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Genesis 2:18-19

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by zrs6v4, Feb 2, 2010.

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  1. zrs6v4

    zrs6v4 Member

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    I had a small debate with a guy and he argued that the Genesis account contradicted itself :smilewinkgrin: on numerous areas (I felt that only 1 of them was worth mention). I was not familiar with the argument nor did I have a fresh reading of the particular text he used so I didnt say much. I have been looking at it today and it seems as if his issue can be resolved rather easy, but I would like some more experienced imput from y'all to add.

    As you know the creation account has birds and sea creatures on day 5 and then on day six land animals are created before man is created.

    In Genesis chapter 2 it goes back to when God created everything and especially zooms in on day 6 when God created man.

    now here is what he argues

    2:18 "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
    2:19 "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name."

    He says that 2:19 shows that man was created before the animals where in chapter 1 man was created after. He says that in verse 19 that it is showing that God is creating the animals and bringing them to man.

    My simple argument was that verse 19 does not imply that land animals and birds were created at that moment, but that at this point Moses is only saying that these animals that were brought to man were created from the ground just like Adam. We know that birds were created on day 5 and land animals on day 6 then man shortly after the land animals. It is kind of obvious and silly to think that the very next chapter that describes the detail on day 6 would state that man was created first.

    How would you approach this discussion, namely the selected texts? AND how do you feel about this text? The guy claims to be a believer by the way, although I don't know him very well. He argues that the bible is still trustworthy even with his noted contradictions that I refuted. I am going to be talking to him again soon, so all the imput is helpful. I really want to try to stay on topic with his issues in Scripture more than anything rather than just give my theological argument on infallibility, inherency, and so forth.
     
    #1 zrs6v4, Feb 2, 2010
  2. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    It's not a contradiction so much as it is simply a change in focus. The first creation poem was laid out as an apologetic against the paganism evident several thousand years before Christ when it was penned (the specific use of language is compelling) in order to demonstrate that one God created this whole thing.

    The second telling of Creation shifts focus to hone in on mankind and how God uniquely created Adam and Eve in order to fulfill His purpose.

    There is no reason for the accounts to be linear, because that isn't the writer's(') purpose. :)
     
    #2 preachinjesus, Feb 2, 2010
  3. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Indeed. Gen1 and 2 are two completely separate narratives, and are conveying a different purpose (we tend to want to read them as one whole long story, but they were not written as such). Any percieved contracitions are a nonissue. Such perceptions don't detract from the porupose of each narrative, nor does it detract from scripture being 100% truth. There's no spiritual need to split hairs over minutae.
     
    #3 Johnv, Feb 2, 2010
  4. zrs6v4

    zrs6v4 Member

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    I hope for more comments.

    So how does this not affect inherency and infallibility in your views. Im not agreeing or disagreeing, but just take it a little further.

    is it pretty much the same argument for the reason that there are 3 different views of those at the tomb in the gospels? or the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds?

    In your eyes does the bible have contradictions? explain
     
    #4 zrs6v4, Feb 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2010
  5. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Similar question: What color was Jesus' robe at his trial? Was it purple, or dark red? Who cares? The point of the narration was to get us to understand that Jesus was being mocked for his claim of royalty. How many angels were there at Jesus' tomb? How many women were there? Was the stone rolled away before, or after peopel got there? Who cares? The point is that Jesus rose, just as he said he would.

    None of those perceived discrepancies detract from scripture's inerrancies or its infallibility. If we require all the minutae to line up to our expectations, then the problem lies with us, not with scripture.
     
    #5 Johnv, Feb 2, 2010
  6. zrs6v4

    zrs6v4 Member

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    Good comments and Ill let others chime in.

    Back to the OP, can we not actually say what day God created man or animals or birds?
     
    #6 zrs6v4, Feb 2, 2010
  7. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    There are only apparent discrepencies, except for possible scribal errors, and scholars can see where those are. But that's not what we are talking about here.

    There is no contradiction in the Gen. 2 passage with Gen 1. Hebrew literature and its style explain a lot in the OT, such as this. You have one narration in Gen 1 and another way of narrating in Gen 2, which is a focal passage on man.

    And the 3 accounts of the tomb after Jesus resurrected are not contradictory, either.

    Good resources for you might be:
    Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer
    and
    When Critics Ask by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe

    They each take various passages, such as what you mention, and go through them, showing the explanation for the alleged contradiction or discrepancy.
     
    #7 Marcia, Feb 2, 2010
  8. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    Perhaps this discussions lends itself to consideration of the aspects of scripture being "God breathed". For consideration:

    A. Is the Holy Scriptures "directly" authored by God in the sense that God placed a "ready made" manuscript into the proper hands?

    B. Are the Holy scriptures truly simultaneously a human product superintended by the Holy Spirit?

    C. Are the Holy scriptures only characterized by verbal and plenary insipration in the sense there exists no "human element" exhibited in their content?

    D. Any other thoughts or ideas I may have missed.

    Would be interested in anyone/everyones thoughts on the means, mechanism and methods of how OUR Holy Scriptures came to be.
     
    #8 quantumfaith, Feb 3, 2010
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