THE GARDEN OF EDEN
God created the Garden of Eden to be mans first home on earth
“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of Life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9
When God made man, He gave man the authority and ability to have dominion over the animals. God also gave man the responsibility to take care of the earth and all God had created on the earth. This means that everything was subject to man. Man was God’s representative because everything belonged to God. The earth was in perfect harmony. No great weather problems and the animals all in harmony with one another. The animals and man could live together in harmony as well. The earth seemed to be a place without any dangers or concerns to threaten their well being.
There were two special trees in the garden. The first was “the tree of life” that produced fruit which gave life to the man in a very special way. This tree was for physical and spiritual life to all of mankind.
The second tree was also special. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was God’s reminder that everything belonged to Him. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of this tree. If they disobeyed, the pride and selfishness in their hearts would be manifested.
God had provided everything Adam and Eve needed; but, in order to serve God out of love, man had to have a choice. So, God gave them the opportunity to disobey. We do not know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before they disobeyed God and sinned. After some period of time they were tempted and they yielded and sinned against God. When they sinned they became “independent” and their own person. They were no longer God conscious but now self conscious.
God gave Adam and Eve perfect bodies and minds. Adam was so intelligent that he named each creature God had created. Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony and joy as long as they obeyed their Heavenly Father. They had pure minds and saw each other with the glory of God upon them. When they sinned, their perception was changed. They saw they were naked and they became ashamed. They had harmony but soon would discover God was their source for the wonderful life they had before they disobeyed. |
