Good Morning.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” (Genesis 2:16)
In the beginning before the fall of man, Adam could “freely eat” of all the trees in the garden that were good for food. So, apparently, he didn’t have to toil in order to eat; it was not until after the fall that God said, “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread.” The point is, if Adam could “freely eat” from the trees in the garden, what was the work he was commanded to do in Genesis 2:15?
If you consider that Eden, the garden and the midst of the garden — where the Tree of Life was located — may have been the first earthly Sanctuary, then Adam’s role was to function as a priest. Because his work consisted of making sure this holy place was tended in a way that was conducive to God’s Presence, he was allowed to freely eat of its fruit.
Later, a similar benefit would be presented to the sons of Aaron who served in the Sanctuary. Because their work was to keep the Sanctuary a place where the Presence of the Holy One might reside, they could freely eat of the portions brought by the people into God’s House that were reserved for them.
Peter wrote that the Body of Messiah is considered to be a “royal priesthood” duty bound to “show forth the praises” of the Almighty. Might we also consider that, when we are faithful to this duty, we may freely partake of the blessings bestowed upon those who serve His purpose? More specifically, there is an inherent blessing in obedience to His instructions and, thus, when we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, all of our daily needs will be provided for us. So then, let us fulfill our duty and serve as His priests that others may also freely partake of His goodness.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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