Having formed a man and planted a garden, God now brings them together. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden” (Genesis 2:15). The individual stories in Genesis 1–2 teach us about God’s original design for human life on earth; we can therefore learn much from these verses which speak of man’s place and role in the garden of Eden.

1. Human beings are stewards of the environment

In Genesis 1:26–28, we read that humans were created to “rule over” all that God had made. Now, we see this being applied specifically to Adam in the garden of Eden. God puts him there for a specific task: to “work” (abād) it and to “take care” (shamār) of it (2:15). Each of these two Hebrew verbs carries important nuances. The verb abād may mean “work” as well as “serve”. So Adam is not only to work on the garden, but also to serve its welfare. The verb shamār may mean “keep” but also “to guard, protect”. Again, we could say that Adam is not only to keep the garden in order, but also to protect it from threats. Could Adam’s role in God’s garden be a model for our responsibility for the environment today?

2. Human beings are free to enjoy the world’s abundance

Genesis 2:16–17 carries God’s specific command to Adam, given in two parts. The first part makes it clear that Adam is “free to eat from any tree in the garden” (v. 16; italics added). God had planted “all kinds of trees . . . that were pleasing to the eye and good for food” (v. 9), and invites Adam to exercise his freedom—to follow his own preferences and to freely enjoy the delights of the garden. This is very different from what many people today expect God to be like. Sadly, some don’t understand that life with God is not a journey riddled with restrictions and don’ts. In fact, He has created us for great freedom (see 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1).

3. Human beings are free to choose

Among all the fruit in the garden, one is forbidden: the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). The availability of this fruit shows that Adam has the freedom to choose to obey or disobey God. Adam has not been pre-programmed to always obey, like a robot. As we have noted, the fruit was forbidden to mankind because it was exclusively reserved for God, who alone sets standards for what is right or wrong (3:22). This is why disobedience has terrible consequences: “When you eat from it, you will certainly die” (2:17). This death is not only physical, it is also spiritual; the man would lose the spiritual intimacy he enjoyed with God and no longer be able to live in His presence.