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God’s Garden
(Genesis 2-3)
It would seem that God is the original gardener. And what a garden he planted. It was paradise! Yet, what made it paradise is not the variety of beautiful and tasty plants, but God’s own presence therein. God strolled freely with Adam and Eve in the garden. Even the pits of hell would be paradise with Him as a companion. Yet this garden also was not fallen. There were no thorns or thistles, there were no pesky rocks to till out, and there were no diseases within the place. There were no storms in Eden. There were no natural disasters or floods to worry about; just the cool summer rain that fell gently on their backs.
There was no viciousness in the animals and no predators to worry about. They could sleep under the stars gazing at a picture of God’s glory undefiled by the clouds of sin or the fear of darkness. They lay naked and unashamed. What a contrast this is to our world today. And Adam and Eve gave all of this up for a bite of fruit and a lust to be like their creator.
It has been said that you never appreciate your blessings until they are gone. How this truth is illustrated by Adam and Eve. They threw away paradise! And we would do the same if we got the chance. How often we find ourselves longing for the “greener” grass on the other side of the hill. We know that it is not greener, but our heart still yearns for it. How often we reflect longingly at past paths of sin. We only remember the fleeting moments of pleasure and never the lasting pain of guilt and grief. Oh how often we see the seeds of temptation as harmless, yet, time and time again, they sprout in our fertile hearts.
Let our hearts long once again for paradise. For the believer in Jesus Christ, paradise has been reserved for you in heaven, no more will the ravages of sin destroy. Yet, as we look around at those we care about, we must ask, how many of them will not be joining us there. Let us seek to plant the seeds of paradise in the hearts of those around us, that they might walk the cool meadows of heaven by our side.
Adam’s Garden
(Genesis 4)
What a contrast Adam’s garden is to God’s. Adams is filled with rocks, thorns, and thistles. It requires the sweat of the brow to be worked, and where was the eternal spring of water to nourish the produce? And where was the presence of God, walking freely within?
There is such a difference between the things that God has made and the things that we attempt to make. We marvel at our towers and sky-scrapers, yet God built the mountains to tower miles high. We have seen towers topple as a result of earthquakes and hurricanes. On September 11th a few years back, we found out how quickly towers fall in an explosion. Yet, even with the explosive force of a volcano, which is millions of times more powerful than a detonating airliner and thousands of times more powerful than an atom bomb, there is still quite a formidable mountain that remains. James says that the edifices of man will burn away like grass under the hot winds of the summer. Pound for pound, the tensile strength of the silken strand of a spider-web is many times greater than that of man-made steel alloys. Oh the vanity that lies with in the garden of the children of Adam.
And what fruit did Adam’s garden bear? It bore the fruit of discontent and shame, for it was Cain the gardener who slew his brother in the fields. And we are still slaying each other today in our fields. Yes, we may be more subtle than to bash in our brother’s head with a rock, but when we destroy his marriage because of a fling with his wife, we do the same thing. Calvin said that the heart of man is a factory of idols. If that is the case, it is the mind of man that is the heart’s marketing firm. And production is in high gear. Not only do we fill our lives with the thorns and thistles of sin, but we export our sins to our neighbors and our children. What a mess Adam’s garden was. What a mess ours continues to be.
Noah’s Vineyard
(Genesis 9: 20-29)
What a picture of human nature we have painted for us here by Moses. Noah, “the preacher of righteousness” to quote Peter, had just exited the ark and planted a vineyard. Though that is not a bad thing in itself, what he does next is. Noah becomes drunk and in some way exposes himself to his son Ham. Ham, perhaps with a tinge of sarcasm or humor, tells his brothers, “guess what dad did!” And all over again, we have the separation of the children of God and the children of the world. Ham and his line are cursed and Shem’s line is blessed.
How often in our own lives have we fallen into this trap. During times of great trial and difficulty our faith shines and is strong. But during times of peace and prosperity, we let our guard down, falling prey to the sins of the world. This is what happened with Noah. Once he had a chance to relax, he fell back into his old ways. Is this not the tendency of the church itself? The times of greatest church growth are always during the times of great persecution and trial.
I would argue that this is the greatest trial of the church in America today. We have great freedoms when it comes to expressing our faith and in religion. We don’t have to worry about government oppression or persecution. While this is a great blessing, it has become a stumbling block for many. Church has become culturally acceptable and in turn it requires no sincere commitment.
I suggest that we learn from Noah’s folly. Even in times of prosperity and rest, we need to keep our guard up. Yes, we are reminded of the humanness of many of these “Bible heroes,” but more importantly, let the lessons of their failure fall on attentive ears. Satan is always seeking to destroy, he is always lurking behind the next corner. Though he may not attack with claw or bite, he will attack in some way and it may be with wealth and flattery. Let us seek to live to God’s glory every day and in every moment and not fall into sin during times of relative comfort.
The Jordan Valley
(Genesis 13)
When Abram offered Lot a choice of land to settle in, Lot chose the Jordan Valley for it was well watered as Eden had been. Abram trusted in the Lord for his provision, but it is clear here, that Lot evaluated things by the way of men. But what he found in that valley would eat at his heart. Peter tells us that Lot’s heart was tormented because he lived and worked around the wicked men of Sodom. The grass looked greener in the valley, as the Garden of the Lord, scripture tells us, but there was one thing missing from that garden altogether: the presence of the Lord. God had left those men to their wickedness.
So often this is a testimony to the result of our own decision making. We often make our choices based on human ideas and terms. “What do I think that I would like,” we ask. “Where would I like to serve in ministry?” “How should I spend MY money.” Yet, the money does not belong to us, the ministry does not belong to us, and our life does not belong to us. Thus, the only opinion of what we should or should not be doing that matters is the opinion of our Lord and Savior. I think that it was Spurgeon who said that there is no ideal place to serve God—except where he puts you. How often do we truly seek God’s will first and our will second. Let us learn from righteous Lot the torment of making decisions based on human reasoning.
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