Page 29 considering the very first command that God gave to man. This is the first time that God revealed His will to a human being. And I believe it is loaded with insight. A Visit to a Certain Garden Go with me to a certain garden. The Lord has just put His man into the beautiful garden of Eden. And He says the following to Adam: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17, NKJV) Now let’s look closely at this command. The Lord says, ,You may eat freely from every tree in the garden. The exception is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, ,Adam, you may freely choose to eat from every tree in this garden. Just keep away from this one particular tree. I see a parking lot here. To keep with the metaphor, I hear God saying, ,You may park your car in any space in this lot. Just stay within the boundaries of the parking lot. If you park outside the boundary, it will mean trouble for you. Every tree in the garden is within the parking lot. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is
Throughout the Bible, bleak situations provide the stage for God’s intervention in the lives of His people. We trust in a God who provided redemption in Jesus Christ when circumstances looked as if no redemption was possible. The events of our lives are the scene of His providential and redemptive activity. Nothing occurs by chance, takes God by surprise, or exceeds His power to handle. This is the foundation of trust.
Dean Ulrich