Theme: Keep the Garden
Text: Genesis 2:4-17
Greetings: The Lord is good; and his love endures forever!
Introduction: Bible is the only scripture which has systematically develop the creation of the world and gives the picture of what would happen at the end. We have the story of the creation within six days. But the creation of the heavens and the earth are beyond time, from ancient of days, and of eternity.
Observe the words in the text: No one to till the ground (Genesis 2:5), the Lord formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). And the man became a living being. Garden in Eden (Genesis 2:8), God made trees to grow which were pleasant to the sight and good for food (Genesis 2:9). Man was placed in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it ( Genesis 2:15).
Today, I would like to share with you the purpose of the creation of the man and woman in the light of our monthly theme “Work while it’s a day” based on John 9:4, We have meditated on: working hours, work and worship, Isaac planted and harvested, whatever you do, diligent hands, work principles of ants, and now let’s move to understand the primary purpose of a man on the earth based on the scripture lesson came to us “Keep the Garden”.
Keep the companionship, Keep the garden, and Keep the commandment. The first, the blessing was given in Genesis 1:28, the second was the communication given in Genesis 2:15, the third was the commandment given to Adam for what to eat and what not to eat (Genesis 2:16-17).
1. Keep the company:
Illustration: “While getting married most of the men say to the girl’s parents “I will keep your daughter happy rest of Her life”.
But we never heard a girl saying to the boy’s parents, “I will keep your son happy rest of His life”.
Why, you know. Because women never tell lies.”(Adopted).
In the beginning, God created out of nothing (ba'ra) but here God formed the first human being (yi'ser) out of something like an artist, a sculptor, or a potter (ref: bibleref.com). The word used in Genesis 2:7, ‘formed or made’ but the word used in Genesis 1:1, 1:27, 1:26 is “created”.
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”. Man is made up of mortal and immortal components. Man is a compound being, having a body and soul distinctly and separately created. The body out of the dust of the earth, and the soul breathed from God himself (Adam Clark).
Josephus (Jewish Historian) says, red earth or clay macerated with water ( Job 33:6 ), "formed" like a potter who forms his clay into whatever shape he pleases ( Isaiah 64:8 ). It tells to humble the pride of man and to consider that he is of the earth, dust, and ashes and to he must return to it. A living man performs all the functions of the animals such as of eating, drinking, and walking, but above all thinking, reasoning, and discoursing as a rational creature (ref: biblestudytools.com, John Gill).
Though, we are descendants of Adam. Yet, each one of us is unique (Psalm 139:13-16). The "breath of life" (Heb. nesama) was God’s breath that gave Adam life, spiritual understanding (Job 32:8), and a functioning conscience (Proverbs 20:27). Adam’s life came from God’s breath. His uniqueness consisted in his having been made in God’s image. God’s breath may be a synonym for His word (Psalms 33:6).
Adam, and Eve were created by God. Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:37). God created Adam after his own image and his own likeness. God has given His Holy attributes to man. His holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, grace, love, and truth.
Adam was created with lesser power than the angels but higher in status of angels in relationship to God. God gave man an extra sense and wisdom than all other created beings on the earth (Genesis 2:19-20).
The man was created to Glorify God through exercising his personality—mind, heart, and will. With his mind, man has to know God; with his heart, he has to love God, and with his will, he has to obey God. (ref: bible.org).
God has created man to worship God and to have dominion over the creations. God has created the world with an ulterior motive of bringing glory to him alone (Psalm 100:2-3- Enter his gates with thanksgiving and worship him and bow down before him; John 17:3-4, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 -fear God and keep his commandments). The sole purpose is to love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27). He has created Adam and Eve to have a faithful and devoted generation (Malachi 2:15).
Job recognized that man has a spirit (Job 32:8), Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 2:11, endows humanity with intellect. This spirit in man comes from God (Zechariah 12:1) and returns to Him when we die (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Acts 7:59). It records our experiences, character, and personality, which God stores until the resurrection of the dead. Paul affirms that eternal life is a gift of God in Christ (Romans 6:23).
Paul tells saints, "This corruptible must put on incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians 15:53). At the first resurrection, God will give "eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honour, and immortality"(Romans 2:7) (Ref:bibletools. org). Read: Revelation 20:12-15 to know the end of the soul.
At death, the breath (rua’h) leaves the body; first, the mystery of life had been imparted to man by the breath (rua’h) of God Himself. Through life, man became “a living soul” (nephesh) and shared his life with the animals. It is this breathing (n’shâmâh) of life. Hebrews believe: (1) At death the flesh of man turns again to dust, (2) God takes back His breath (rua’h) unto himself, and (3) the nephesh, or soul, departed into the Sheol, the region of the dead (Job 34:14-15). (ref:biblehub.com/ Cambridge). The new man receives the breadth of God through Jesus Christ (John 20:22). God is moral and eternal, so man too.
The church is the corporate “new man,” Head and Body, Bridegroom and Bride, created in God’s image to have dominion over Satan (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:15-16; 4:24; 5:32; 6:10-20; Colossians 3:10). God created them so that they would worship him and enjoy the relationship with one another and with God.
2. Keep the Garden:
Eden signifies delight and pleasure. The man was created innocent, faultless, and without sinful nature to prompt him towards evil, and the Lord God took man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. He was placed in the most lavish of surroundings, and provided with all that he could desire.
But God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden with a job to do. Even before sin entered the world, human beings were meant to work. That is an inbuilt character. Sin changed the nature of our work and our response to it, but work itself is not a curse.
This first man's work was simple and straightforward: he was asked to maintain the Garden of Eden. Adam was given charge of Garden of Eden to "tend and keep", "cultivate and preserve" or "adorn and guard" or "embellish" and "guard" or "add to" and "keep from deterioration." Adam and Eve were responsible to dress it and keep it. He had to work in the Garden to produce food, as well as to keep it from deteriorating. Keep the Garden was the perpetration of Man, keep it from pollution and destruction.
We know that if we don’t take care of a house, an automobile, clothing, it would soon be destroyed. It also takes work to maintain it, to guard it from falling into a state of disrepair.
Keeping the garden means be at work. Every one on the earth has a responsibility to work. Work Keeps a person healthy, happy, and busy. Work brings happiness. None of us can be idle. He gave us bodies to be healthy through working and made us something to work upon. The man was not to live an idle life, in a state of innocence; but was for his recreation and pleasure. But the Sin and Fall brought toil and labor, with fatigue and trouble, with sorrow and sweat. The human life span is maximum to 120 years as per Genesis 6:3.
God formed the man out of dust not out of rock, not from the ores of metals. So, He is feeble. His life is a gift from the Lord and not evolved from any animal. A man was merely a lump of well-formed dirt. Science has proved that the substance of his flesh, sinews, and bones, consists of the very same elements as the soil which forms the crust of the earth and the limestone that lies embedded in its bowels.
The man by his body as he is allied to earth and by his soul to heaven, so by the vital union of two, he is associated with the whole animal kingdom, of which he is the constituted sovereign. He is suited to dwell and rule on this earth. (ref: studylight.org/ Albert Barnes). God has ordered the man to rule over animals, birds, the living things on earth, and the sea.
So we need to work, whatever way we can. Get involved in some engagements. Don’t be idle. No retirement. Talk to people, have fellowship and give Gospel and build the lives. Simple works are good at home. However, work should not keep us away from God and his word. So, keep his word, instructions and commandments.
3. Keep the commandment:
The fruit of the Tree of Life conferred the power of eternal, immortal life. The tree of knowledge was planted, to lead men to the knowledge of good and evil. For not knowing what good and evil are, is a sign of either the immaturity of infancy (Deuteronomy 1:39), or the imbecility of age (2 Samuel 19:35); whereas the power to distinguish good and evil is commended as the gift of a king (1 Kings 3:9) and the wisdom of angels (2 Samuel 14:17), and in the highest sense is ascribed to God Himself (Genesis 3:5, 3:22). involves an even greater responsibility to choose.
Maturity comes through choosing the good and refusing the evil (Hebrews 5:8,14). Each victory over temptation would have helped Adam grow from a state of childlike innocence into one of adult maturity. His fellowship with God would have deepened, and his understanding of God’s purposes increased (ref:studylight.org/Bridgeway Commentary).
God commands Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that was in the midst of the Garden because on the day they ate its fruit they would surely die. This represents God's first clear expression of His will for man involving a moral choice. The knowledge of good and evil was no mere experience of good and ill, but a moral element in that spiritual development, through which the man created in the image of God was to attain maturity in the likeness of God, becoming like Christ.
God forbade Adam to eat of its fruit for He desired that man would freely choose to serve and honor Him, out of tender affection and a desire to reverence his Creator. In fact, without a choice, there could be no genuine obedience, no real love, and no meaningful trust.
Bonhoeffer said, Commenting on Eve’s attempted defense of and then rejection of the word of God, he said, “Whenever man attacks the Word of God with the weapon of a principle or an idea of God, there he has become the lord of God.” Death must result.
But, the man quickly deviated from the primary purpose of Obedience and worship of only God by encountering the fallen angel Satan, called Lucifer. The man easily believed the lie and learned tricks of Satan. He desired to become like God to know good and evil.
We must understand the gap theory between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Satan was in the Garden of Eden and had perfection. (The only biblical hints of Satan’s fall are in Isaiah 14:12-15 & Ezekiel 28:12-16.) It is possible that Satan, before his fall, ruled earlier earth under God. When he rebelled and led several angelic forces with him, God brought a judgment on that original creation, resulting in the chaos, emptiness, and darkness of Genesis 1:2 (the “gap theory”).
The man who was in the image and likeness of God forgot to realize his inborn and inherited qualities of God. Therefore, he yielded to lies and embraced the death of his soul. He lost the relationship with God. He separated himself from God due to his disobedience to God and not keeping the honour. The disobedience and wickedness became the lifestyle of the people on the earth till the flood destroyed the created world (Genesis 6:5-7).
God found very few obedient and honest men in the pre-historical period who kept the commandment of God. We can name them Seth, Enoch, and Noah. Finally, God found Noah the only worthy person to spare among the multitudes and numerous on those days. God decided to utterly wipe out the world with a flood.
But he saved Noah and his wife, sons and daughters-in-law (Genesis 6:1-8). Noah worshipped God and pleased him with the Aroma (Genesis 8:21). God has revealed His purpose in creating man. He will not destroy the earth again with the flood (Genesis 8:22).
Conclusion:
The work and the worship need a balance. No one can cite the reason that because of his work he can’t seek God, spent time in worship. No one can say that I am 24x7 worshipping God, so I can’t work. Jesus set an example for us to schedule the day and strike the balance between work and worship. Amen.
