07-30-06
(Gen 2:15)
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden
to dress it ['abad]
and to
keep it [shamar; guard, protect]. 1.
to dress it = Heb: 'abad; to
work (in any sense); by impl. to serve, till, enslave, etc.:--
X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear,
execute, + husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man), bring to pass, (cause to, make
to) serve (-ing, self), (be, become) servant (-s), do (use) service, till
(-er), (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper. 2.
work
= Dict: 1. exertion directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil. 2.
that on which exertion or labor is expended; something to be made or done; a
task or undertaking. 3. productive or operative activity. 4. Physics.
a. Mech. the product of the force acting
upon a body and the distance through which the point of application moves. b.
the transference of energy from one body or system to another. 5. employment, as
in some form of industry: out of work, looking for work.
14. (pl) (Theol.) acts performed in
obedience to the law of God, or righteous deeds. 3.
worship
= Dict: 1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to
any object regarded as sacred. 2. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor
and homage. 3. adoring reverence or regard: hero worship.
4. to render religious reverence and homage. 5. to feel an adoring reverence or
regard for (any person or thing). 6. to attend services of divine worship. [Syn:
adoration, love, reverence, respect, devotion, adulation,
veneration] 4.
Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible,
by Zodhiates: [selected quotes] to
serve…. Service to God is an exhilarating experience which does not seem like
bondage at all. 'Abad is also used with
reference to false gods. Man was always meant to accomplish work, but God
intended man to enjoy it. Work only became drudgery after the Fall. 5.
Commentary:
Work is the act of establishing and maintaining God’s order; work is designed
by God to be an act of worship. Godly work is obedience to God and service to
God and worship of God who is the God of the universe; this work brings forth
and maintains order out of chaos, light out of darkness; this work is
“good.” All other work, and the absence of work, constitutes disobedience to
God and service to Satan and worship of Satan who is “the god of this world”
(2 Cor 4:4); this work, including the absence of work, brings forth and
maintains disorder and chaos; this work is “evil.” All men work/serve/worship
either God or Satan. There is no middle road, for to “not work” is directly
contrary to the purpose for which God formed you; it is flagrant disobedience to
God, and therefore service to Satan. Additionally, you cannot work for both God
and Satan because “No man can serve two masters” (Mat 6:24) “for I the
LORD thy God am a jealous God” (Exo 20:5; 34:14; Deut 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; Josh
24:19). WORKS
BY MAN IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN (Gen 2:4-7)
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were
created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every
plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field
before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth
[wilderness], and there was not a man to till ['abad;
work; serve: worship] the ground. But
there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted
a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he
had formed. [this verse explains WHEN God put the man in the garden] (Gen 2:15)
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of
Eden to dress it ['abad; work; serve: worship (i.e. to
till the ground)] and to keep it [shamar;
guard, protect]. [this verse explains WHY
God put the man in the garden] (Gen 3:22-23)
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever [in that disobedient
rebellious bitter state – as is Satan, eternally]:
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till
['abad; work; serve: worship] the
ground from whence he was taken. [this
verse explains that man shall CONTINUE to work, but now in the world] WORKS
BY MAN IN THE WORLD (Gen
4:1-12) And Adam knew Eve his wife;
and she conceived, and bare Cain [the firstborn],
and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller ['abad;
work; serve: worship] of the ground.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the
ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of
his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his
offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect [because
Cain disobeyed God and did not offer the proper sacrifice].
And Cain was very wroth [angry (illustrating the root of
rebellion, disobedience, and bitterness)], and
his countenance fell [face, appearance (he frowned deeply)].
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? [God
gave Cain an opportunity to repent of his sin of rebellion, disobedience, and
bitterness, and obey God] and if thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou
shalt rule over him [and God also warned Cain of the consequences of not
obeying Him]. And Cain talked with Abel his brother [but Cain still
stubbornly refused to offer the proper sacrifice]:
and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against
Abel his brother, and slew him [with what? perhaps a
spear].
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know
not [Cain lied to God]: Am I my
brother's keeper [shamar; (Yes! Absolutely: Gen 2:15)]?
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto
me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath
opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou
tillest ['abad; work; serve: worship] the
ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a
vagabond shalt thou be in the earth [wilderness (the
wilderness of this world)]. 1.
Cain = Heb: in the orig. sense of fixity; a lance (as striking fast): spear
/// to strike a musical note, i.e. chant or wail (at a funeral). 2.
Commentary:
See message “The
Ancestry of Goliath’s Spear” located on our Internet website delivered
on 11-07-04. Music is associated with Lucifer (Ezek 28:13). 3.
Commentary:
“and slew him” = Cain further rebelled by committing murder. Please note
that symbolically, Cain did indeed offer a blood sacrifice, but the type of
sacrifice is perverted. Instead of slaying an animal for sacrifice, Cain
slew his brother, sort of defiantly offering that up in the face of God.
In heat of his rage he might have said something like this to God “If
you want blood sacrifice, I’ll give you blood sacrifice, here, take this!!” 4.
fugitive = Dict: 1. a person who is fleeing; a runaway. 2. having taken
flight, or run away: a fugitive slave. 3.
fleeting; transitory. 4. wandering, roving, vagabond. 5. vagabond = Dict: 1. wandering from place to place without settled habitation; nomadic. 2. leading an irregular or disreputable life. 3. good-for-nothing; worthless. 4. one who is without a fixed abode and wanders from place to place. 5. an idle wanderer without visible means of support; a tramp or vagrant. 6. an idle, worthless fellow; a scamp; a rascal. (Rev 22:12)
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me [this
is not necessarily a good thing. Jail, death, and pain are types of rewards too],
to give every man according as his work shall be. Amen |