(a) Narrate the Second Creation story. (b) In what two ways were the functions assigned to man in this account significant?

Answer Details

(a) The Second Creation story (Genesis 2:4-25)

The second account of creation focuses on the making of man and his surroundings. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, there was as yet no plant of the field, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up and watered the whole face of the ground.

• The formation of man: The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
• The Garden of Eden: The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and put the man there. He made every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food grow out of the ground, and in the midst of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden and divided into four heads: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates.
• Man's task and the command: The Lord God put the man in the garden to till it and keep it, and commanded him to eat freely of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day he ate of it he would surely die.
• Naming of the animals: The Lord God formed every beast of the field and bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. But among them no fit helper was found for him.
• The creation of woman: The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, took one of his ribs and made it into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

(b) Two ways the functions assigned to man were significant

• They gave man dominion and responsible stewardship over creation: By tilling and keeping the garden and naming the animals, man was made God's steward, entrusted with the care and management of the created order, showing his superiority over other creatures and his duty to work.
• They established the dignity of labour and the moral responsibility of man: Work was given as a good and honourable duty even before the fall, and the single command about the forbidden tree made man a moral being, free to obey or disobey, and therefore accountable to God.