth to walk in the garden of Eden and spend time with Adam and Eve, and He did it more than once! We don’t know exactly how many times God came to spend time with them, but I believe He was with them each day in the evening.
Imagine what it would be like to walk with God. The one who made everything! What do you think it would be like? (Allow answers.) What would you talk about? (Allow a few answers.)
Adam and Eve were not scared to walk and talk with God. They looked forward to it! They knew God loved them and wanted to spend time with them. And there was nothing to come between them and God. There was no sin yet. They hadn’t done, said, or thought anything that went against God’s laws. So, they could talk freely with God, and be with Him without any worries.
God didn’t make Adam and Eve walk and talk with Him, either. They did it because they wanted to. I’m sure they asked God lots of questions, because they wanted to know more about Him. They saw how wonderful God was, and they told Him so! When I think about how it was then, I sometimes feel jealous! How great was it to talk to God in a garden that was paradise! All kinds of animals nearby, and no fear of being eaten by a lion or dinosaur!
Isn’t God good to make all of the animals, plants, fish, birds, and finally, people on a little planet called Earth? And He had a relationship with Adam and Eve!
He wants a relationship with you, too! God doesn’t walk on this earth anymore, as we will learn about next week. But H DOES want a relationship with you! He speaks to us now through the Bible, and we speak to Him through prayer. If you want to know more about how to have a relationship with God, talk to me after class. I will be happy to help you.
Let’s pray now and thank God for His great love for us, His creation.