Lessons

The lesson on June 23, 2019 was part 17 of the “Genesis” study.  Last week Wayne finished he study of the temple and brought the attention back to the creation of Adam.  In the temple lessons we learned that God’s perspective was that his desire is for the world to be saved through the work of Jesus and the resurrection and reviewed verses in John’s gospel that pointed this out.  In Genesis 2, Wayne reminded us the formula for a living soul which was Man being formed out of clay then God added the breath of life which then caused Adam to become a living soul (in Genesis 6, it says the animals also have the breath of life).  Further, we learned how God taught Adam that there was on one like him in all of creation by having him name every beast of the field (the animals). Consequently, God said it was not good for man to be alone, he caused Adam to have a deep sleep, removed one his ribs and created a help mate for him.  Adam then called this help mate Woman because she was created out of Man.  The word adam is a neutral term meaning “human,” not specifically a man. In the original Hebrew text, all references to Adam are neutral until God takes some of Adam’s flesh and makes a woman – ishah, in Hebrew. Only at that point is Adam called ish, a man. The Hebrew word ishah hints at her origins from within the ish, something that we can mimic in English, with the words “man” and “woman.” But interestingly, Adam is never called an ish until the ishah has been separated from him. It is as if the text is implying that male and female cannot define themselves fully as human without the other.  That is why in Genesis 2:24 says “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”.  We ended with chapter 3:1 where the Serpent appeared in the Garden which set up next weeks lesson.  The scripture reading was in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 KJV

“21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”