2. All creation was very good

 

The Genesis record states that all of God’s creation was made ‘very good’. Does this mean that they were above feeling a natural tendency to behave with a natural mind? What do we witness of the behaviour of Adam and Eve that may support or refute the idea that they were made with the same insecurities we have now? What was it that ultimately motivated Eve to take of the fruit of the tree?

 

A clue to this is seen in the use of the words “naked” (Heb. Arôme), in the last verse of chapter 2 and “subtle” (Heb. Arome), in the first verse of chapter 3. These are so close in the way they are written and pronounced that a number of commentators have picked up on this classic example of Hebrew wordplay. (See NIV study notes on Gen 3:1)

 

The obvious intention of this wordplay would be to infer the case for substitution. On this basis we could say that the serpent was more naked than any of the beasts of the field, which it arguably was, having no hair and even shedding its skin.

 

But the real point is that Adam and Eve were both ‘subtly minded’ and not ashamed of the natural mind that they had.

 

We read:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6

It is common to relate this to the passage:

For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:16

 

It is widely accepted that this reflects the mind of Eve at the time that she took the fruit of the tree of knowledge. This is the mind that she had before eating of the tree that led her to behave the way she did. That, while Jesus thought equality with God was ‘not a thing to be grasped at’ (Philippians 2:6), this was a driving force in the mind of Eve.

 

Jesus comments in Mark 7:20:

And he said,
That which cometh out of the man, that defiles the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

 

It appears that the natural mind that is now seen in mankind was also evident in the mind of Eve prior to her taking of the tree.

 

This point is crucial in understanding ourselves and our sinfulness.

 

All things made Very Good

Moses records that God made all things ‘very good’. All creation was pronounced ‘very good’ on the evening of the sixth day (even the serpent). What does the word ‘good’ imply within this context?

 

Some have suggested that there was no death in the world before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their perspective is that all plants and animals continued to live without aging or dying. This view has two major problems. Firstly, it isn’t recorded in scripture that this was the case. Secondly, if nothing matured and died, then not only would the whole of the earth’s ecological environments need to be completely different. Fruit would not ripen and the failure of the seeds of the savannah grasses and herbs to regerminate would rule out the regrowth necessary to support the beasts of the field. The picture of Eden is one in which the beasts of the field are fed by the field plants, and the trees in Eden bore fruit that was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. These were not unripened fruit, which would have been neither pleasant nor good to eat. Death had to be part of the ecology of Eden for creatures to exist as God created them.  To assume otherwise would be to assume that they are not really the creatures that we have now. The term ‘very good’ does not mean ‘undying’ or in any way different in nature from the creatures of today.

 

We see the term ‘very good’ used in many ways in the following passages. (These use the same Hebrew expression as is used in Genesis 1 & 2.)

 

And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? Be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.

Judges 18:9

The land was termed ‘very good’ when in fact it was seen to be fertile.

 

One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe:

and the other basket had very naughty figs,

which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

Jeremiah 24:2

The basket of figs was termed ‘very good’ because they were at their most edible and appealing.

 

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt,
neither missed we any thing,
as long as we were conversant with them,
when we were in the fields:

1 Samuel 25:15

David’s men were ‘very good’ (moral) in their behaviour toward Nabal’s men.

 

God created His world to be complete and balanced. The cycles of life and death, the environments and ecologies were all made to work in harmony. Living things reproduced and died, fruit and grain ripened, and the dead and rotting material fertilised the ground. All creatures behaved as they do today. However, no sin or guilt was present anywhere and, most importantly, no discord in the heart or mind of any creature.