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Daily Devotion: Genesis 2:15-17

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Genesis 2:15-17    "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.  (16)  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

God "put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."  What labor was required of Adam when he was placed in the Garden of Eden?  Thorns and thistles did not come forth until after the transgression, but until then it seems the labor that Adam put forth was simply to eat off the fruit trees. Eden was truly a place of beauty, comfort, and joy.  Adam was blessed to be able to enjoy the shade of the trees and watch God's beautiful animal creation roam around.

There was only one condition of restriction that was placed upon Adam. "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it..." Adam could freely eat of everything in that Garden except for that one tree. God forbade him to partake of the tree. Why did God forbid him to eat it?  "... for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It was for Adam's protection.  Loving parents will forbid their children to do certain things in order to protect them from harm. God is our loving Heavenly Father and He told Adam that he was not to eat of the tree in order to be protected.  We will see more concerning that tree in chapter 3, but let us take refuge in knowing God's instructions for us are always for our well-being.

It is for our own good that we should spend time in the Word of God in order to see those things of which God warns us. We also should be familiar with God's Word in order to see those things in which God intends for our lives to be filled with love, peace, joy, and fulfillment. There is great contentment in following the instructions of our Lord.

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