Garden Wedding for His Son (eBook)

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Ultimate Questions and
Ultimate Answers

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). These are words of great familiarity but also words of incredible profundity. Within this one sentence lies the answer to the longing of many, dare we say virtually all, souls throughout history. It certainly deals with a longing of mine and likely in some fashion, a longing of your soul as well. For in these words is answered the basic question each of us yearns to have an answer for: “Where did I come from?”

Beyond this most fundamental question are the follow-on questions in the minds of most humans: 2) Why am I here? 3) Where am I going?

Amazingly, the first two and the last two chapters of the Bible clearly answer these three universally asked questions. It seems too simple. It seems too glib. It seems like there should be so much more. And indeed, it is so simple, yet…there is so much more. It is the confidence that comes from believing and understanding both the remarkable simplicity and the “so much more” of the Bible, the revealed word of the Creator God, that we seek to explore in this Book.

In this first chapter, we will broadly overview the first two and the last two chapters of Scripture to establish the simplicity of the answers to the questions above. We will also receive splendid glimpses of just a bit of the “so much more” of scripture that promises the thrill of deeper understanding that provides the solidly rooted foundation of lives built upon the purposes of the Creator God.

This Book is not intended to be an Apologetic—that is a defense of, or arguments for, the beliefs we’ll be discussing from Scripture. But it certainly seeks to be an encouragement directed toward an acceptance of and submission to the Creative Purposes of the Creator God revealed in the Bible. Not every one of your questions will be answered. Not each one you’d like to ask will be addressed. But we will let the broad, vibrant, and colorful palette of the word of God reveal some of those broad as well as some of the fine brushstrokes of the remarkable masterpiece of revelation that is the word of God. These magnificent brushstrokes are masterfully painted onto the broadest of canvases spanning all of history—all in words and story that burst forth with the color and splendor displayed by the Master Painter.

The first, bold brushstroke laid down in words of power, magnificence, and the simplicity of the genius of the Creator God is the brashly bold and stunningly revealed answer to our first question, “Where did I come from?” That amazing first brushstroke of words is, to repeat, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” You, I, all that is, and ever has been, or ever will be anywhere in the universe (or created spiritual realm that we don’t see) are the results of the creative work of God. We “came” from the creative action of the Creator God…in the beginning.

This is a simple, yet profound truth that has never been accepted by all of humankind. Why that is so will be a part of what we learn concerning the “so much more” that we have alluded to. But the “so much more” will come later.

Our second question, “Why am I here?”, is answered in the latter portions of Genesis 1-2. In Genesis 1:26, God says concerning mankind, “let them rule over…” and in verse 28 He also says to mankind, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule….” Mankind—you and I and all other humans—was created to “rule” over God’s creation! We read the passages, but familiarity steals from us the powerful impact of what God had Moses write concerning His purpose for our having been created and “placed” on this planet.

But to begin with, the focus of attention was not on the “planet” as a whole, but on an incredibly special place personally prepared by the LORD God. In Genesis 2:8, Moses says, “And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden....” It was a spectacular place of verdant, lush growth and wonderful, life-giving waters and rivers from a mountain which contained the headwaters for four remarkable rivers which sustained the resplendencies of the Garden—all to benefit mankind, and, no doubt, for God’s own personal enjoyment as the premier resident of that Garden.

A part of the answer to the “Why am I here?” question comes from the very nature of and purpose for this resplendent garden. In Genesis 2:15, it is said, “And Yahweh took the man and set him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” Dealing with the beauties and depths of God’s Creative Purposes is only fully accomplished when we completely understand the significance of the words God chose to have Moses write for Him. We can clearly and simply see that mankind was created by God to “rule over,” “multiply and fill,” and “cultivate and keep” His creation, especially as prepared in its pinnacled and magnificent lushness and brilliance in the Garden of Eden.

God’s Awesome Provisions for Mankind

We mentioned above the splendid glimpses of the “so much more” of scripture. Please note in the first two chapters of Genesis the amazing things God did for the provision of mankind’s needs. Additionally, notice that the LORD God Himself was interacting personally with His human creation Adam, and, out of both compassion and purposeful intent, provided for him a mate who perfectly complemented who Adam was in relation to God’s Creative Purposes.

Notice the absolute thrill and excitement expressed by Adam at the wonder of this perfect mate that God provided not only for him, but “from” him. The result of all these provisions by God for His human creation was that the original two created by God and placed in His specially prepared space could experience a sense of peace, contentment, and purity that culminated in the observation by Moses that “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” This is something absolutely shocking to those of us today who cannot imagine such a circumstance. Can you imagine yourself comfortably naked before the world and its Creator? The Garden created by God for Him to dwell in with His human creation was truly an amazing place and circumstance. And in that space with access to the Tree of Life, man was designed to live eternally in the presence of the Creator Himself.

Our lives, our world, and our personal experiences clearly reveal that our situation today is not what God originally intended. But this is one of those “in your face” conclusions that none of us can avoid and that drives our further interest in this marvelous revelation of God’s Original Creative Purposes.

This further interest on our part is what compels us to consider the last of our three fundamental questions almost certainly considered by virtually all humanity through all of time—“Where am I going?” Welling up out of our current sense of shame and inadequacy comes the imperative of this question.

We have answered the first two questions from the first two chapters of Scripture. The third is answered by considering the last two chapters of Scripture. We’ll look at some of the “in between” and “so much more” issues as we proceed. Included in those discussions will be a better understanding of both the first and last full books of the Bible. We can do great injustice to the word of God by limiting our study and focus to just bits and pieces. But for the purposes of these first few book chapters, we will look at the last two chapters in the Book of Revelation to answer the simple and yet profound question, “Where am I going?”

To answer this question, we intrude into the turbulent flow of the amazing drama regarding God’s Revelation to John the writer of the Book of Revelation. We do not want to do the book an injustice by looking at the last two chapters alone. Yet, the message is one that is reminiscent of the Garden environs and circumstances found in Genesis 1-2. Thus, we will seek to establish a broad view of God’s Creative Purposes as initially indicated in the Garden of Eden. It is this broadest of views that we seek to make a part of our daily sense of God’s word and His purposes for our lives—as individuals and as community.

God’s Special Space—Shared with Adam and Eve

The Garden of Eden was God’s special, personally prepared space designed to be the common dwelling place of God and man. And indeed, it was…yet, as we all know— things changed.

Notice, though, that the Garden of Eden was the pinnacle of God’s Original Creation and in its very own way reflected His Original Creative Purposes in its design and function. Central to that design and function was its existence as a common dwelling place for God and man.

Notice also that there was something suggestive of a provisional character to that arrangement. In Genesis 2:7 we learn that “Yahweh God formed the man of dust from the ground…” and that later in Genesis 2:15 “Yahweh God took the man [from outside the garden-jcw] and set him in the garden….” So, Adam was not made of “Garden Dust”; he was formed from “outside the garden” dust. Notice also that Eve was not formed from “Garden Dust.” She was formed from Adam’s side and thus not of “Garden Dust” but of Adam’s substance, which came from the dust “outside the garden.” Sometimes the glimpses we receive regarding God’s Creative Purposes are somewhat opaque and leave us wondering. We will see in our next chapters what the importance of these “Dust” distinctions are.

All the...