Genesis 2:4-15 (KJV)
[4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, [5] 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. … [7] 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 soul. … [15] And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
To get the full flow of these verses, read Genesis 2:1-15.
What we are told in this passage is truly profound. Something that when understood would equip one with the knowledge of how to make meaningful progress in the Christian journey towards being like the Lord Jesus in character and glory.
Reading verses 4 and 5 again, it says: “[4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, [5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: …”. Do you see what this is saying? It is saying that the heavens and earth and the plants and herbs, etc were created before they grew (before they were physically present on earth). That means God finished creating them spiritually first before they were seen physically.
But before they could be seen physically, verse 5 explains, saying: “… and there was not a man to till the ground”, while verse 7 says: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it”. These sentences reveal an amazing truth: that in order for that which God had finished creating spiritually to be seen physically, a man must till the ground.
How can we apply this truth?
We can begin by first understanding that we are symbolically referred to as a garden. Two scriptures show this. Isaiah 58:11 says:
“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
And Jeremiah 31:12 says:
“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.”
Meaning, similar to God placing Adam in a garden, we also are in a garden — the garden of our soul. And as God told Adam to dress and to keep his garden, so also God wants us to dress and keep our gardens (our souls, which comprises our mind, our desires, our emotions and our will). Part of this dressing and keeping includes tilling. Genesis 2:5 shows that the plants God had finished creating in the spiritual had not come up physically because there was no man to till the ground. Meaning, part of the reason God wants us to keep the garden of our soul is so that the things He has finished creating in our soul spiritually would be seen physically as our character and abilities.
What are the things that God has finished creating in our soul?
Christ Jesus! God has finished creating Jesus in us. Meaning, spiritually, we are like Jesus. That is, we are in His image. We have His character and we have His abilities. Romans 8:29-30 shows this, saying:
“[29] For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.”
This shows that God has already finished the work of calling you, justifying you, glorifying you and making you similar to Jesus, such that Jesus is your Senior Brother (the Firstborn). This is already a completed new creation work! 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 2:10 show this. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Note the past tense! God has completed the work of removing the old and establishing you as a new creature. He has made you to be in Christ! Ephesians 2:10 also shows this, saying:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
This shows us that God has already ordained that we should work in good works. Spiritually, He has completed the work of making us do good works. He has created us in Christ Jesus. Meaning, Jesus is the raw material that was used to form us; and as such, His qualities have already been built into us. Already! In the spiritual, we are actually like Jesus, doing His works and speaking His words! We are complete (finished) in Him. That is what Colossians 2:9-11 says:
“[9] For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. [10] And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: [11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”
We are complete (finished) in Him. God has done the work already and has removes the body of the sins of the flesh. Meaning, our bodies are no longer prone to committing sin.
But these are spiritual realities that God has finished creating, just like we are told in Genesis 2:4-5 that God had already finished creating the plants and herbs before they were seen physically. And as it is said in verse 5, [that the reason the things God had finished creating spiritually had not shown up physically is because there was no man yet to till the ground], so also, in order for all these Christ qualities that God has already created in us spiritually to be seen physically (as our expressed character) we need to till our garden (our soul).
How do we till our soul?
The Word “till” used in Genesis 2:5 is from a Greek word which means “work”. Meaning, to till the ground means to work the ground; and working the ground involves turning it to break hard soil, taking care of it, sowing seeds into it, nurturing it, removing weeds, watering it, etc. Hosea 10:12-13 gives insight on how to work (till) our soul. It says:
“[12] Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you. [13] Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.”
This passage shows that tilling your soul involves “breaking up your fallow ground” and “sowing to yourself in righteousness”. Since the ground is the garden and the garden symbolically represents our soul (as mentioned earlier), breaking up your fallow ground means breaking up your soul. But your soul consists of your desires, your mind, your will and your emotions. So breaking up your soul means breaking up your desires, your mind, your will and your emotions.
The goal of breaking up the ground is simply to make it not hard so that it is easy for seeds to enter inside when planted. Likewise, the goal of breaking up your soul is to make [your mind, your will, your emotions and your desires] not hard so that it is easy for the seed of the Word of God to enter you and germinate. Hardness of heart is caused by unbelief and sin. Acts 19:9 shows this, saying: “… some were hardened and did not believe …”. And Hebrews 3:13 says: “but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”. Thus, we see that hardness of heart is caused by unbelief and sin. Breaking up your fallow ground (removing hardness from your soul) therefore involves sincerely repenting from any sin and refusing to entertain unbelief in your heart. Doing so is what makes it possible for you to sow to yourself in righteousness.
“Sowing to yourself” means to plant the Word of God in yourself; “in righteousness” means to do it by faith (the righteousness of faith, Romans 4:13). As such, “sowing to yourself in righteousness” means to plant the Word of God into yourself with faith. This involves studying, meditating on and ultimately speaking the Word of God to yourself by faith. That is, declaring the truths in the Word of God to yourself with faith. For example, when Matthew 21:13 says: “… My house shall be called the house of prayer …”, you can sow this Word into yourself by speaking it to yourself with faith, saying (for example): “By the Word of the Lord, I am a house of prayer”. Or “I am holy for my God is Holy” based on Leviticus 19:2.
In summary, investing the Word of God into yourself with faith is sowing to yourself in righteousness; and according to Hosea 10:12, what you gain for doing this is mercy; what you gain for tilling your garden is mercy; the mercy of God to cause those realities that He has already created in you spiritually to germinate physically.
Prayer for today:
Father, thank You for all that You have already created me to be in Christ Jesus. Help me to till my soul so that these Christ realities would manifest physically as my personality. Help me to not have a hardened mind, will, desire or emotion. Let my soul be soft to receive Your Word. I repent of that sin that I committed. Have mercy on me, and let me not harbour unbelief in my heart. O Lord, let Your mercy cause the truths of Your Word to germinate in me, so that I can indeed be a well watered garden, expressing the beautiful virtues of Christ that you have already finished in me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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