Brethren,
This morning in Genesis 2:8–15 we considered the garden in Eden—not merely as a beautiful place to live, but as the first temple. There, the LORD God placed Adam as the first priest, and we were reminded that humanity’s calling from the beginning was worshipful work and joyful communion with God.
Hymns for this Lord’s Day
- 23 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
- 497 He Leadeth Me
- The Spirit Breathes Upon the Word (William Cowper, to 69 O For A Heart to Praise My God)
- 230 Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands
The Spirit Breathes Upon the Word (lyrics)
The Spirit breathes upon the word,
And brings the truth to sight;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying light.
A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun
It gives a light to every age,
It gives, but borrows none.
The hand that gave it, still supplies
Unerring heat and light
Sufficient, for his own to rise,
To walk by faith in life.
Let everlasting thanks be thine
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heav’nly day.
My soul rejoices to obey
The word of him I love;
Till glory breaks on that new day
In brighter worlds above.
Sermon recap (Gen. 2:8–15)
1) The planting of the garden
The LORD God planted a garden with personal care and intention. Eden is a region, and the garden is God’s prepared dwelling-place for man, made for Adam and centered on God’s presence.
2) The provisioning of the garden
God filled the garden with trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food—not a bare, utilitarian provision, but generous beauty and goodness. We also noted the two central trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
3) The priesthood of Adam
Genesis 2:15 says God put Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it.” Those two verbs, taken together, are used elsewhere to describe Levitical priestly service—guarding sacred space and ministering before the Lord. Adam was not merely a gardener; he was a priest in God’s sanctuary.
4) The purpose of the garden
The garden-temple was given for:
- Worship: priestly service is real work—glad, energetic service offered to God.
- Communion: God walked with man; the tragedy of the fall is exile from God’s presence, and the glory of the gospel is restored access through Christ.
Five days of readings & reflections (adults + children)
Day 1 — Eden as God’s sanctuary
Read: Genesis 2:8–10; Psalm 27:4; Revelation 21:1–3
Chesterton once observed:
There has arisen in our time a most singular fancy; the fancy that when things go very wrong we need a practical man. It would be far truer to say, that when things go very wrong we need an unpractical man. Certainly, at least, we need a theorist. A practical man means a man accustomed to mere daily practice, to the way things commonly work. When things will not work, you must have the thinker, the man who has some doctrine about why they work at all. It is wrong to fiddle while Rome is burning; but it is quite right to study the theory of hydraulics while Rome is burning. — Gilbert K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong with the World. (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1910), 11–12.
Genesis 2 helps us do exactly that: it shows us how the world was meant to function—what God is like, what humanity is, and what humanity was created to do in God’s presence. And as Pastor Scott emphasized in discipleship class, that “theory” is not man-made; it begins with the Author. Genesis starts where discernment must start: with God speaking, defining truth, and revealing His design.
Reflect (Adults)
- Why is it practically necessary to understand God’s design (creation, worship, communion) when we live in a world broken by sin?
- How does the thought of God planting and placing shape your view of His intentional care over human life?
Talk with Children
- Who made the garden?
- Why is it good that God wanted Adam to live near Him?
Day 2 — Beauty and goodness are not accidental
Read: Genesis 2:9; Psalm 104:24; James 1:17
Reflect (Adults)
- Why does Scripture emphasize that the trees were both beautiful (“pleasant to the sight”) and useful (“good for food”)?
- Where have you seen God’s fatherly kindness in providing not only what is necessary, but what is good and fitting?
- How can you imitate God by making or doing things that are both useful and beautiful?
Talk with Children
- What kinds of trees did God make in the garden?
- Name one good gift God gives us that shows He cares for us.
Day 3 — The river and the life that flows from God
Read; Genesis 2:10–14; Ezekiel 47:1, 9, 12; Revelation 22:1–2
Reflect (Adults)
- What might the river flowing out of Eden teach us about God as the source of life and fruitfulness?
- How do Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 help you read Genesis 2 with “end of the story” in mind?
Talk with Children
- What watered the garden?
- Who gives life to everything that grows?
Day 4 (Thursday) — Work as worship
Read: Genesis 2:15; Colossians 3:23–24; Ephesians 2:10
We may go so far as to say that along with the trees, waters, and gold, Adam’s work was another of the garden’s delights. The best analogy to us today would be the joy we take in hobbies or playing games. This would have been like the experience of Adam in the work given to him by God. Christians should likewise take up the tasks that God gives us with energy and delight, seeking to glorify God and serve our fellow man. —Richard D. Phillips, Genesis, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Iain M. Duguid, vol. 1 of Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2023), 169.
Reflect (Adults)
- How does seeing Adam’s calling as priestly service change the way you think about ordinary work?
- What is one task you tend to treat as “mere duty” that could become an offering of worship this week?
Talk with Children
- What job did God give Adam to do in the garden?
- How can we do our work (school, chores, helping) in a way that pleases God?
Day 5 — Looking ahead to Sunday
This coming Lord’s Day sermon text: Genesis 2:16–17; Theme focus: God’s covenant command; the goodness of God’s boundaries; the test of worshipful obedience.
Read: Genesis 2:16–17; Deuteronomy 30:19–20; John 14:15
Reflect (Adults)
- How do God’s commands in Genesis 2:16–17 reveal both generosity (“you may surely eat…”) and authority (“but…you shall not”)?
- Where are you tempted to treat God’s boundaries as restrictive rather than protective and good?
- Write down 1–2 questions you want to carry with you into Sunday’s sermon.
Talk with Children
- What did God tell Adam he could do? What did God tell Adam not to do?
- Why are God’s rules good for us?
Brethren, may the Lord help us to see His goodness in creation, His kindness in provision, and His purpose for us in Christ—worshipful work and joyful communion with Him.
In Christ,
Pastor Mike