Did God Give Just One Command Or Three? 2

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 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 2:15‭-‬17 ESV

Yesterday we looked at the command God gave Adam. It is easy to put out that God allowed Adam to eat of all the fruit in the garden but asked that he not eat of the tree of knowledge and evil. Well the funny part was that in the middle of that same garden were two trees. One would have made him completely as God while the other would have made him knowing. Yet Satan had one focus, to get man to disobey God. This has always been an intriguing topic for yours truly.

I dare say that the first commandment was be fruitful and multiply. The writ calls it a blessing this process of being fruitful and multiply. Hear how it is put, And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1:28 AMPC

This version actually catches my attention. It speaks of being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing it (using all its vast resources in the service of God and man) and finally have dominion. So the first command to man was a blessing. If man was blessed and God expects him to fill the earth, subduing same and using the resources to serve God and Man, then God designed man to serve. No wonder Jesus had to teach his disciples that He did not come to lord it over them but to serve and if they were to be like him they must serve. He went ahead to wash their feet. Peter and Co should never have stopped serving tables it opened the door for a wrong perspective of how a man should lead. Returning to what Jesus had saved man from.

Note that God said let us make man in our own image. That portion of scripture uses two words likeness and image which means God wanted to reproduce Himself upon earth? The question then is why? It is simply put to commune with him. No wonder David says of this that what is man that you are so mind full of him. So a man who is made in the image of God is constantly upon the mind of God! A man ought to have his spouse constantly upon his mind or better put should be mind full of her. The scripture for the day tells us that God commanded man to eat freely save this one fruit. But the verse implicitly tells us that the first command to fill and subdue(serve) was two pronged. That is first to reproduce and secondly to serve. The second clearly was to work. Work was not tedious until sin came along. If that be the case then the command not to eat of the tree of Knowledge and evil became the third command. It incorporated the first two commands. 

However it was this last command that came with a consequence. Death was the consequence. A man is designed to reproduce as he carries seed. The woman is the incubator and version one plus of the original man. God made the man to be a protector and cover for his spouse. To serve in her life and bring her to the point that she becomes a sweet offering to our maker at the end of time. Men do not realize that as they shirk their duties to reproduce, fill, subdue(serve God and man) they can not then dominate this earth. The earth submits to man it is why God asked Job has he ever commanded the morning? God expects the man to set the pace but not as a boss and absent father as many of us are but as one who tends, works the family serving them to bring them up as well nurtured offerings to the Lord our maker. 

This morning if you feel the world is skewed because we are out of place. When men return to God and make the Lord master of their lives, something unique takes over and the atmosphere changes. God desires us to lead as servant leaders. Our children are watching and we have failed to be heroes to them. If God shows up now would he say of you well done good and faithful servant? I am bothered about the rate of under age sexual activities. As men we have work to fill the earth and reproduce images of Christ who will serve our maker. Think of it folk as we spoke recently that sex is an act of worship so then, what kinds of men are we reproducing. This morning two of my spiritual daughters have complained they are tired of their marriage. Insensitive, immature men are a product of absentee fathers. Father help me to be an available father and all who pray this with me that we become the difference in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen! Shalom

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