Tilling the Soil by Becky Dietz

“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”  Genesis 1:12

God created every form of vegetation with the potential for fruit in the Garden of Eden…but He waited until He had a “manager” to put over the garden before it brought forth fruit.  His original intent was for man and woman to discover treasures and create beauty as they tilled the magnificent garden He’d created.  Genesis goes on to tell us there were hidden riches in the rivers which went out of Eden waiting to be uncovered and discovered.  The work was going to be edifying, fulfilling, and amazing.

But Eve sinned and enticed Adam to sin.  And because of their bad choices, God put a curse on the soil.  They would no longer be tillers, they would be toilers.  To “till” holds the promise of breaking up soil and preparing fertile ground for seed which would become a full harvest leading to health and sustenance.  To “toil” designates hard effort, pain, and labor.

But the amazing thing about God is that He didn’t leave man in his fallen state.  He sent His own Son to die on the cross to take our punishment and make a way for restored fellowship with Himself.  And when He did that, He broke every curse and redeemed mankind to His original intent.  When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, everything changes—we become a new creation in Christ.  It’s as if God takes us back to the Garden of Eden and His first plan and says, “It’s all yours!”  God desires for us to till.  He’d like nothing better than for us to discover treasures and create beauty.  He has filled us with purpose and wants us to use the gifts He’s given us to invest in the kingdom of God.  He’s put us as managers over His creation… just like he did Adam.  And we have the privilege of tilling once again.