We Serve God by Resting in His Service to us

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2: 15)

This verse may strike some readers as strange, if not contradictory.

God made every thing in six days:

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1: 31)

and then

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." (Genesis 2: 2)

If God created everything, and it was a perfect work, why did God make man to dress and to keep it?

God wanted man to enjoy the land which He had created:

"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground." (Genesis 2: 5)

The first word "to serve", but Young's Literal Translation may help us understand further what Genesis 2: 15 states:

"And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it."

God wanted him to be at rest and to enjoy everything placed in the Garden. That is the work which we offer to God: recognizing all the good which He is, and has done, and receiving it.

"Keep" is the word "Shamar" which means to listen, or also to guard, to receive.

In order for us to serve God, we need to let Him serve us:

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10: 45)

and

"'I am the vine, ye the branches; he who is remaining in me, and I in him, this one doth bear much fruit, because apart from me ye are not able to do anything;" (John 15: 5)

We do nothing of ourselves, and in Adam's case, there was nothing around him which he had created or brought about.

Today, we need to see that we have no life in and of ourselves. Just as God our Creator made all things ready for us, God our Redeemer, our Father wants us to enter into His Son and accept one job, resting in the Perfect Work of His Son:

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19: 30)

and

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and also

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21: 5)