Sovereignty Part 1

Sovereignty. Supreme power. Freedom from external control. Controlling influence.

God's sovereignty, as we often understand and relate to it, often leads us into conflict. If he is good, and has good intentions and plans for us, then how is it we are often prone to suffering, prone to loss, prone to injustice? Shouldn't He, in all his sovereignty be able to step in on our behalf and prevent these sufferings? Before we begin to answer these questions I think it's important to look at mankind and the blessing, mandate, and choices presented to us in the Garden of Eden.

The Choice (Gen 2:15-17)

In the second chapter of Genesis God gives mankind our first choice: We can eat of every fruit tree except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Humanity, since the very beginning of creation, has been given the freedom to choose, the freedom to Love our creator, to obey, and to maintain our own freedom. In His sovereignty, God allowed choice. Man's choice. He did not limit Himself or his character by doing so. And God's sovereignty (freedom from external control, influence, supreme power) did not diminish when mankind fell. But the landscape, and our interaction with our Creator changed.

The Fall (Gen 3:4-8)

It's interesting that humanity's condemnation (the curse) is in correlation with the knowledge of good and evil. I suppose that prior to that moment in verse 7, Adam and Eve only knew the joy and freedom and beauty of being with their Creator, being in His presence, walking with Him in the 'cool of the day'. They knew no evil, knew no deceit, knew no sin and yet held the power and authority to do their job, to subdue the earth and all that was in it. Obviously, according to the text, evil existed (and with it suffering) at this point but humanity had no knowledge of it prior to the fall. It's also interesting that they weren't expelled from the garden for their disobedience but, rather, for their new-found knowledge. See verses 22-23. It is also in these verses that God sets the model for sacrifice (verse 21) by killing one of his own creations to cover their nakedness (shame).

Adam's Job (Gen 1:28)

So why was mankind created in the first place? According to scripture, His job (and blessing from the Lord) was to be fruitful, to increase, to fill the earth, and to subdue it. Very clear here. Adam's role (mankind's role) on the earth was (and is) to fill the earth and subdue it. Interesting that Adam was called to subdue something that wasn't fallen. To subdue something always requires there to be a certain amount of chaos or unruliness, something that needs to be subdued. The Hebrew word here has the following connotations: to conquer, subjugate, force, keep under and bring into subjection. The English word also includes 'to cultivate'.

Humans bear the image and likeness of God, the Creator. No other creature or created thing can make that claim or live in that reality. Also, no other creature has been given the job of subduing the earth. Remember, God's sovereignty did not diminish with the Fall of Man. Neither did the mandate given to Adam: to subdue. But the rules changed. The landscape, the very earth itself, became 'unforgiving' because of our new knowledge. Humanity would have to contend for their work, their food, and their relationships. The Fall of Man not only affected humanity, it affected the entire creation, even the ground itself (see Gen 1:14-15, 1:17-18).

Leaving the Garden (Gen 3:20-24)

Something to note: Adam's job remained the same even after the fall. Notice that Adam, once given charge of naming all the creatures, names his wife Eve directly after the curse was given. His authority to operate in his calling did not change or diminish. He named her Eve 'because she would become the mother of all the living'. Up until this point neither of them had knowledge of death and so, in His goodness (like his Creator), Adam named Eve (according to his calling) after the life she would bring, not the death they were now under (which would have arguably been appropriate).

God's blessing remained intact. They would still be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth.

The first sacrifice took place at the hand of God. He was willing to destroy an innocent creature of His own creation in order to cover the shame of those created in His likeness. Innocence and blood would forever be required to cover such sin and shame.

Adam and Eve were forced to leave the Garden not necessarily out of punishment but out of protection. If they ate from the Tree of Life then God's plan to restore Eden-Relationship with mankind would be in jeopardy. In His sovereignty, God honors the rules regardless of the playing field. The rules He sets in motion are an extension of His character, His nature, and His Heart towards us and all creation and cannot be trespassed against, even by Himself in all His sovereignty. In His sovereignty God created boundaries, birthed out of his very nature and character. Boundaries that He is not able to cross. Boundaries He abides by because HE IS.

God's presence did not leave them. Humanity was not separated from God when we were removed from the Garden. See Gen 4:13-14. Cain was experiencing the presence of God prior to, and after, the murder of Abel. Losing that Presence was his first fear. So, although Adam and Even were expelled from the Garden, and expelled from the Garden-Relationship they had experienced with their creator within Eden, God never left them or abandoned them, not even Cain.

Tomorrow we'll look at the blessing and mandate given to Noah, the the Great Commission, and the reality of Evil. When it comes to good and evil, we cannot separate ourselves or our responsibility from the equation. Goodness is God's character and our mantle, our mandate, to carry into the fallen landscape. And that our heart, like His, is yearning to see the Eden-Relationship, 'walking in the cool of the day', restored for eternity.