15So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden; 17but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly Both spiritually and physically, physical death in the sense of becoming mortal; they were created immortal.die [because of your disobedience].” Genesis 2:15-17 AMP
The Bible identifies Adam as the first man that God created, and whom he placed in the Garden of Eden. From my perspective I believe that God and Adam spent ALOT of quality time together in the Garden where they had conversations, and Adam learned the ways of God. It was during this quality time in the Garden that God revealed to Adam his assignment for him as described in the verses above. What’s important to note about this situation is that when God gives Adam his assignment, nobody else is there to witness or confirm God’s instructions to him. It was Adam’s responsibility to hear the instructions of God, and carry them out effectively. If there was anything that Adam didn’t understand about the instructions, he was supposed to ask for clarity, directions, and assistance if needed. Adam received 2 commands from God: cultivate/manage the garden, and don’t eat from the tree of knowledge. I want to focus on the 1st command that God gave him as something was just revealed to me as I read it; God placed Adam in the garden to cultivate the Garden which is unique within itself. In Genesis chapter 1 & 2 when God creates everything, he causes the plants/vegetation to grow, which shows that Adam, nor any other individual is needed for God’s plan to work. When Adam is placed in the Garden of Eden, it was already full of ripe, well-watered vegetation, Adam is only assigned there to manage it. Like us, Adam is nothing more than a steward/manager of God’s gifts, and as long as we are faithful and obedient to God’s commands, things will work and function as God intended them to. The Garden of Eden was Heaven on Earth, and was a perfect harmonious ecosystem that God was allowing Adam to occupy. Within that place, God caused all the animals and birds to visit Adam to be named, and there God personally visited with Adam regularly. If Adam had just obeyed God’s command, there would have been no issues. When God introduced Eve to Adam and the Garden, there was immediately a problem. Eve had never received the command to not eat from the tree as Adam had. She received 2nd hand information from Adam, and as we all know, it is much easier to deceive someone who didn’t hear it directly or read/study it for themselves. I won’t deviate to talk about Eve, but to keep it focused on Adam, because it is important to walk firmly in your calling.
You must be consistent and clear when it comes to conveying God’s command for you to others. Adam and Eve in the Garden is not a unique situation because it is representative of the impact of our spouse/partner’s actions on our walk with God. Some people are aware of their calling before they enter into a relationship or a marriage, and others don’t come into that knowledge/awareness until after they meet their spouse/partner. Regardless of our status when God reveals his plan for us, it is our responsibility to effectively carry out God’s commands, in spite of the anyone else’s reluctance. That is much easier said than done, but we must look to this passage with Adam & Eve to see an example of the damaging ramifications associated with failing to steward/manage our assignment appropriately. Through Adam’s improper management of God’s assignment we see Satan gain access to Eve and deceive her while Adam knowingly engaged in sin with them. When you drop the ball, it has the tendency to roll downhill accumulating sins and wounds that will negatively impact you and others.
Reflection Time
What has God called you to manage/steward? Have you been faithful over your assignment, and/or gifts? If you feel that you’ve mis-managed God’s plan for you, what do you feel caused you to do that? What or who do you need to re-evaluate in your life? Are you spending the appropriate amount of time with God, and if so what changes do you need to make to increase your time with God?
