Genesis 2:15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Keep it. Guard it. Protect it.
From what?
To understand why God created Adam to be a protector of the garden we have to look back in time before time began. Before creation.
A lot must have happened in pre-creation history, before the “beginning,” that we know little about. Nevertheless, we do know that God created the angels before he created everything else.
Job 38:4,7. 4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 7…when the morning stars (angels) sang together and all the sons of God (also angels) shouted for joy?
And we know that one of the angels that God created before the beginning was Lucifer. Bible passages like Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 seem to describe Lucifer as the prince of the fallen angels. Lucifer was God’s anointed cherub. He was “full of wisdom” and led the worship of God. Then, in the greatest case of sedition ever, Lucifer’s heart was filled with pride and rebellion. “I will be like the Most High,” he boasted (Is. 14:14). The Book of Revelation describes the fall of Lucifer with this apocalyptic imagery:
Revelation 12:7-9. 7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
As you can see, before Genesis 2:15, evil already existed. Lucifer, the Father or Lies, was roaming freely. This may be why Genesis 1:2 describes the earth as a chaotic wasteland, “without form and void,” in need of reclaiming. To keep the garden is to protect it from evil and a return to the chaos of Genesis 1:2. To protect the garden from evil was part of mankind’s calling as king-priests in Eden.
God made us to live within a great adventure story. He made us to be the rulers of this world, representing him and reflecting him to everything around us, crowned with glory and honor. He made us to commune with himself, hearing his glorious voice, the Trinitarian voice of communal love and acceptance. But there is another voice whispering to us now. The voice of an adversary so evil, so wicked, and so bent on destroying our life by diminishing our hope, faith, and love.
Life is a war story. It is a battle that is being fought for the hearts of men and women everywhere. It is the war of desire. Adam failed in his mandate to protect the garden, and Satan lured Adam and Eve’s desire away from God. And Satan’s still doing the same thing today – luring desires away from Christ and his easy yoke.
Christian, our calling is that of Adam’s priestly calling – protect your garden! Resist the Devil so that he will flee. Put on the whole armor of God and take up the shield of faith to quench his fiery arrows of self-righteousness and self-hatred. Fight the good fight of faith today in Christ, in his righteousness. Let the Protector of your soul allow you to protect the hearts and minds of those around you as you ward off the Evil One with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of Christ, his gospel of saving grace.
Questions: In what ways have you been protecting your garden from the Enemy’s attacks? How does the gospel of Jesus allow you to resist the temptations of Satan and help others to do the same?
To Live is Christ 