1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 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.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
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Reflection:
God made the birds and the beasts in plural form and all at once, but He then made "a man", and individually singled him out and breathed the breath of life into him. Then he puts him to a self-watering garden with no maintenance, and trees to look in wonder at and trees from which there are fruits. Trees of all kinds for the man to enjoy.
God took care of mankind, even before we knew how to take care of ourselves. He's always looked after us, even from the start. When He created vegetation, He had already planted the Garden of Eden for us, and there He singled us out and put us in the middle of His Universe. This is a God who loves us, who is consistent and unconditional with His love. Even knowing what's going to happen next, He still gave us the best, and still gives us the best.
It's so hard to fathom how unconditional His fatherly love can be. Maybe that's why we fall and stumble, because we can't see the whole picture, but we do understand that in His Grace and Mercy, that He will always catch us, and give us what's best, because He loves us, and He is true to His Word.
