In the beginning, God had an agrarian thought. Whether it was in the very beginning or whether other thoughts preceded it, we do not know. But somewhere along the way God thought it would be a good idea to plant a garden and to put mankind in it to tend it. Maybe the creation-thought was inspired by early thoughts of man. The Bible doesn't say. It only says that, after nearly six full days of creation, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV)

 

Now as to whether mankind was an afterthought or the forethought of creation, I believe mankind was creation's forethought (see Ephesians 1:4). He was certainly the forethought of the garden. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). THEN "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed" (Genesis 2:8). But either way, whether mankind was the afterthought or the forethought of creation, God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over everything that moves on the earth."

 

I can hardly imagine that God meant, "fill the earth with trash and subdue it with pollution, warfare, and weapons of mass destruction." I don't think He meant that our dominion should be quite so destructive as it is for He went on to say, "I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food." Doesn't it seem inconsistent that God should encourage mankind to destroy the earth that He intended to sustain whom He had blessed?

 

More than likely, God intended the garden as the best most benevolent venue from which man could discover, understand, and apprehend the full measure of His natural blessings. In the garden, not only would mankind be blessed in material measure, he would also be blessed in harmonious cohabitation with the full glory of creation and its Creator. Here, in the garden God planted, mankind could understand firsthand the joys of cultivation.

 

 

Mankind's responsibility for the land preceded even the institution of marriage. That is not to say that cultivating a garden is more important than marriage, only that cultivation was the living venue in which God instituted marriage. There ought to be a correlation of some sort here. Perhaps, engaged in the art of cultivation is where the institution of marriage is best worked out. Could it be that an agrarian lifestyle is the most suitable, most rewarding overall venue for the marriage relationship? Could it be that God had a garden-plan for mankind to apprehend His blessings of fruitfulness and multiplication?

 

Personally, I believe there is something worth considering here. If marriage began in a garden, wouldn't that say something about priorities, processes, and responsibilities? Like everything else in the world at that time, perhaps marriage also very much needed to be cultivated and perhaps that is where Adam failed. Since then, every other man and wife have longed to redeem this circumstance.

 

Cultivation is a process essential to all healthy life. Weeds choke out plants that are not cultivated. Relationships that are not cultivated are choked out by the cares of this world. The pressures of this world impact the roots of plants and of the relationships that are not cultivated. That is why rest is so essential. Driven to perform, our hearts are impacted by ambition and persecution. We need time to reflect on the priorities and processes of life.

 

The garden was meant to be such a place of rest. The first thing man did in the garden, on the seventh day, was rest. Man's wife was brought to him out of a process of rest (Genesis 2:21). The priority and purpose of the garden was as a place where mankind could rest and fellowship with his wife and with God. Labor was involved, but it was not at the forefront of the garden's purposes. Rather, the garden was the perfect setting for the development of trustworthy relationships. Certainly this is something we could all use more of. If a garden is where this is best learned, then I'm all for it.

 

In the beginning, God thought cultivation was a good idea for mankind and I believe it still is. It is as important today as when God first set man into the garden. I believe much can be learned from regaining agriculture as a personal and global priority. In embracing more agrarian values, mankind will reconnect, in an essential and meaningful way, with the processes and value of all life. In the beginning, God had an agrarian thought and that thought was good.

 

Michael Hennen