1. 3.1c The Second Creation Story Genesis 2:4-9

2. The Second Creation Story
God made man out of the soil in the ground (Humans are part of creation)
God breathed the breath of life into man’s nostrils. (Humans are special because they have a little bit of God inside of them)
God is close to humans and created them before all other beings.

4. The Creation of Woman Genesis 2:18-25

5. The Creation of Woman
At the time of the Bible, society was Patriarchal - controlled by men
Many literalists misinterpret this story to mean women are inferior to men
A contextualist sees this story as asserting the equality of women and men because they are made of the same substance (rib from the side)
It also teaches about the intimacy of marriage

6. Summary of the 2 creation stories:
The intimate relationship between God and humans
The power God has chosen to share with humans (responsibility/stewardship of all creation)
The intimacy and equality of the sexes

8. Faithfulness Is a virtue that all of us need to cultivate
It is an attitude that encourages us to involve God in our lives.
By developing the habit of faithfulness we are more likely to choose good and right, even when it is hard.
The path of faithfulness is different for each person (like learning to swim)

9. The first and second commandments call us to love and respect God above all else:
I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have any false idols before me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord,
God in vain