Adam (Part 1)

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him..." (Gen. 1:26,27)

Adam was created in the image of God...in His likeness. Many assume this means that man looks like God and God looks like man. That may or may not be true, although I'm sure that there is a family resemblance for those of us in Christ. :0) More than the physical appearance, though, Adam was created after God's image in that Adam, like God, is a three-part, or triune
being. A trinity. Like God. A body, a soul and a spirit.

God said, "Let us make man in our image."
 

Who was He talking to and about? He was speaking to Himself...God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and He was speaking about Himself. All three were present and all three took part in creation because all three are One.

An interesting point to make here might be that God never intended for Adam to be the only man on earth. When He said, "Let us make man in our image", He also said of man, "let them rule over the fish of the sea", the birds, the livestock and over all the earth. He already knew the earth would be full of humans. And He already knew that Adam would fall. Likewise, He already had the plan of redemption in place. But for now, we'll just ponder a bit on Adam.

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7).

Think about Adam for a moment. God made a mud pie and breathed into it...and it came to life! But this mud pie wasn't like the kind you and I whipped up as kids. This mud pie had literally miles of blood vessels and nerves and several feet of intestines all crammed into a frame that was roughly six feet tall and a couple of feet wide. This doesn't include the muscle tissue and the bones...and all the other stuff that's inside us. All held in place by skin not much thicker than a sheet of paper. It's amazing to me, that all that stuff can fit in there! But that was Adam. That was man.

But even more amazing is that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life! Why? So Adam could be alive! God's very own breath jump-started Adam's lungs. God's own Spirit. God's "life" or breath...shared with Adam, so that he, too, could live. That very same breath that we, even still today, find our very life in. That very same breath has been passed down and
multiplied through the centuries...but it's still the same breath...the breath of God. The breath that gave Adam life, gives us life. If that single breath of God has given life to so many for so long, is it any wonder that God is eternal?

You don't believe that the same breath that God breathed into Adam is the very same breath that gives you life? Then answer this: What makes your heart beat just one more time? The breath. But where does the breath come from? Not the oxygen that you breathe in...but the breath itself? Every human being on this planet is one heartbeat...one breath...away from death. Where does it come from? It's the eternal breath of God. The breath that we pass to our children...that they pass to their children. And when your portion of that breath has been used up, you go home to be with the Lord...assuming you are one of His.

Adam. The very first man. What do you suppose was his first thought? With that first breath, what went through his mind? Do you suppose he sat up and looked around in wonder? Or did he just lie there for a few minutes trying to absorb the magnitude of his existence? Was he aware at all of what had just happened? I mean...he's not there, then all of a sudden he is!

Think about babies. Babies are formed in the womb. They have a growing awareness of their existence, there in their little world. We can't know what they think about, of course, but we do know they are aware. Moms-to-be can feel them kicking inside. When they come out, they experience a dramatic change, but they are still aware. But Adam was just jolted into existence from nothing!

He wasn't there....and then he was! He wasn't anywhere....and then he was! What in the world could have been going through his mind? And whatever he was thinking...what language was it in? How did he even understand his own thoughts? Was he given a degree of instant knowledge?
Or was he taught by God?

Most people have the mental picture of Adam being formed from dirt, God breathing into his nostrils, Adam coming to life and sitting up in the middle of the Garden of Eden and looking around in astonishment. For years I thought the very same thing. Until I read, for the umpteenth time this verse...and when I read it on this particular occasion, for some reason, something I had never noticed jumped out at me.

"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens- and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Gen. 2:4-7).

Before any shrub had appeared...before any plant of the field had sprung up... "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

Now, God had already created the plants and shrubs...He did that on the third day.

"Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds..." (Gen. 1:11,12).

But those plants had not yet appeared or "sprung up". They were still seeds in the ground when Adam was created on the sixth day. When Adam opened his eyes for the first time, he opened them to a barren landscape...nothing but dirt. In fact, the same dirt that he, himself, had come from.

"Let the land produce vegetation..."

While the land produced vegetation, God produced Adam.

The first time Adam opened his eyes, he saw dirt. Dirt everywhere. There were also streams because it was the streams that came up from the earth and watered the ground (Gen. 2:6), but at the moment, there was nothing else but dirt...as far as the eye could see, in every direction.

Dirt.

The dust of the ground sitting there looking at the dust of the ground. He's bound to have had some interesting thoughts! At the same time, I wonder if Adam even noticed the dirt. For there was one other thing I believe Adam saw when he opened his eyes for the very first time.

Remember that it was God who leaned down and breathed the breath of life into Adam's nostrils. As Adam stirred and slowly opened his eyes, I believe he saw the glory of God hovering before him...watching...waiting for His creation to become aware of His presence. I wonder about the look of expectation on God's face...the anticipation of seeing His creation come to life...the joy of watching His creation look upon His glory for the first time.

It had to be a moment of indescribable wonder for both! And I believe they were captivated by each other for a time... whether for moments, hours or days...each one mezmerized by the existence and the presence of the other.

Keep in mind, that this was before the fall of man. In a sense, a spiritual sense, God and Adam were one...both of the same Spirit. (This is not intended to imply in any way that Adam was a divine being, because he wasn't. But he was created a perfect being!) And though Adam would
eventually severe that spiritual connection, at the moment, they were both one. While the seedlings in the ground (that God had created on the third day) sprouted and grew, Adam was getting to know God... and the Teacher was teaching His creation about life...about Himself (God) and about himself (Adam). It's quite possible that Adam even moved freely between earth and heaven...that he conversed with angels.

In the paradise in which he lived, I don't believe Adam had to eat to stay alive, just as I don't believe we'll have to eat in heaven. I believe he was welcomed to eat... even invited to eat... perhaps at God's own table...but I don't believe he had to eat. Nor did the animals that had been created on the fifth and sixth days. Remember, this is before the fall. Sin, death, decay, even hunger was somewhere in the future.

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so." (Gen. 1:20,30).

The plants that were given for food were still seeds in the ground. The "meat-eaters" weren't "meat-eaters" yet...not until after the fall. For now, they were still vegetarians waiting patiently for their first salad. Adam, when he wasn't hanging out with God, was naming the animals (Gen. 2:19,20). Somewhere along the way, Eve was taken from Adam's rib (Gen. 2:22), the Garden of Eden was planted by God (Gen. 2:8), and Adam was put in the garden to take care of it (Gen. 2:15).

How long did Adam live in the paradise garden? Nobody knows. Nobody except Adam and God. How did he spend his days? Chatting with his Creator, tending the garden, getting to know the creature that was now his wife, playing with the lions...enjoying his perfect world.

Then, at some point, Adam goofed. He ate of the one fruit that was off limits. And everything came undone. The spiritual connection with God was broken. Sin, sickness, death, decay entered the world. The dominion that he once enjoyed over all the earth and everything in it was handed over to his tempter, the serpent...that ol' devil, Satan. Adam, along with his bride, was kicked out of the garden...and so began a new life. The one that you and I are familiar with.

You can blame Adam if you like, but you or I would have eventually done the same thing. You can blame Eve if you like, but Adam was standing right there when she took her bite (Gen. 3:6). It's interesting to note that it wasn't until Adam had taken a bite that their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked. After all, it was Adam that was commanded by God not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he was just gullible or trying to impress his wife. Or maybe he was just being man.

Even more likely, maybe...just maybe it was God's plan all along. There is so much packed into these first three chapters of God's story. Hopefully, as time allows, we can explore some of it together. For now, though, take a few minutes to ponder on Adam. Try to imagine what it must have been like, this garden experience. In the beginning...and again at the end.

 Paradise.

Paradise shattered.

With God, as one. Apart from God, separated by sin. From king of the world, serving the King of kings to, as Paul writes, a slave to sin. Man, what a fall!

You think Adam at some point wished he could take that bite back? Kind of like we wish we could take back some of the things we do? Sure, he did. Probably fairly often. You think he ever felt guilty? Kind of like we do sometimes? Probably. But while God wouldn't let Adam take back his bite...just like He doesn't allow us to take back our mistakes...He did something better. For Adam and us. He offered salvation and redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ...and He forgave His creation.

I'm just another Adam. So are you. Don't be so hard on the poor guy. God forgave him. Can you? And if you can forgive the Adam that screwed up your Garden of Eden, then you should be able to forgive the Adam that screws up everything you live with today...the one that lives inside of you. Do you know what God did when Adam ate the forbidden fruit? Even before He kicked Adam out of the garden, do you know what God did?

"The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." (Gen. 3:21).

He forgave Adam. He made him garments of skin and clothed him. With His very own hands God made Adam and Eve garments of skin and clothed them. He provided what Adam needed. Why? Because, in spite of the ol' boy's sin...God still loved His creation.

So, tell me "Adam"...what makes you think God can't love you?