Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis 2:22-25

"THE FIRST SUPPER" (Garry Friesen)

(with apologies to Moses ben Amram)

Adam was hungry.

He had had a long, challenging day naming animals.

His afternoon nap had been refreshing, and his post-siesta introduction to Eve was exhilarating, to say the least.

But as the sun began to set on their first day, Adam discovered that he had worked up an appetite.

"I think we should eat," he said to Eve. "Let's call the evening meal 'supper.'"

"Oh, you're so decisive, Adam," Eve said.

"I like that in a man.

I guess all the excitement of being created has made me hungry, too."

As they discussed how they should proceed, they decided that Adam would gather fruit from the garden, and Eve would prepare it for their meal.

Adam set about his task and soon returned with a basket full of ripe fruit.

He gave it to Eve and went to soak his feet in the soothing current of the Pishon River until supper was ready.

He had been reviewing the animals' names for about five minutes when he heard his wife's troubled voice.

"Adam, could you help me for a moment?"

"What seems to be the problem, dear?"

"I'm not sure which of these lovely fruits I should prepare for supper.

I've prayed for guidance from the Lord, but I'm not really sure what He wants me to do.

I certainly don't want to miss His will on my very first decision.

Would you go to the Lord and ask Him what I should do about supper?"

Adam's hunger was intensifying, but he understood Eve's dilemma.

So he left her to go speak with the Lord.

Shortly, he returned.

He appeared perplexed.

"Well?"

Eve said.

"He didn't really answer your question."

"What do you mean?

Didn't He say anything?"

"Not much.

He just repeated what He said earlier today during the garden tour: 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.'

I assure you, Eve, I steered clear of the forbidden tree."

"I appreciate that, but that doesn't solve my problem," Eve said.

"What fruit should I prepare for tonight?"

From the rumbling in his stomach, Adam discovered that lions and tigers were not

the only things that growl.

So he said, "I've never seen such crisp, juicy apples.

I feel a sense of peace about them.

Why don't you prepare them for supper?"

"All right, Adam.

I guess you've had more experience at making decisions than I have.

I appreciate your leadership.

I'll call you when supper's ready."

Adam was only halfway back to the river when he heard Eve's call.

He jogged back to the clearing where she was working, but his anticipation evaporated when he saw her face.

"More problems?" he asked.

"Adam, I just can't decide how I should fix these apples.

I could slice them, dice them, mash them, bake them in a pie, a cobbler, fritters, or dumplings.

I really want to be your helper, but I also want to be certain of the Lord's will on this decision.

Would you be a dear and go just one more time to the Lord with my problem?"

Adam was not keen on bothering the Lord again, but after Eve said some very nice things about him, he agreed to go.

When he returned, he said, "I got the same answer as before: 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.'"

Adam and Eve were both silent for a moment.

Then with light in his eye, Adam said, "You know, Eve, the Lord made that statement as though it fully answered my question.

I'm sure He could have told us what to eat and how to eat it; but I think He's given us freedom to make those decisions.

It was the same way with the animals today.

He told me to name the animals, but He didn't whisper any names in my ear.

Assigning those names was my responsibility."

Eve was incredulous.

"Do you mean that we could have any of these fruits for supper?"

Eve said.

"Are you telling me that I can't miss God's will in this decision?"

"The only way you could do that is to pick some fruit from the forbidden tree.

But none of these fruits are from that tree.

Why, I suppose we are free to eat a little from each one of them."

Adam snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Say, that's a great idea!

Let's have fruit salad for supper!"

Eve hesitated.

“What’s a salad?”

That book comes from Garry Friesen’s Decision Making and the Will of God.

We can only speculate what that 1st day would have been like for Adam & Eve.

There are some observations that can be made about them...

Created fully mature (adults, ability to walk, talk—full vocabulary)

There are some things we just can’t know…did Adam have a belly button, did they have memories of anything?

Prior to Gen 3 would they have had any questions concerning God’s will for them?

Tough to answer some of those questions but what we do know is that God made the perfect provision for the crowning achievement of His creation—man and woman.

And His provision met the need for both the man and the woman:

This is the first wedding ceremony—the establishment of the institution of marriage and the family.

Today this institution is being attack fiercely by Satan.

From every direction, the god of this world is seeking to destroy what God created for mankind’s good—he’s doing it not so subtly.

You’re probably aware that the month of June is “Pride” month.

You see little rainbows in numerous businesses and the result is that our nation (not exclusively) will spend the entire month celebrating perversion, honoring sin, denouncing the very blessing of the the most gracious and generous God who has given humanity the gift of marriage and family.

This is what’s under attack.

The current attack on the family is the ideology that it can be whatever you want it to be.

If you want the traditional family of husband, wife and children…that’s ok (the world believes this is a condition of slavery).

If you want 2 dads, 2 moms that’s ok.

If you want polygamy or polyandry—there’s no problem.

If you want group/communal marriage.

This attack (promoted by LGBTQ+ and “Pride month”—I hate that my birthday shares this godless ideology) has had the effect of great hardship and will reap disastrous consequences in the years and decades to come.

And the only solution is to continue to call the world to repentance and faith in LJC.

The Blessedness of Marriage

The first thing we must understand is that God gets to define marriage.

God’s definition has always been represented from this first marriage ceremony as the forging together of 1 man and 1 woman.

There is nothing to argue about this b/c there is no one else at this point.

And what God establishes about marriage (and we know it is a marriage: Mt 19; Mk 10; Eph 5:22-32) is for the good of humanity and ultimately to promote His glory among His creation.

Adam’s Response

Notice, Adam’s Response:

Adam speaks 3 times in the Bible (3:10, 12).

What he says in 2:23 is a monumental acknowledgement, profound statement of what just happened.