Episode Details

Prayer

Our Lord and our God, we give praise and thanks to you. You are our God, our maker, and our shepherd and our keeper. Lord, we thank you for the gift of life and for the instruction that you provide for us in your word. We pray as we give our attention again to your word now. Please help us, Lord, to be doers of the word, to respond to what we hear, to understand and to practice your will. We thank you for your mercies to us in Christ and we ask, may you forgive us for our sins and lead us in your ways. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Reading

Genesis 2:.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Meditation

Work is far bigger than you can actually imagine. It’s comprehensive. What I mean by that is that this task of dominion, this calling to work and keep the garden, is actually a calling to fill everything. There’s no place on earth which will be excluded, no aspect of human life that is irrelevant. When God made the world, he filled it with a potential that we can barely even begin to imagine. For those of us who were alive in 1995, who could have guessed what our phones would be capable of doing in 2024? And God wants us to develop all of it.

As we studied verses 10 through 14 previously, we saw the way that the river flowing from Eden gives us a picture of life itself flowing out from Eden to water the whole earth. This principle carries over into our work as well. As we discover, unpack, and fill the world with godly industry and work, his blessing, excellence, and glory will expand. Whether it’s Luther’s shoe maker, or a musician, an engineer, a teacher, or an artist. Be it building or farming, law-making or boat making, whether it’s mothering or gardening, building space ships or micro chips. Whether it’s designing new apps, or launching new businesses, running a side business or pursuing a hobby. Be it serving in church or hospitality. Worshipping God, labouring to go deeper into his word, all of life belongs to God and he calls us to work in all of it. Whether we are men, women, or children, work is comprehensive.

In the words of Abraham Kuyper, there is not a square inch in all of creation where Christ does not say: “Mine!” It’s all his, and he calls us to develop it, to serve with it, and to multiply it. He calls us to see it grow and flourish, to push the boundaries further and further. He wants to see his world grow, he wants to see every single area of life sing back his praises, reflect of his own glorious design. And in our work we get to take part in this plan! Six days shall you labour and do all your work… as Dr Del Tackett, I believe, once said: “You get to work!”

And what will become of all this? As we read in Isaiah 11:9: “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” That’s a wonderful vision isn’t it?

Be ye doers of the word…

As we consider the practical implications of this, there is a tragedy of first importance that we need to realise: Adam failed. When the time came for him to step up to the plate, to work and keep the garden, he failed. He abdicated his calling and, as a result, he became a selfish, sinful shadow of what he was supposed to be. Death then entered the scene, and the fruit that was supposed to fill the earth was choked by thorns and thistles. The garden that was so rich and fertile became a wilderness and the ground was cursed. Man’s labour became harsh and hard. His life, which was designed to flourish eternally, became short and brutish.

But the good news is that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, didn’t fail. In John 5:17 Jesus said: “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”” Adam was meant to begin that work so that life could flourish in the world, but because of his disobedience he instead brought death. Whe