Forbidden

Genesis 2:15-17 "Forbidden"
Everton Community Church. Sunday January 15th 2012

A Canadian government commission has been established for at least the next year, to hear submissions from thousands of individuals and groups on the development of a Western Canadian pipeline called the XL pipeline. Most of the concerns deal with perceived environmental threats and responsibilities to care for precious resources like water. Thus far, native groups have cautioned the government not to proceed with this project.

As human beings living on this planet we must ask ourselves what responsibilities do we have to each other, the other living things around us, to generations not yet born, and to God Himself. Do we have a dominion mandate, and if so is one based on freedom or responsibility? If it is of responsibility, is there a priority?

God’s intention from the beginning was to put man to work. (Because of sin) work became drudgery, but initially work was something not only which God intended for man to do but also something that God engaged in Himself! “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2).The creation order is perfectly straightforward—(Human beings are) to work properly and rest adequately. It is significant that the Sabbath rest which was to become such a distinctive feature of the lifestyle of God’s people was introduced by God Himself at the (end) of creation. (Humanity’s) ignoring of it may be far more detrimental to him physically, socially, and spiritually than he realizes.! (Briscoe, D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1987). Vol. 1: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 1 : Genesis. The Preacher’s Commentary series (40). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)

The brief account of God’s direction to Adam in the garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis 2:15-17 is instructive to us in establishing a dominion mandate for every generation that has followed him, In this account we see: 1) God’s Commission (Genesis 2:15), 2) God’s Commandment (Genesis 2:16) 3) God’s Caution (Genesis 2:17)

1) God’s Commission (Genesis 2:15)
Genesis 2:15 [15]The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (ESV)

God placed the man in the garden for the stated purpose of supervising it. Verse 15 continues the thought of v. 8 but with a subtle difference in the language. “Put” in v. 15 translates the causative form of the verb nûaḥ, “rest,” and so could be rendered literally “caused to rest.” In v. 8, however, the term is śîm (“put, place”). Here the language of v. 15 is essentially equivalent to v. 8 in context, but “rest” bears a special significance for depicting deliverance from Noah’s waters in Genesis 1–11 and for speaking of the safety that Israel would experience as found in the Pentateuch. God promised to give Israel safety (“rest”) in the land from its enemies (e.g., Deut 3:20; 12:10; 25:19). This is illustrated by Lot and his family; visiting angels “led them safely [“gave rest”] out of the city” (Gen. 19:16). It also is used of dedicating something before the presence of the Lord (E.g., Exod 16:33–34; Num 17:4; Deut 26:4, 10; cf. priestly garments, Lev 16:23). God prepares the garden for man’s safety, where he can enjoy the divine presence (E. R. Clendenen, “Life in God’s Land: An Outline of the