In Genesis 2:1-14 we find the elemental importance of Gardens to God’s creation. Essentially there were four gardens emphasized in importance and illustration to God’s people. The first was the Garden of Eden. It was here that man lived and prospered and fell. Gethsemane was where Jesus gave Himself to a cross for the sake of mankind. Calvary was where he died and was buried. Lastly, is the garden of paradise waiting for all of us who seek the presence of God eternally? Man was created to be pinnacle of creation. He was limited in that he could not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but he was allowed to eat from the tree of life. His purpose in the garden was to guard and tend it. This implies a known enemy already existed. God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed for pleasure and fulfillment in the garden. They had one prohibition and it was there that Satan attacked.
In Genesis 2:15-17 we find the first law. Adam was sinless until he and Eve fell. He was one of only three to walk in that state in the history of mankind. Only one of the three would live their entire life sinlessly – Jesus. God has always started on a pristine foundation with creation. Sin has always been the defiling element in the physical world. God has always cherished the love and obedience of His children. He has sought out those who would serve not because of compulsion or reward. Interestingly, Adam and Eve had all they needed in the Garden. The tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil was just there. It was also the one thing that could destroy the paradise they must have loved and appreciated. For obedience to be real, a possible alternative must exist. One doesn’t have to fail and disobey, but the possibility is what makes genuine faith so precious to God.
The only thing that existed in the garden that was not perfect was the loneliness of man. (Genesis 1:31) There are three effects that marriage between a man and a woman would have on mankind. The first is the propagation of mankind itself. Second, was to provide companionship. The third is one that is a little less prominent to man, it is to lift each one in the relationship to a higher level than they might find alone. A “helpmeet’ was found nowhere else in creation. Maybe this is testament to man’s own uniqueness in the hierarchy of all that was made by God. Woman was so special and important that she was literally made from man. Humanity is linked in ways far beyond simple DNA. We are actually all “part” of each other. The marital relationship becomes the image of the church, man’s relationship with God, and all that is pure and holy within families. God was the marital minister; Adam and Eve were the recipients of the most special marriage ceremony in history.
Interestingly, God uses man’s most significant moments and circumstances to teach us about life and holiness. We struggle to be what He calls for us to be, yet God reminds us with everything that surrounds us that we can have the relationship we desperately need and He created us for. I pray that you are living according to the faithful plan we are prescribed in God’s wisdom. Godspeed on your journey.