How Did God Form the First Man and Woman?

Jared: Welcome to Press Pause, the under 10-minute family worship podcast. I’m your host Jared and I’m with my friends Kevin, and Trey (Hey Jared!). This podcast is designed to help you—dads, moms, grandparents, and guardians—share big truths about Jesus with your kids. Just listen along with your family and keep your finger near your device so that you’re ready to press pause and talk about this week’s big truth with your kids.

Before we get rolling with today’s question, I wanted to ask y’all a question. What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever built? Maybe as a kid, maybe as an adult, but the coolest thing you’ve ever thrown together with your hands.

Jared: Now that we’ve told our stories, Kevin, can you tell us what question we’re tackling this week?

Kevin: You bet! We’ve actually got a pair of questions that work together to show us where we came from. The first is, “How did God form the first man?” And the answer is. . . God formed Adam from the dust. And next, “How did God form the first woman?” And our answer is. . . God formed the woman from the man.

Let’s put those questions and answers together. How did God form the first man? [read together] God formed Adam from the dust. How did God form the first woman? [read together] God formed the woman from the man.

Jared: Big questions this week, Kevin. Can you tell us where we see these truths pop up in the Bible?

Kevin: For these questions, we go back to the very beginning of the Bible—the book of Genesis. Chapter 2, verse 7 tells us, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Then in verse 22, we hear about Eve’s creation, “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

Press Pause, then open your Bible to Genesis 2 and read that passage with your family.

Jared: We’re back! Genesis 1:26-27 provides another account of God creating the first man and woman. Listen and see what you can learn about God creating Adam and Eve.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Trey, can you help us understand why learning how God created Adam and Eve thousands of years ago matters to us here today?

Trey: That’s a big ask, but I’ll try my best. It’s important for us to understand how and why God created Adam and Eve because that’s where we came from. We can all trace our family tree all the way back to them (though it might take a long time on ancestry.com) God gave us the same gift of life and humanity that He gave to them in creation. Now, we’re not as concerned about the recipe God used when God created (maybe 2 parts dust, 1 part water, and a roll of duct tape), but instead about how God decided to make the first people. Let’s break it down into three parts from our passage.

First, we see that God created the man and woman “in our image, in our likeness.” God created humanity, men and women, in his own likeness. The way we live, think, and relate to one another is similar to how God does those same things. He gave us a mind to think, create, and solve problems. He gave us a heart to experience joy, love, excitement, sadness, and hope. Because we’re made in God’s image, He’s given us everything we need to relate to Him and the world that we find ourselves in.

Next, we see that God made a distinction between men and women—“male and female He created them.” Both men and women are equally made in the image of God, but there’s clearly something that makes them different from one another. God said it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so he created a mate for him, Eve. He didn’t just make a copy of Adam but created someone new and different that would compliment him.

Kevin: So God made Eve just to say nice things to Adam all day?

Trey: No, not that kind of compliment (though I’m sure Eve was kind). God created Eve to be strong in areas that Adam was weak, and the same was true of Adam. God created them to function together in the world he’d put them in. That leads us to our last point.

Finally, God didn’t create them to stare at each other and twiddle their thumbs. God gave them something to do. God made them both in His image so that they, “may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Just as God rules and reigns over the world and everything in it, He’s given humanity the call to cultivate the earth and move it forward—to grow things, build things, make families, etc. What started with a little dust and a rib bone, ended up carrying a lot of responsibility.

Press Pause and take a few minutes to talk about this truth with your family. Think about how creative and amazing God was in creating Adam. What would you have used to make Adam from? Praise God for how He made us in his image.

Jared: Alright, we’re back! It’s good to think about how God made us, and the gifts that He’s put inside each of us. It’s wild to think that the creator of the universe made us in His own image. Kevin, would you close us in prayer by thanking God for the way He made us?

Kevin: I’d love to. Father, we thank you for the gift of life. Who are we that you're so mindful of us - creating us in your image. Thank you for giving us everything we need. Amen. 

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Outro: Thanks again for listening to Press Pause, the 10-minute family worship podcast. Be sure to subscribe to Press Pause in your favorite podcasting app and leave us a rating or review. Also be sure to follow Gospel-Centered Family on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Join us next week for more big truths about Jesus for your whole family.