"Searching the Scriptures and Seeking the Lost"
Lessons Learned From The Garden
by Wayne Jones
Although it is not possible, suppose that you could visit any place in history. Where would you go? Perhaps you would chose to visit an important date in the history of our great country. Maybe you would want to see the signing of the deceleration of Independence or witness a significant battle in the “war between the states.”
Perhaps, if you could go anywhere in history, you would chose a Biblical event to witness. The three most notable would probably be the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Maybe you would want to witness Daniel being thrown into the den of lions or David courageously defeating Goliath. Maybe you would be tempted to visit Noah while the ark we being built or Moses bring the ten commandments down the mountain to the people.
While all of these are more than worthy of attention, I would like to invite you back to the garden of Eden. We could never literally go back to that wonderful place, but we can visit there through the inspired text. Through the description of that garden and the events that transpired there, we can mentally walk through the garden of old. In doing so, many lessons ought to stand out.
MAN IS SPECIAL TO GOD
God created the world and He saw that it was good (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 25, 31). However, in that good, perfect creation, God made a special place for man to dwell. The Scripture reveals that, “the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Gen. 2:8). Notice the special care that God give to Adam and Eve by placing them in a separately prepared garden.
Again, man is shown to be special because of his special creation. Genesis one gives us a brief overview of the creation. However, chapter two takes us back to the sixth day and, specifically on that day, the creation of man. Why would God record the creation of man in detail? Because man was the only being created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). That fact alone shows that man is special to God. “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:” (Heb. 2:7).
Further, man is seen as special because in that garden, he had a personal relationship with the Creator. Genesis 2:16-17 records the command of God to the human inhabitants of the garden. The very idea that God would relay a command to them, shows that Adam and Eve were special in His sight.
Certainly, if no other lesson is learned from the garden, we can learn that man is special.
MAN HAS FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Sadly, in our world many teach and believe that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be lost. Because of this fact (in the estimation of many), man has no choice or part in the matter. Due to a belief in this anti-Biblical doctrine, many souls will be lost on the day of judgment.
If people would simply look back at the beginning of time and recall the events of the garden, they could refute and forget this soul-damning doctrine. The garden plainly reveals that man is free to choice what he will do in life. Further, the garden reveals that those choice that he makes will determine the spiritual condition of his soul. Many things about the garden declare these truths.
First, the command to not eat of a certain tree (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) shows that man has the freedom of choice. Otherwise, it would have been pointless for God to give the command. If man was going to eat of the tree regardless and God has appointed him to do so, then God should have never given commandment concerning the tree. But, He did. Thus, proving that man was free to choose.
Second, the temptation of Satan is proof of man’s free moral will. Think with me for a moment. If man could not help but fall or if God had programmed him to not fall, Satan was wasting his time with the temptation. However, Satan knew that Eve had a choice. For that reason, He tempted her.
Third, man’s banishment from the garden is proof that man had the ability to choose right or wrong in this matter. Moses writes, “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden...” (Gen. 3:23). If man had no choice in the matter, then God was not being fair. Was God punishing Adam and Eve for something that He made them or created them to do? The answer is, NO. The truth is, Adam and Eve both had a choice to turn down the temptation, but they did not. For that they were punished.
Yes, the garden of Eden serves as proof that God created man with the freedom to choose good and the freedom to choose evil.
THE SOURCE OF TEMPTATION
James boldly proclaimed that God is not tempted with evil and that He does not tempt man with evil (James 1:13). James would continue to write that temptation is a result of being enticed by lust. John revealed that there were three types of lusts through which man can be tempted or enticed: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and pride of life (I John 2:16). The garden ties these two New Testament passages together with the source of that enticement. That source is Satan.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen. 3:6). In this one verse we can see all three angels of temptation about which John wrote. Eve looked on the food, desired the food and saw the “benefits” of partaking. The source of that enticement to look, desire and partake was the deceit of Satan in verses 1-3.
Friends, Satan’s entire mission is to lure us away from our personal relationship with God. He will entice us and deceive us. Peter describes him as roaring lion who walks around looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). If we are not careful, he will destroy us with his fiery darts. Satan is the source of temptation to sin.
THE HOPE IN CHRIST
Once man has sinned and God is about to punish him, our look into the garden becomes very bleak and dim. Man, through his freedom of choice has fallen to Satan’s temptation and is about to separated from the garden which was prepared especially for him.
The old cliché “it is darkest just before dawn” is fitting for this account. In the dimness of sin and the darkness of cursing, God reveals the greatest Light of all. He gives the first promise of Christ’s coming: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). Entailed in this promise was the virgin birth of Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb. Entailed in this promise was hope in the face of sin and death.
Where is your hope this day? Is it Christ? It ought to be. That hope will provide you with supreme confidence about the live to come (Titus 1:2). It will be enough to sustain you in the life that you now live (1 John 3:3). Always look "for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Yes, what a wonderful thing it would be to walk through the garden of Eden. It would be great to learn first hand about man’s special place in the heart of God, to be reminded of man’s freedom to choose, to discover the source of temptation and to realize the true hope that is found only in Christ. Friend, we will never walk through Eden’s garden, but we can learn these same lessons through a study of the events which took place therein.