Lenox Federated Church - Firm Foundations, Creation to Christ

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Firm Foundations

Creation to Christ

Lesson 7 - God Placed Adam in Eden

Questions for the LFC Firm Foundations Coordinator may be emailed to firmfoundations@lenoxchurch.org

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REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. For whom did God prepare the earth? For man.

2. What great difference was there between the creation of man and that of the animals? God created man in His image.

3. What does it mean that God made man in His image? God is Spirit, so it was not man’s body that was created in God’s image. God made Adam and Eve so they could know, love, and obey God.

4. How many men and women did God make in the beginning? God created only one man and one woman.

5. Who is your very first forefather and my first forefather? Adam.

6. After the creation of Adam, the first man, over what did God give him control? The earth and everything in it.

7. Why don’t Satan and his demons have the right to control the earth and the things on the earth? Because God never gave them the right to control anything on the earth. God gave the earth to man.

8. What was everything in the world like in the beginning? Very good. Everything was perfect.

Have you ever started something and not finished it? All of us can probably remember something which we started to do and, for some reason, weren’t able to finish.

- Can you think of something you started recently and didn’t finish? Why didn’t you finish what you started?

- You changed your mind.

- You lost interest.

- It turned out to be too hard for you to do.

- It was a bigger job than you had thought.

- You were interrupted.

- You ran out of time.

- You ran out of money.

- Etc.

God is not like us.

- He never gives up on what He plans to do. When He begins a work, He always finishes it. He does not change His mind and then decide He will do something different.

God finished all that He planned to do.

- Consider:

We change our minds and we change our plans. But it is never that way with God.

God never changes His mind about something that He plans to do. Nothing and no one can hinder God from doing all He plans to do.

- No human can hinder God.

- Satan cannot stop God.

- God is greater than all.

He always does whatever He plans to do. Therefore, when God promises to do something, we can be confident that He will do it.

How many days did it take for God to make everything? Only six days!

- Consider:

How many days does it take to build a house? It takes a long time, doesn’t it, even for a building contractor. He has to assemble the needed materials and have all the workers ready for the various building tasks, and then all the labor must be done and inspected before the house is completed. But look at all the things God created in just six days. There is none other as great as God. He is almighty. He can do anything He wants.

God finished in six days all He planned to do, so on the seventh day, He rested from His work of creating.

- Did God rest from His work because He became tired after all the work He had done?

- Consider:

After a hard day’s work, we want to come home and rest. Sometimes we get involved in some pretty exhausting tasks. Just think of all that God had done that week! Do you think that God rested because He was tired? He had made millions of stars, the sun, and the moon. Look at all the things He created on the earth. Do you think He lay down and said, “I’m tired. I am going to have a good rest today”? No, God doesn’t get weary or sleepy like we do. He doesn’t have a physical body that needs rest or sleep. God is Spirit. He is always the same. He is still the same today as He was when He first made the earth. God will never change.

Consider:

When you have finished an important project, haven’t you sometimes just stood back and taken a look at all that was accomplished? Even if you had the energy to do more, you wouldn’t, because everything that needed to be done on that project was completed. Nothing more could be added to it. That’s how it was with God and all He had created. God was very pleased with everything that He had made.

God created everything in six days, and so He rested on the seventh day. God rested from creating because He saw that all His work which He had planned to do was finished.

Before we consider what these verses are teaching, notice that God now uses another name for Himself.

- In the first chapter, He called Himself “God” which means that He is the great and mighty God who created the heavens and the earth and all things that are in them.

- But the name He now uses in these verses is “the LORD,” which means that God is the eternal one who is totally independent of all things and who will never change.

- From this point onward, the Bible sometimes uses the name “God,” but at other times, it uses the name “the LORD God” or just “the LORD.”

These verses teach us something very interesting about the beginning.

- When God first created everything, He did not water the earth by giving rain.

- Instead, He watered it by mist which came up from the earth.

Because God loved Adam very much, God planted a beautiful garden especially for Adam. God included in that garden all the vegetables and fruit trees that Adam needed to keep him happy, strong, and healthy.

- Consider:

For whom do you make something lovely? A lady will prepare a special meal for her family—because she loves them. A man will work hours on a carpentry project for his wife—because he loves her. Even a little child will spend a great deal of time making a pretty gift for dad or mom—because that child loves his parents. God planted a beautiful garden for Adam—because God loved him! All of the gardens and zoos in the world could not begin to compare with God’s garden.

When God had the garden ready, He took Adam and put him there.

- God didn’t ask Adam if he wanted to live there.

- God just took Adam and put him in the garden called Eden. God didn’t say to the man, “Adam, I have planted a garden. It is a really beautiful place. Would you like to live there?” God didn’t offer it to Adam as a place in which to live. God took the man whom He had formed, and He put him in the garden.

- Why could God do this?

- Because God created man, He had the right to put him where He wanted him and to tell him what to do.

In some areas of the world, the relationship between the maker and the owner of things is easily understood, because people have to make for themselves everything they use. For example, if a man said, “Who owns that paddle?” the answer would be the name of whoever made it. He made it; therefore, he owns it, and it’s his to do with as he wants.

- Consider:

The distinction in our culture might not be as obvious, but the relationship between the maker and the owner still applies. For instance, if you planted a vegetable garden, would your neighbor be right in coming over without asking you and harvesting all your vegetables and taking them home for himself? Of course not! You planted and own the garden; it is yours to do with as you want. Does anyone have the right to come into your house and take the things you own? No. Those things belong to you. Or, from a different perspective, could a man say to some other man, “I have built a house, so you must live there and take care of the house and the yard.” A man could say that to his own wife and to his own children because they are his family. But he does not have the right to say that to others. Well, what about Adam? Did God have the right to take Adam and put him in the garden? Who owned Adam? God did, because God made him.

- God is the owner of all things. He has the right to do what He wishes with us and with all the other things that He has made. He has the right to tell us what to do. God created Adam, so Adam belonged to God. God is the greatest authority; there is none who is higher than God.

God told Adam to take care of the garden, but Adam didn’t need to work hard because everything was perfect.

- The weeds didn’t grow.

- Snails, grubs, and insects did not eat the fruit or vegetables.

- Consider:

It is impossible for us to picture how things really were in the Garden of Eden. Can you imagine a garden with no weeds or pests? Can you imagine getting all your orders directly from God, knowing that He had entrusted to you the care of all of His wonderful creation? Can you imagine the tremendous love that He had already displayed to Adam? God had made the earth beautiful; He had set it amidst a backdrop of the sun, moon, and stars; He had filled it with an amazing variety of plant and animal life—not just enough to “live on,” but an abundance of everything, all done as an outpouring of God’s love. A few plants and a few animals surely would have been enough, but God poured out colors, textures, sounds, tastes, fragrances, varieties, beyond what can be imagined. Adam’s situation was perfect and lovely in every way. How different, you may say, from the world we live in! Different, indeed; and the Bible tells us exactly what has caused the awful changes. Future lessons will deal with these things. But for now, we will do well to learn this lesson about God, who has not changed one bit: “As for God, His way is perfect...” (Psalm 18:30). God does everything perfectly and in love; He can be trusted to do that which is good and right. “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works” (Psalm 145:17).

God planted two very important trees in the middle of the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was Adam’s source of life.

- God wanted Adam to have what was good.

- Adam was dependent upon God for everything.

- God wanted to guide Adam in every choice and decision.

God clearly instructed Adam:

- When God put Adam in the garden, God did not leave it up to Adam to decide which things were right and which things were wrong to do.

- God spoke to Adam and told him what he must not do or he would surely die.

God clearly instructs us:

- God is still the same today.

- He has not left us to decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.

- God has given the Bible so we can know what pleases and displeases Him.

God instructed Adam:

- God planted an endless variety of trees—trees which supplied food for man and gave beauty to the garden.

- Only one tree was denied to Adam.

- He must not eat of the fruit from this tree which was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God knew what was best for Adam.

- From the time God created Adam, God had decided what was good for him.

- God had decided what Adam needed, and God put Adam in the Garden of Eden.

- Adam didn’t know anything that was evil or bad because God had given him everything that was good. Adam had a choice about whether or not to obey God.

- Adam could choose to obey God and eat only what God had said was good, knowing that God’s choice was the best for him.

- He could eat of the tree of life and live forever.

- But if Adam disobeyed God and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it would be because Adam had decided that he wanted to be independent of God.

- From the time he ate, he would not only know what was good but he would also know what was evil.

- Instead of God telling him what was good and what was evil, he would have decided to choose for himself.

The result of disobedience:

- If he disobeyed God and wanted to be independent of God, then the result would be death, separation from God.

God warned Adam: “If you eat the fruit of this tree, you will die immediately.”

- Until this time, Adam had only experienced good things because it was God who had provided everything for Adam. But now, God warned him very clearly that, if he wanted to be independent of God and disobey Him by eating the forbidden fruit, then he would also come to know what is evil.

- Adam would die.

- Consider:

We may be very vague when we issue a warning, but God’s warning was direct. Adam could not miss what God had said: “...in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

What did God mean when He told Adam that he would die?

1. Separation from God—death of a relationship.

- Adam would be separated from God.

- Consider:

Do you remember what happened to Satan and the angels when they sinned? They were cut off from God’s love and friendship.

- Because Satan and the angels who followed him rebelled against God, they were no longer the friends of God.

- They were separated from God.

- They were put out of their positions in Heaven, and God prepared a place of terrible punishment where He is going to put them forever.

- Consider:

If two friends have a big dispute or an argument which they refuse to forget, do they continue spending time together— just to chat, or to go shopping, or go fishing, or whatever they have previously enjoyed together? No! Disagreement causes separation. People don’t want to be with those with whom they disagree.

- God warned Adam that, if he disobeyed His command, he would no longer be God’s friend. Adam would become God’s enemy as Satan had. Adam would be separated from God’s love and friendship. Adam would die. Adam would be separated from God, the source of life and all that is good. That part of Adam which was created in God’s image so Adam could know, love, and obey God would be separated from Him if Adam ate the forbidden fruit.

2. Separation from the body—death of the physical body.

- God didn’t mean that Adam would die physically the same day he ate the fruit.

- God meant that on that day, Adam would be cut off from God who was the source of his life.

- Because of this, he would also have to die physically.

IMAGINE A BRANCH BROKEN OFF FROM A TREE:

What happens when a branch is cut off from a tree? The branch doesn’t die immediately, does it? The leaves are still green for a few days, and it looks just like it did before it was cut. But because it has been separated from the tree, it cannot receive what it needs to keep it alive. It has been cut off from its source of life. Very soon, it will wither and dry up. That’s what God meant would happen to Adam. If Adam ate of this fruit, he would be immediately cut off from God, the source, giver, and sustainer of his life. The result would be that he would also have to die physically. When a person dies, he is separated from his body. A person’s spirit and soul, that is, the part of him which cannot be seen, leave his body and so he dies. When God first created Adam’s body, Adam didn’t have any life. His body was like a dead person’s body. Then God breathed life into Adam’s nostrils. When God breathed into Adam’s body, God gave him his soul and spirit. Our bodies are the houses of our souls and spirits. Every person has his own soul and spirit in his body.

- Consider:

When you go to visit your neighbors, you go to their house. But if they have moved away to another town, they have left their house and are no longer living in it. They are separated from their house. If someone asks where they are living, you would say, “They have moved away to another town. They are not living here in their house anymore.” That is what happens when a person dies. He leaves his body which is the house of his spirit and his soul.

- More clarification:

God told Adam that, if he disobeyed Him and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would be separated from God who gave him his life. Adam would no longer enjoy God’s love and friendship. Eventually, Adam’s body would also have to die. (His soul and spirit would leave his body and he would die.)

3. Separation forever in the Lake of Fire—death of future joys which God had planned for Adam.

- Finally, if Adam disobeyed God, then not only would his body die, but he would also go eventually to the Lake of Fire.

- This is the same place of terrible punishment which God prepared for Satan and his spirit followers.

- If Adam chose to disobey, he would be choosing Satan’s “reward” instead of enjoying the wonderful things God had in store for him.

- There is no way of escape; no one can escape from God.

- Adam’s punishment would be forever and ever.

God is sovereign; He had the right to tell Adam what to do.

- God made Adam and gave him his life.

- Adam belonged to God.

- Consider:

Whatever a person makes belongs to him. If you bake a cake or build a bookshelf, it is yours, and you have the right to do with it as you wish. God had the right to tell Adam what to do because Adam belonged to God.

God told Adam what to do because God is loving.

- God wanted to enjoy Adam’s love and friendship.

- God only wanted what was best for Adam.

God had the right to tell Adam what to do because God knows everything.

- God knew what was best for Adam.

- God was wiser than Adam; God is wiser than all.

- God knew that, if Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would be separated from God, his Creator.

Consider:

God still knows what is best. He knows the truth. He has given us the Bible so that we, too, can know the truth. We should listen carefully to God’s Word, for He is our all-wise Creator.

This kind of fear is not the same kind of fear with which we fear evil; rather it is the sense of awe and overwhelming respect that comes from realizing who God is.

- God is sovereign over all.

- God is our Creator.

- God is our owner.

- God is the all-knowing and all-powerful one.

- God is the holy and righteous one who demands death as the payment for sin.

Think of the things we have already learned about God!

- He alone existed in eternity past before anything was created.

- He created all things from nothing.

- He has all power and all knowledge, is everywhere all the time, and is unchanging.

- He created man and designed man to be under God’s sovereign authority. We would be very foolish not to have a fear of and a high regard for one with such awesome power! Yet this same God wants to communicate with us and has given us His Word.

In our next lesson we will study God’s creation of the first woman, Eve. Only as we consider who God is can we begin to have true knowledge about life, for God is the one who created life. And He loves us enough to communicate these answers to us as we seek to know Him through His Word, the Bible!

QUESTIONS:

1. Does God ever begin a thing and then not finish it?

2. Why doesn’t God begin things and then leave them unfinished?

3. Why did God rest on the seventh day?

4. Did God send rain to water the plants when the earth was first created?

5. For whom did God plant the garden of Eden?

6. Why was it right for God to put Adam in the garden even though God didn’t ask him if he wanted to live there?

7. To whom do all things, spirits, and people belong?

8. Of how many trees in the garden was Adam allowed to eat the fruit?

9. Who put the tree of life in the garden for Adam?

10. What was the name of the tree, the fruit of which God did not want Adam to eat?

11. What did God say would happen to Adam if he ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

12. What did God mean when He said that man would die?

Suggested Daily Bible Readings:

Day 31: Exodus, Chapters 11 and 12

Day 32: Exodus, Chapters 13 and 14

Day 33: Exodus, Chapters 15 and 16

Day 34: Exodus, Chapters 17 and 18

Day 35: Exodus, Chapters 19 and 20