PROSPERITY: WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

Life in the Garden of Eden

Pastor Maselo Mosomane

“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.” Genesis 2:8-12

When God created the earth in Genesis chapter one He started by bringing order on the earth. He said in verse three; “let there be light” and there was light. All of His creation as mentioned in this chapter can be summed up in one word - ‘provision.’ God provided for everything He created. Before animals could be created He commanded that the earth bring forth grass, herbs and trees. As soon as vegetation was created He went on to create animals. Can you see the order? Before He created animals He created vegetation for their provision.

When all was said and done, God created man and gave him authority over all His creation. He blessed them (male and female) and said; “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 every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28. God gave man control over all His creation - the earth and all that is in it. Later David sang a song. The opening line of his song says; “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1. Haggai also reiterated; “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:8

God took the earth that belonged to Him and everything in it and gave it to man to govern. He created them for His own glory but He gave all to man when He said; “fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion”

What was in the earth that God gave to man? We see in verses 29 and 30 God making an announcement and that announcement still stands. “And God said, ‘See, 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’; and it was so” We see in chapter two that there were other things that God gave to man too. “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.” Genesis 2:11-12. Gold, bdellium and onyx are gems – precious stones.

That was not all; there was more than that. Ezekiel the prophet describes the wealth of Eden when he prophesied against the king of Tyre; “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper; sapphire, turquoise, and emerand with gold. This is what Adam inherited when God put him in the garden of Eden.

What do we understand about all these? Man was created and placed on earth to govern the earth and all that is in it. Man was created into a very rich estate. He was not created to lack anything – he was created to live in abundance. The first man; Adam was surrounded by wealth all around. We are all of us descendent of this man; Adam. This makes us heirs too.

I am aware that this biblical truth is not what our situation is today. We don’t see this wealth in our lives and we wonder. Every morning when we wake up we open our eyes to witness poverty all around. Where are all the minerals that were ever mined; let alone the rest that is still to be mined? Why is there so much poverty in the earth? WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?