Forbidden Series

Genesis 2:15-17. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV)

Eco-anxiety is increasingly being recognized by mental health professionals. The terms itself is not listed in the official Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) which is the diagnostic tool for mental health issues published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). But, while it is not listed as a type of anxiety disorder, it is certainly recognized amongst mental health professionals. The definition of eco-anxiety provided by the APA is “anxiety or worry about climate change and its effects,” including loss of biodiversity and other forms of environmental degradation. Worryingly, the incident rates of this mental health issue are climbing. https://www.healthing.ca/wellness/children/askalyson-eco-anxiety-the-latest-mental-health-challenge-facing-our-kids/

As human beings living on this planet, we must ask ourselves what responsibilities do we have to each other, the other living things around us, to generations not yet born, and to God Himself. Do we have a dominion mandate, and if so, is it one based on freedom or responsibility? If it is of responsibility, is there a priority?

God’s intention from the beginning was to put people to work. (Because of sin) work became drudgery, but initially work was something not only which God intended for people to do but also something that God engaged in Himself! “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2).The creation order is perfectly straightforward—(Human beings are) to work properly and rest adequately. It is significant that the Sabbath rest which was to become such a distinctive feature of the lifestyle of God’s people was introduced by God Himself at the (end) of creation. (Humanity’s) ignoring of it may be far more detrimental to them physically, socially, and spiritually than one realizes.! (Briscoe, D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1987). Vol. 1: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 1 : Genesis. The Preacher's Commentary series (40). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)

The brief account of God's direction to Adam in the garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis 2:15-17 is instructive to us in establishing a dominion mandate for every generation that has followed him. In this account of direction and prohibition, we see three things: 1) God's Commission (Genesis 2:15), 2) God's Commandment (Genesis 2:16), and finally 3) God's Caution (Genesis 2:17).

In directing people in what is expected to be done and forbidden, Genesis 2 specifies:

1) God's Commission (Genesis 2:15)

Genesis 2:15. [15] The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (ESV)

God placed the man in the garden for the stated purpose of supervising it. Verse 15 continues the thought of v. 8 but with a subtle difference in the language. “Put” translates the causative form of the verb nûa?, “rest,” and so could be rendered literally “caused to rest.”. God promised to give Israel safety (“rest”) in the land from its enemies (e.g., Deut 3:20; 12:10; 25:19). This is illustrated by Lot and his family; visited by angels who “led them safely [“gave rest”] out of the city” (Gen. 19:16). It also is used of dedicating something before the presence of the Lord (E.g., Exod 16:33–34; Num 17:4; Deut 26:4, 10; cf. priestly garments, Lev 16:23). God prepares the garden for man’s safety, where he can enjoy the divine presence (E. R. Clendenen, “Life in God’s Land: An Outline of the Theology of Deuteronomy” in The Church at the Dawn of the 21st Century (Dallas: Criswell Publications, 1989), 162–63)

The text does not indicate that the entire primeval earth was a paradise. The word garden (gan) signifies a place protected by a fence or wall. (Linguistically in the words used to describe it, and from various ancient reports), the garden was located “eastward” in respect to the writer and in a plain (‘eden) at the confluence of four rivers (Gen. 2:8, 10–14). Two of the rivers can be identified—the Hiddekel (Tigris) and the Perat (Euphrates). The Pishon and Gihon are likely two of the other Mesopotamian rivers which flow into the Tigris and Euphrates. These four rivers joined to flow through the garden as one river (E.A. Speiser, Genesis, The Anchor Bible (Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1964), pp. 19f.). The author seems to be describing the geography of ancient Sumer just north of the Persian Gulf in what is present-day Iraq (Smith, J. E. (1993). The Pentateuch (2nd ed.) (Ge 2:8–17). Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub. Co.).