I enjoy yard work…kinda.
I like mowing, pulling weeds, and the like. I don’t like sweating, cuts, and discomfort, but I like the results of those efforts.
And it’s easy to see yard work as a necessary evil, right? After all, you’re either going to take care of your own yard, or you’re paying hard-earned money to someone else to do it. Regardless, it’s got to get done.
Do you have that attitude about your other work? Whether you’re a stay-at-home-mom or a CEO, do you view your work as a necessary evil? Is it just something that has to get done, or is it more?
As we saw last week, Genesis 2 is a “zoomed-in” view of the creation of humanity. When we left off, the man (Adam) had just been formed. We continue in Genesis 2:8–17.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.). The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 2:8-17
New International Version
The garden east of Eden was not like the American thought of a garden but more of a park-like setting with trees, plants, and flowers. It would have been closer to a botanical garden than a vegetable garden.
As exact as the location of this garden appears, we don’t know where it was initially located. Likely, even Moses (the human author) didn’t know the exact location. The geography of the land changed during the flood. Even still, the point of the text is not to ignite a pilgrimage to this place but to show us how humanity came about and how we got into the mess we’re in.
This lush, beautiful area contained everything the man needed to live. At this point, the man is a vegetarian and obtains food from the trees and plants.
In the middle of this utopian garden was the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. At this point in the story, we’re not told their functions, but most theologians believe the Tree of Life is what would have allowed humanity to live forever. The other tree becomes significant in Genesis 3.
Verse 15 is significant and fascinating. After making this garden, the Lord placed the man “to work it and take care of it.”
Did you see it? The Lord created work before the fall of humanity in Genesis 3. Honestly, I didn’t realize this for a long time. I’d always thought work was part of the curse on humanity in Genesis 3. The nature of work changed after the Fall (everything did), but the reality of work was part of creation.
Have you ever considered that your work was part of the creation God called “good”? Again, the nature of your work might not feel very holy, but the fact that you work most certainly is.
Adam, the first man, worked in the Garden East of Eden. He was to care for it and work the land. It was his holy assignment.
How about you? Do you see it as a holy assignment when you get up to go to work? Would it help you if you did? Would it change your outlook knowing that the Lord views our work as holy?
Scripture tells us work is holy. Work is good. Work is good for us. So, as you go to work, consider how you honor the Lord with it.
Life Meets Theology 