January 2, 2024
Read Genesis 2, Psalm 2, John 2
Life is a mix of work and play. We see both of these elements in Genesis 2. Some people are work-a-holics, while others are just plain lazy. We must find a proper balance. The Sabbath was a day of rest. God does not need the rest, but it was an example set by God for humanity to follow. We are living in the New Testament times and not under the Mosaic Law. We do not have a legal obligation to follow the Sabbath today, but we would be wise to observe a Sabbath in our lives on a weekly basis. On the other side of the coin, God created man and placed him the garden “to work it and take care of it” v. 15. You likely had New Years Day off and today you are back to work. Work is good for the human soul. It was a part of God’s plan before the fall, before sin (although sin made it more laborious). Work gives us a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and a healthy pride in what we have done. Work accomplishes good things for us and others. The Evangelist Jonathan Edwards who worked tirelessly to preach the gospel across America still made time for a Sabbath. While traveling on the Connecticut River he recorded,
“At Saybrook we went ashore to lodge on Saturday, and there kept the Sabbath;
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
where I had a sweet and refreshing season, walking alone in the fields.”[JW1]
Some skeptics object to Genesis 2 as a contradictory second creation account. Rather it is continuation of the creation account but zoomed in from a 30,000-foot up view down to the garden view. Genesis 1 looks at the creation of the universe and Genesis 2 homes in on the creation of humanity. It ends relating marriage to the creation account with the often quoted “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” v.24.
Contemporaries push back on this narrative. Is Adam superior to Eve because he was created first? Isn’t the creation story a patriarchal story of oppression? Does Adam name his own wife as an exercise of power, after all, Eve is called a “helper” v. 20? The answer, “no” to all these accusations. Sixteen times God is called Israel’s helper (Ex. 18:4, Deut. 33:7, etc.) and He is not the lessor in that relationship. Both men and women are equal in value but differ in their roles in the family and the church which follows the creation narrative.
Psalm 2 opens with a question, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” The question of who would dare challenge the authority of God and his power. God dares any nation who would come against his “Anointed One” v. 2, The psalm is full of language that points not only to an earthly king in Israel but also to Jesus. The New Testament connects Psalm 2 in Acts 4:25-26, Acts 13:33, and Hebrews 1:5.
The themes of weddings and authority continue in John 2. Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. He turned water into wine. Not just any water, it was “the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing” v. 6. Think of that as water unfit to drink, meant for washing hands and other ceremonial items. Jesus took something impure and made it into “choice wine” v. 10 that people would brag about and enjoy. This first miracle was a statement about Jesus’ mission and ministry. Second, Jesus purifies the temple and rids it the money-changers by creating a whip and driving out those who had made the temple into “a market.” What has the contemporary church made the church into? Are we guilty of turning it into anything that would displease Christ? When Jesus is questioned about his actions the subject of authority is raised upon Jesus. “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” v. 18. Jesus looks ahead symbolically to the cross where his physical body would be destroyed but God would “raise it in three days” v. 20.
What else do you see in these chapters? What words and phrases catch your attention as you read? How does the theme of authority flow through each of these chapters individually? What questions do you have from these chapters? Add your thoughts below.
[JW1]Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1991. pg, 197.
Posted by John Weldon 
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