Paradise

 We saw that God made the man, placed man in a garden called Eden, and took from the side of the man some flesh and bone and fashioned it into a female or woman. God had named the man "Adam ."

How did the first couple meet? 

God brought the woman to the man. Adam didn't wake up, realize part of him was missing and say Hey God what's up? 

Neither did the woman call out to Adam ; no animal introduced them.

God presented the Bride to Adam. The couple were told that the man must leave  his father and mother and hold fast or cleave to his wife. They would become one flesh. 

We must wait to understand the full meaning of this marriage. 

However realize that Adam had no father and mother. God created Adam as the first human. From dirt.

I want to explain something about the way God revealed Who He is in the 66 books we call the Bible which just means Book. The Message might be a better way to think of this record written over a period of 1500 years by 40 authors all by inspiration from God the Holy Spirit.

Do you remember as a child when you first saw your shadow? 

A nice sunny day, a sidewalk, and you are walking on your head or your arm or you are ten feet tall! 

Of course I mean your shadow stretched out from you on the sidewalk, sometimes short and fat; other times elongated and skinny.

You saw the shadow of yourself was not you, but if your mom was looking for you and she saw only your shadow on the sidewalk, she would find you! 

In a similar way the Bible is full of events that foreshadow the actual event coming to pass.

Marriage will foreshadow something about man's relationship with God.

Back to the garden story.

Life in Eden was free from disease, natural disasters, or any problems in relationships.

The authority structure God had established was perfectly in place. Neither beast not man questions God about the way to live under authority. To review:

Everyone and everything is under the authority of God, the creator. The beasts and plant life are also under the authority of the man and woman. We're talking about obedience or who is boss.

Who established the laws of nature? Of relationships? Who has the right to have their own way? 

God doesn't think that way. God gave responsibilities and delegated jurisdiction to the man and his wife. All rights belong to God. 

Neither the man or his wife were to act independently of what God instructed.

In fact the man was warned that if he disobeyed God's command about eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the man would die. 

Man was in the garden where he could freely eat of the tree of life.

In the Bible the tree of life means eternal life. Man would never die if he would eat from this  tree.

One tree brings life. The other tree would bring death.

Animals knew from the instinct  God gave them how to live. Animals did not have the choice to disobey God.

Man was created to freely choose to obey or to disobey the commands of God.

This perfect place where the man and his wife lived in the presence of God and enjoyed everything being good, we call paradise.

Next post we will see what happens in the garden that changes everything for every human being born after Adam and Eve were created. All the descendants of this first couple will be in a different situation because of a choice that both the man and his wife made.