The Sword and the Plow: Purpose of Man

The Sword & The Plow – Purpose of Man

Parshah: Genesis 2:4-3:24 Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:11-26 Apostolic: Rom. 5:12-21.

אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם

I – The Second Witness

Genesis 2:4 begins a “” of The creation. How do we know this?

First: It tells us plainly in Gen. 2:4. Toldot: An of creation, (Also: A record, generations, history, a “begetting”, i.e. something is being brought forth). This concept is alluded to in Matthew 1:1, where it speaks of the “Generations” of Messiah within the context of Abraham and David.

Second: 2:5 tells us that there were no plants on the ground. (Ref. Gen 1:11

Third: 2:7 tells us that God is making man. How can God be making man if he already made THEM in Gen. 1:26-28?

• The Westernized view holds time to be a progression. We read Genesis 1 as an event that precedes the Events of Genesis 2.
• What if Torah is giving us a Second Witness of creation? More lucid details?

II – The Sword & The Plow (To Cultivate & To Keep)

Gen. 2:5. – No . Why? No on Earth. (See also Isa. 30:23, 55:10)

Why is there no rain? No . The Second account confirms that man is to the of God.

Important: No man to do WHAT exactly? “…to the Earth.” Hebrew: עָבַד (Abad).

Purpose ONE: First of two important purposes for man: Abad; To .

• Abad – Verb (Action/Something we DO). Cultivate, Work, Do, Till, Serve, Labour, Worship.
  • Symbol of working the Earth: The . (Metaphorical)
  • A plow requires the strength (Ox) to till (Serve / Work) the (Adamah) ground.
  • Tilling: Removing rocks and obstacles that prevent seed from falling on good earth and growing.
  • Removing from the Adamah, things that prevent the seed from growing.
  • What does it mean to cultivate? To Foster something under your care to .
  • Matthew 13:37. Matthew 20:28.

Gen. 2:7-9. God plants a garden. Vs. 8: God places man there. (He “planted” Adam in the Garden – Ref. Psalm 1) God causes the to grow. (He Cultivates!)

Gen. 2:15. Man is placed in the Garden “…to cultivate and to it.” Hebrew: וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ (Ulshamra) Root: ( שָׁמַרShamar). Translated as: Keep, Observe, Heed, Keeper, Preserve, Beware, Watchman, Watch, save.

Purpose TWO: To (protect) what God has made or what God is doing.

• The Symbol of protection is the .
• Functionally, A sword . Matthew 10:34.
• What does it mean that Messiah comes to bring a sword? Who is He separating?
• Rev. 1:16. Is there a connection between protection, and the Sword that comes out of His mouth?

Important: Man was created for BOTH purposes. Both are NEEDED in a marriage. In a home. In a society.

• This whole sense of purpose gets inverted after the fall. Gen. 3:23 – Man is expelled from the Garden, “…to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.”