Commentary Upon Genesis 1-3, Commentary on Genesis · Chapter 2 · Verse 4 – Verse 5
VERSE 4.
THeſe are the generations of the Heavens] That is, in this manner they took their Beginning, From and By God alone, and according to his Will, by the Mighty Word of his Power.
In the day] That is, in that Time that it pleaſed God to take up in forming them, which we know was in Six dayes, and not in One. But we find the Word, Day, in Scripture is uſed commonly to ſignifie Time Indefinitely.
This recapitulation of the works of Creation, wherein they are challenged and aſcribed unto God alone, being prefixed before the Lawes that are mentioned afterwards, gives us juſt occaſion to take ſpecial notice, of the Right which God had to diſpoſe of all things, according to his own Will, and to give them what Lawes he pleaſed, ſeeing all of them being the works of his own hand, and therefore his Own by the ſtrongeſt Title, were conſequently to be ordered by him as he pleaſed. So that out of this order obſerved by the Holy Ghoſt in this Narration, we may,
1. Obſerve, He that gives things their Being, may Diſpoſe and Order them as he will.
Obſerv. 1 THe Maſter gave What, and to Whom he pleaſed, becauſe it was his Own, and therewith ſtops the mouthes of all that quarrelled at his unequal dealing, Matth. 20.15. Upon that ground God may order all things as he pleaſeth, (as indeed he doth whatſoever he pleaſed in Heaven and Earth, Pſal. 115.3.) becauſe all is his Own, and none hath given unto him firſt, nor conſequently can claim any thing of him, Rom. 11.35. nor limit him in any reſpect. God cannot wrong his own Creatures; no, though he ſhould deſtroy them, much leſſe when he doth Command or preſcribe unto them; as, for the former reaſon, ſo, withall becauſe his Will is Juſt.
1. Let it ceaſe all our murmurings in Afflictions, Job 1.21. much more in duties of Obedience. If Saul muſt obey, becauſe God made him a King, 1 Sam. 15.1. much more muſt we obey becauſe God made us Creatures, and gave us our Being. St. Paul, upon this ground, ſtops every mans mouth, that reaſons with, or anſwers again unto God, that God may do with his own what he will; much more, and by a juſter right, then the Potter may frame his clay into what faſhion he will.
2. Let no man go about to rule, or preſcribe unto others, according to his Own will, becauſe no man can ſay that he made them by his Own Power, nor conſequently can juſtly challenge this unto himſelf, May I not do with mine own what I will? Let all Humane Power be bounded by the Will of Him, whoſe all things are, and from whom the Authority that men challenge unto themſelves is derived, which alſo they receive from Him with ſuch limitations as he was pleaſed to bound it withall, and no farther.
Moſes contents not himſelf to ſay, Theſe are the generations of the Heavens, &c. but thinks fit to adde withall, In the day that the Lord God made the Earth, &c. VVhence,
2. Obſerve, Whenſoever we mention and remember the Being of the Creatures, we ought withall to ſet before us, and remember Him that made them.
Obſerv. 2 AS David doth, Pſal. 8.3. having mentioned the Heavens, he in the next clauſe calls them, the work of Gods ſingers; and having taken a ſurview of all Gods works, and the wonderful order in which he hath diſpoſed them, he calls them all Gods manifold works made in Wiſdom, Pſal. 104.24.
VERSE. 5.
BEfore it was] And by and by after, Before it grew; that is, when it had yet no Being, God made it, and gave it that Being which it hath.
Nor cauſed it to rain] He proves that God made the Herbs and Plants, becauſe before they were, there was no other means by which they might be produced according to the courſe of nature, neither the Influence of the Heavens, nor any humane Culture. VVhence,
1. Obſerve, Every Herb and Plant upon the Earth is Gods Creature.
Obſerv. 1 SEE Chap. 1. Ver. 11. Obſerv. 3.
2. Obſerve, Not only the Mercies of God in General, but every Particular Bleſsing muſt be taken notice of, as coming from God.
Obſerv. 2 NOt only the Bleſſings themſelves, but beſides, the means by which God conveighs them unto us, and the meaſure in which he beſtowes them, with every other conſiderable circumſtance belonging to them. Thus God himſelf recounts them by Particulars, Levit. 26. Deut. 28. both every kind of them, and the Particulars of every kind, that ſo he might have a cloud of witneſſes to teſtifie for him, and to affect our hearts the more.
The Argument by which Moſes makes it appear, that thoſe Herbs and Plants were Created by God, becauſe there was no other means by which they might be produced, warrants us to,
3. Obſerve, That which is brought to paſſe without Ordinary Means, muſt needs be wrought by the Hand and Power of God Himſelf.
Obſerv. 3 AS Nebuchadnetzars ſtone, which was cut out without hands, Dan. 2.45. was a Kingdom ſet up by God Himſelf, ver. 44: In like manner, thoſe effects which are wrought beyond the power of the means, muſt needs be acknowledged to be the acts of a Divine Power; as when Gideons three hundred deſtroyed the huge Hoſt of the Midianites, it argued that the ſword of the Lord was there, as well as the ſword of Gideon, Judg. 1.18.
Let us ſo take knowledge of it, and that with admiration, in all ſuch events as fall out, either without, or beyond the Power of Ordinary means. When the Iſraelites had bread to ſatisfie them without ſowing, it was God that fed them; as he did Moſes when he had ſtrength ſupplyed unto him 40 dayes without eating or drinking. So in the very ordinary courſe of nature, when our life is renewed and continued by dead things; and ſtrength encreaſed by weak things, things impoſſible to nature, we muſt acknowledge, that he hath His hand in thoſe works, who is above nature.
Note, Moſes ſhewing that there fell no Rain on the earth to make the Herbs and Plants to grow, tells us that God had not cauſed it to rain upon the Earth, as if he had ſaid, It had not rained on the Earth. Whence,
4. Obſerve, There can be no Rain on the Earth, unleſſe Godſend it.
Obſerv. 4 HE cauſeth it to come, both for Judgment and Mercy. Job 37.12, 13. and prepares it for the earth, Pſal. 147.8. Therefore he promiſeth it, Deut. 11.14. & 28.12. and he keeps it back at his pleaſure, Amos 4.7. and then none can give it, Jer. 14.22. whence the Apoſtle tells us, that the giving of rain was a witneſſe for God unto men, Act. 14.17. and his people are juſtly taxed that they did not take notice of it, and acknowledge it, Jer. 5.24.
Let us then ſeek it at his hand, as Elijah did, 1 King. 18.42. and thank him for it, that we may work his fear into our hearts, Jer. 5.24. who only can give it; and if he ſhould withhold it, for any long time, might ſtarve the whole Earth, as he had near done the Land of Iſrael, 1 King. 18.2, 5.
Moſes proves that God made the Plants and Herbs, becauſe the Means by which they are ordinarily produced and cheriſhed, were wanting, the firſt and principal whereof he names to be the Rain. Whence,
5. Obſerve, It is by Rain from Heaven, that all the Herbs and Plants on the face of the Earth, do grow and are nouriſhed.
Obſerv. 5 BY it, God waters the ridges of the earth, and bleſſeth the ſpringing of the fruits thereof, Pſal. 65.10. The Heavens muſt hear the earth, and the Earth the Corn and Wine, if any of them proſper, Hoſ. 2.21.
Let us acknowledge the wonderful Goodneſſe and Mercy of God, that from time to time provides that means, without which neither men nor beaſts could poſſibly ſubſiſt, and that conſtantly, and ſeaſonably; ſo that neither Earing nor Harveſt fail according to his promiſe, Gen. 8.22. And withal, take notice of his wonderful Power, that makes the Rain a means of cheriſhing Life in the Herbs and Plants, which it ſelf hath no Life at all.
Without Rain, or any help by humane culture, God, as Moſes relates, created the Herbs and Plants, howſoever he pleaſeth ordinarily to make uſe of both for the propagating and preſerving of them. Whence,
6. Obſerve, Though God be pleaſed to make Uſe of Mans Labour, in Producing and Cheriſhing the Fruits of the Earth; yet he can encreaſe and preſerve them without it.
Obſerv. 6 THis He manifeſted, by cauſing every Seventh Year to produce Fruits ſufficient for his people, without any labour of theirs at all. And indeed, all that mans labour doth this way, is but the applying of thoſe means which have all their power and efficacy from God. Man neither makes the Seed that he ſows, nor the Earth that receives and nouriſheth it: nor gives the one power to yield it nouriſhment; or the other vertue to receive it, and to grow and ſpring thereby. Theſe are the Effects of Gods Power, who gives to every ſeed his own body, who ſends forth his Spirit and renewes the face of the earth, Pſal. 104.30. and bleſſeth the ſpringing of the fruits thereof, Pſal. 65.10.
Let no man then burn incenſe to his own net or yarn, or think highly of his own wiſdom or diligence as the cauſe, and means, by which his fields of Corn or Paſtures are made fruitful, ſeeing both our Strength to labour is from God, and our Wiſdom to manage our affairs aright, is from him too, Iſa. 28.26. and this bleſſing upon our labours is that only that makes them ſucceſſeful. So that every way it is he that gives ability to get wealth, Deut. 8.18. riches are his bleſſing, Prov. 10.22. without which it is in vain to riſe early, and to eat the bread of ſorrow and carefulneſſe, Pſal. 127.2.
Notwithſtanding though Moſes hereby proves theſe Herbs and Plants were the work of Gods hand at the firſt, becauſe there was no man to till the ground, he muſt neceſſarily imply, that ordinarily there is required mans labour in the producing and cheriſhing of the fruits of the Earth, So that we may,
7. Obſerve, Though the fruitfulneſſe of the Earth come only by Gods bleſsing, yet the labour of man is required as the ordinary means to further it.
Obſerv. 7 TO that indeed is the promiſe of Gods bleſſing annexed, Deut. 28.8, 12. Prov. 12.11. Now this labour God hath laid upon the generation of men; Partly to humble us, as appears by that Curſe upon Man after his Fall: and, Partly, to exerciſe both our Bodies and Minds, and that for the good of them both, ſeeing idleneſſe (as experience teacheth us) both fills the body with ill humours, and the Mind with noiſome luſts: and laſtly, that being daily buſied about the Creatures, we might the better obſerve the wayes of Gods providence, in providing for, bleſſing, and ſupporting them, and working, by his influence, both In, and By them, in a wonderful manner.
Let then every man apply himſelf to labour in the place that God hath ſet him in: 1. In Obedience to Gods Command. 2. Depending ſtill upon Gods bleſſing, which only muſt proſper his Endeavours; leſt otherwiſe ſickneſſes in his Body, and noiſom luſts in his Soul, and the Curſe of God upon his Eſtate, waſte and conſume him, and miſery and beggery come upon him like an armed man, Prov. 24.34.