The canary in the coal mine

July 31, 2020 (Friday)

 

We continue the early history of humanity in Genesis 2:8, “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” [ESV] Instead of “creating” as we have seen God speak things into existence; the text says God “planted a garden.” The action of planting, for humans, is a physical intense activity. It also requires some deliberate planning.

 

The image I get is this “Garden of Eden” as designed and planted by a personal God who intended it for the first humans to live and thrive. It was a place where God would later walk with Adam and Eve. It was a place where they were given stewardship. It was the place where they were given ONE prohibition, as an exercise of free will.

 

God caused all sorts of trees to grow in this garden. They were pleasing to look at and good for food. However, there were two special trees. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” [Genesis 2:9b NIV] These two trees become vital to human history. The first reappears in Heaven in the book of Revelation. The second became the instrument for the “fall” of humanity from this perfect existence.

 

God’s design was for humans to live eternally through accepting the fruit from the “tree of life.” The other tree serves a different purpose. God already implanted “the knowledge of good and evil” in Adam and Eve. Think about it, it’s very simple. To obey God is good. To disobey God is evil. We will get back to this in another study.

 

Adam was given work to do that included careful stewardship. “The Lord God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it.” [Genesis 2:15 CEB] The word translated “farm” is often translated “work” in other translations. It carries the idea “to till.” It is also used in other contexts “to serve.” The word translated “take care of” literally means “guard.” My understanding is God gave humanity the work of faithfully preserving and encouraging creation toward fruitfulness.

 

After being told to care for the garden, Adam is given one command for his safety. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” [Genesis 2:16 – 17 ESV] Why one test?

 

There are two ideas I have at this point. The first is without a test, there is no free will. Adam had the freedom or choice ("permission" according to the Hebrew) to break the covenant. This demonstrates the self-determination reflected in the “image of God” we were designed to freely exercise.  However, breaking the covenant we handed the keys to fee will and self-determination over to sin, sin’s consequences, and became slaves (in the ugliest sense of the word).

 

The second idea, is this is “one thing.” It’s not complicated, difficult, or impossible to understand. There is no way to interpret this incorrectly. (There is a way to incorrectly teach the command. It’s one reason we are warned to NOT add to God’s word.) The point here is EVERYONE has a “one thing” provided to test us, possibly torment us, and honestly tell us what we need about our love for God.

 

In Pennsylvania, humans dug deep into the earth to mine for coal. The problem is the air in the mines can be contaminated by dangerous unseen gasses that give no odor. They discovered taking a bird (canary) into the mines would tell them if there was a problem. The early warning given by a dead bird saved many lives. I'm guessing that many workers kept a close eye on the canary.

 

My suspicion is the “one thing” is God’s grace, acting like a canary in the coal mine. Seriously what is your “one thing?” How are you doing in this area?