He was in the world,
and the world was created through Him,
yet the world did not recognize Him.
What did God intend for man in paradise (Eden) in the beginning?
Creation of Adam
Genesis 2:
7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
This then, is really the beginning as far as man is concerned; but we must ask more. Man, we ask: what did Moses mean to say about the first man of flesh created by God?
Genesis 1:26-27 KJV excerpt
And God said,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…
1:27 וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָֽאָדָם בְּצַלְמֹו בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתֹו זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָֽם׃
So God [‘elohiym] created man [adam] in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
- References to God are plural, not singular. Yet the One God is not consulting with other gods (a concept we shall not explore here).
- We are like God, not like the animals of God’s creation.
- Creation references to man, translated from ‘adam’ include male and female.
God creates a perfect world, giving men and angels the freedom to obey and serve. But we don’t obey and therefore no longer live in a perfect paradise.
What is paradise?
Paradise would be a place where all men and women, all creatures of earth and all angelic beings live together in harmony with God. We take our cultural meaning of paradise from the Greek word παράδεισος, but in the definition of Eden differs.
Adam in Eden
Continuing in Genesis 2:8
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food…
Do you know what it means, ‘Eden,’ that is?
Pleasure. And man’s role was to care for the garden of our pleasure.
15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
Yes such a pleasurable work, tending the perfect place where the Lord walked with man. Follow the Lord’s command and have eternal life (although in Adam’s bliss he knew of no alternative.)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man,
“You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
A Helper
Moses then continues with the separate account of the creation of woman from man; that is, Eve. Much is made of her, ‘the female of the species made in God’s image.’ For as Moses testifies:
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”
v.22 KJV And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Think of it dear brother, the Lord filled our emptiness of existence without a ‘helper’ at our side with one like us and for us. Therefore she is created as our ‘better half,’ as we become one.
23 And the man said:
This one, at last, is bone of my bone
and flesh of my flesh;
this one will be called “woman,”
for she was taken from man.
24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.
The Knowledge of Good and Evil
Paradise, an illustration of Eden: man, woman, plants and animals, food and meaningful work. The created heavens above and bountiful beautiful earth in every direction. The Lord walked and talked with them!
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.
Paradise but for one generation due to just one bad decision.
One command from God to man and everything else filled with the freedom of eternal joy in Eden on earth. Paradise.
Again, recalling from Genesis 2:17 “..but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…”
Why not, you ask? Ah, but we are already sinners questioning God every day.
For Adam did not have to ask what to do, just obey the Lord’s one command. Think about it, the definition that he did not need was that of good and evil.
God’s simple command to Adam could easily be defined:
“Good is to obey God, evil is to disobey God.”
Why would anyone disobey the all-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate and gracious Lord, who created us to be a human image of Him?
But of course, we all do… and it is sin, by definition, evil.
The moment Adam and Eve made their decision to disobey God, the moment Adam and Eve knew that that had chosen evil over obedience; our lives and existence began to overflow with needless questions and numerous wrong answers.
Do not blame the serpent or others, demons or even your parents and our first parents, Adam and Eve.
We were created for obedience to God who defines good. Yet we all choose to go against God of our own free will, just as Satan and various angels had disobeyed.
God IS God! And we are not.
Original and Continuing Sin
In Disaster From Disobedience – 3 we examined the fall of the Tempter and will not dwell on his role in Eden. We now carry the burden of the knowledge of good and evil, we carry the burden of our own sin.
Next we will examine the progression from Adam’s one command from God to the man’s disobedience through the generations. Evil and sin will lead us to the requirements of the Law and convictions of our disobedience.
To be continued…
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