God placed human beings under law, subjects of the divine government. God could have created them without the power to sin. He could have prevented them from touching the forbidden fruit, but then Adam and Eve would have been mere robots. Without freedom of choice, their obedience would have been forced. Such a course would have been contrary to God’s plan, unworthy of the intelligent beings He created, and would have sustained Satan’s charge of God’s arbitrary rule.
God made our first parents honorable, with no bias toward evil. He presented before them the strongest possible motivations to be true. Obedience was the condition of eternal happiness and access to the tree of life.
The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes as their children should go and occupy the earth. People today take pride and delight in magnificent and costly homes and glory in the works of their own hands, but God placed Adam in a garden. This was a lesson for all time—true happiness is not found by indulging in pride and luxury, but by communing with God through His created works. Pride and ambition are never satisfied, but people who are truly wise will find pleasure in the enjoyment God has placed within the reach of all.
The care of the garden was committed to the couple in Eden, “to tend and keep it.” God appointed work as a blessing, to occupy the mind, strengthen the body, and develop the abilities. Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his holy existence in mental and physical activity. It is a mistake to think of work as a curse, even though it bring weariness and pain. The rich often look down upon the working classes, but this is out of harmony with God’s purpose in the creation. Adam was not to be idle. Our Creator, who understands what is for our happiness, appointed Adam his work. The true joy of life is found only by working men and women. The Creator has prepared no place for do-nothing laziness.
The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were visited by angels and had the privilege of talking face to face with their Maker. They were full of vigor imparted by the tree of life, their intellectual power only slightly less than that of the angels. The laws of nature were opened to their minds by the infinite Creator and Upholder of all. Adam was familiar with every living creature, from the mighty whale among the waters to the speck of an insect that floats in the sunbeam. He had given a name to each one, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. God’s name was written on every leaf of the forest, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky. The order and harmony of creation spoke of infinite wisdom and power.
So long as Adam and Eve remained loyal to the divine law they would be constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discovering fresh springs of happiness, and obtaining clearer understandings of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God.
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