Commentary Upon Genesis 1-3, Commentary on Genesis · Chapter 2 · Verse 16
VERSE 16.
ANd the Lord God] Himſelf in Perſon, the ſame God that had planted the Garden, and beſtowed it upon the man for his poſſeſſion and dwelling: ſo that the Name of God ſeemes to be mentioned in this place, as well to ſet before us the ſtrictneſſe of this reſtraint, that it was laid upon man by the Authority of God Himſelf, which alſo the woman inſiſts on in her anſwer to Satan, Gen, 3.39:) As withall to ſet out the Equity thereof as being laid on him by God, who having both planted and ſtored the Garden, and freely beſtowed it on him, had full power and liberty, to give out of that which was every way his own, what he pleaſed, & to withhold what he thought good; and conſequently manifeſted his infinite Bounty and Goodneſſe in beſtowing all the reſt of the fruits and denying man onelyonly this one
Commanded the man] or, to render it word for word [Commanded upon the man] And it is noted by ſome, that when that prepoſition [foreign] is added to the word (Tzavab) which is uſually rendred (Commanded) It ſignifies a reſtraint; as the ſame phraſe is uſed, Iſa. 5.6. This is out of queſtion, that here the word (Commanded) muſt be referred to the latter clauſe of the next verſe following; for the Command to the Man was not to eat of all the reſt of the fruits (which was rather a Grant or Permiſſion, then a Command) but onelyonly to abſtain from that fruit that was forbidden.
The man] The word Adam may include both Sexes in this place, as well as one; we are ſure it doth, ſo, Gen. 5.2. He called their name, Adam ſpeaking both of the Man and Woman. So that, for ought appears to the contrary, the Commandement might be, and it is moſt probable, was delivered by God Himſelf unto Eve, as well as to the Man, although it be not certain that it was ſo.
Of every Tree] That is, of the fruit of every Tree; So that the Grant of thoſe fruits to the Man is inlarged in two Circumſtances. Firſt, that it extended, to every Tree: And Secondly, to the enjoying of them fully, as we ſhall ſee anon. This large extent of Gods Grant, is the more carefully to be obſerved, that we may in the next Chapter, take notice how groſly and palpably God is wronged, both by the Devils captious inquiry (yea becauſe God hath ſaid, Ye ſhall not eat of every Tree) and by the Womans Scant and Maligne expreſſion of the Grant in her Anſwer to Satan [Of the fruit of the Trees we may eat] Leaving out both the Circumſtances in this place, that commended the largeneſſe of the Gift; namely, that they were allowed to eat of Every Tree, and to eat Freely.
Thou mayeſt freely eat] Or, eating thou mayeſt eat; An Hebraiſme of ſpeciall force, pointing out ſometimes the Certainty, ſometimes the Continuance, ſometimes the Intention of an action. All which perhaps, or perhaps the two laſt, may be intended in this place, God allowing man to eat Daily, and Plentifully, even to Satiety, of all thoſe pleaſant fruits of the Garden.
This large Gift of God to man, is delivered and expreſſed marvellous aptly, if we take notice of the Order wherein it is here placed by the Holy Ghoſt, being added immediately after the Commandement of dreſſing the Garden, as an incouragement to the Man unto that labour, whereof the fruit and benefit ſhould return unto himſelf alone; So that the Eaſineſſe and Equity of that Commandement, is manifeſted in this, that man was to labour for his good; And it is likewiſe prefixed before the reſtraint that followes, to manifeſt Gods Bounty and Goodneſſe even therein, that out of ſuch infinite variety of choice fruits, God withheld from him only one Tree, and that too (as we ſhall ſee hereafter for his good, that by it he might be ſtill admoniſhed to look unto the Will of God, as the rule of all his actions.
By the like Circumſtance God intimateth the reaſonablneſſe of his reſtraint from labour on the Sabbath day, becauſe he had allowed Man ſix daies for the diſpatch of his own affaires.
The ſcope of the Holy Ghoſt in ſetting down Gods Grant of all the fruits of Paradiſe unto Adam, before he mentions the reſtraint, or forbidding the eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that he might the more chearfully ſubmit unto Gods Will in denying him but One Tree, when he had ſo freely, and fully allowed all the reſt may warrant us to
1. Obſerve. The Senſe and Experience of Gods Goodneſſe is the beſt meanes to encourage us to chearful obedience unto Gods Will.
Obſerv. 1 UPon this ground the Lord before his Law, prefixeth the mention of his Peoples deliverance out of Egypt, Exod. 20.2. And Moſes beats often upon that Argument, to quicken the People to Gods Service, as Deut. 6.10. and 11.7, 8. And the Lord ſeverally threatens his People if they ſerve him not with Gladneſſe, for the abundance of all things, Deut. 28.47. Indeed nothing is ſo forcible to conſtrain as love, 2 Cor. 5.14. Which is grounded upon experience of Gods Love unto us, manifeſted in his large bounty towards us.
Let it direct every one of us to quicken and ſtrengthen all our hearts by that motive to every duty; 1. Let us keep by us a Catalogue of Gods Mercies, both General to his whole Church, and to our ſelves in Particular. 2. When we find out hearts dull, and ſluggiſh in the duties of Obedience; let us labour to quicken them by ſetting all his favours before us, conſidering how great things he hath done for us, 1 Sam. 12.24. 3. Upon every freſh Mercy let us renew our engagements and reſolutions to conſtancy and Chearfulneſſe in Gods Service, as we ſee, David doth, Pſalme 116. This means not only quickens us when our hearts be dead, but beſides, 2. makes our ſervice more acceptable: For the Lord loves a chearful giver. 3. Keeps down the ſwelling of our hearts when we look upon all our ſervices as debts for what we have received.
Again, obſerve in this the order; that God firſt enjoyns the manto labour in the Garden, and then gives him liberty to eat of the fruits of it, to point out the way by which he may have the better title to that whereof he ſhould make uſe; to labour for it firſt, and to enjoy it afterwards. Whence,
2. Obſerve, Mans Labour about the things of this life gives him a good title unto that which he enjoyes.
Obſerv. 2 NOt by any right of our own that we gain thereby, but by Gods free grant, who allowes us all things under that condition, Gen. 3.19. And promiſeth it as a ſpecial bleſſing upon his own Children: They ſhall eat the labours of their own hands, Pſal. 128.2. And the Apoſtle calls that only our Own bread for which we labour, denying food to thoſe that live idle, 2 Theſſ. 3.10. as having no title to it at all. There ſeems indeed ſome title in Equity, to allow men a ſhare of that which they have (although as Gods inſtruments) produced by their own labour, whence God gives even unto Oxen an allowance out of that corn which they tread out, 1 Cor. 9.9. And every Maſter allowes his ſervant food when he hath done his work, Luk. 17.8. as well for recompence of his labour paſt, as both to encourage and enable him to his work afterwards, which otherwiſe without ſuch allowance he cannot be able to continue. See Chap. 1. ver. 29. Obſerv. 4.5.
Now if we compare and lay together this Commandement to the Man to labour, and the Grant that he ſhall enjoy and make uſe of the fruits about which he labours, we may further,
3. Obſerve, All Mans Labour and Service is for his own Good.
Obſerv. 3 IN outward things Solomon tells, our labour is but for our mouth, Eccl. 6.7. that is, for the ſupplying of our own neceſſities for this preſent life in food, clothing, &c. So that either we have the fruits of our labours to our ſelves in particular; or if they be directed to a common good, ſeeing we are all concerned therein, the benefit returns unto us at the ſecond hand, as the food which the hands labour for, though it be firſt received into the belly: yet the ſtrength and nouriſhment which is received thereby, is imparted to them as well as to other members of the body. As for other duties of the ſervices which God require, we know we have our fruit in holineſſe, and the end everlaſting life, Rom. 6.22. ſo that in all things we may truly ſay with the Church, That we ſerve him for our own good, Deut. 6.24. For as for God, our righteouſneſſe profits not him at all, Job 35.7. as our wickedneſſe hurts him not. So that we may truly ſay, as our Saviour directs us, Luk. 17.10. that, When we have done all that is required of us, we are Unprofitable ſervants, to God at leaſt, though we may ſome way profit men.
Let this encourage us to all duties of ſervice unto God and Man. The merciful man doth good to his own ſoul, Prov. 11.17. 1. By exerciſing it in vertuous and holy motions and actions at preſent, and thereby encreaſing and ſtrengthening the habits of Grace. 2. By getting intereſt thereby in a ſure reward when the time of refreſhing ſhall come, by Gods gracious promiſe; ſo we make not that, but the honour of God the ſcope of all our holy endeavours, as we are required, Matth. 5.16. See Chriſts promiſe, Joh. 12.26.
To conſider Gods dealing with Adam ſomewhat more particularly: God, intending to deny unto Adam the uſe of one of the Trees of the Garden, before hand grants him the free uſe of all the reſt, that by the conſideration of what he enjoyed, he might the more willingly be contented to bear the want of that which was withheld from him. Whence,
4. Obſerve, The beſt way to quiet our hearts in obſerving what we want, is to ſet before our eyes what we do enjoy.
Obſerv. 4 THus Elkanah goes about to ſatisfie his Wife Hannah being troubled for want of children, by ſetting before her the love of himſelf who was her husband. And Davids heart diſtempered by the conſideration of wicked mens proſperity which he wanted, was never quieted, till he conſidered that God held him by his right hand, guiding him at preſent by his Counſel, that he might afterwards bring him to glory, Pſal. 73.14, 23.
Let us carefully make uſe of this means to allay the diſtempers of our hearts, raiſed often in us by the Art and Malice of Satan, by ſetting before us what we want. If we grudge at reſting the Sabbath day, remember the ſix dayes which are allowed us for our labours; Set before our eyes the liberty of uſing lawful delights againſt the reſtraint from vain pleaſures; the enjoying of Grace againſt the want of Wealth; Honour from God againſt the ſcorns of men; Inward peace againſt Outward troubles; the enjoying of many friends left us, againſt the loſſe of ſome taken from us. Thus Countermining Satan, who finds no other means both to diſquiet our hearts by murmuring and diſcontent, and to wrong God, but by concealing and hiding from our eyes the bleſſings which we have received; and by fixing them upon, and enlarging, our wants. In this caſe it will be needful for us not onelyonly to fix our eyes upon the mercies themſelves which we have received, but to enlarge them by the conſideration of Gods free bounty; in beſtowing both that which we had no right unto of our ſelves, and that, without any deſert of ours at all.
The Grant it ſelf is to be conſidered in the next place, laid before us, enlarged every way both in the variety of the ſeveral kinds of the choyce fruits which were given; and in the free liberty to enjoy them Fully and Continually, implyed in that phraſe, Eating thou mayeſt eat. Whence,
5. Obſerve, The proviſions which God allowes us, even for this preſent life, are manifold, and of wonderful variety.
Obſerv. 5 ALl Herbs and Fruits, Beaſts, Fiſhes and Fowles for our food, and nouriſhment; Wooll, Flax, Silks, Furrs, and Skins of Beaſts for our Clothing; Variety of Materials for building and furniſhing of our houſes; beſides proviſions for Medicine and Defence; yea, for Pleaſure and Delight. And this God doth; 1. Becauſe our wants are various. 2. Every ſeveral Creature is Defective and Inſufficient to all things. 3. To ſet out before us the riches of his treaſures, that we might admire the more the riches of his All-ſufficiency, and to affect us with the more feeling taſte of his bounty expreſſed unto us, ſo many wayes, in thoſe various comforts wherewith he ſupplyes us.
Let the conſideration hereof ceaſe our murmurings, quench our unſatiable deſires, and warrant our ſober and ſeaſonable uſe of, and rejoycing in, our ſtore and abundance: But withal, kindle in our hearts a longing deſire after that One thing which is both Neceſſary and Sufficient, even God Himſelf, communicated unto us in his Son Jeſus Chriſt, who alone is unto us a Full and All-ſufficient Treaſury, ſeeing the very variety of theſe outward things argue their Inſufficiency and Imperfection.
The ſecond Circumſtance by which this Grant of the fruits of Paradiſe is enlarged, is, that God gave not the man only the Taſte of them; but withall, the Full and Conſtant fruition of them; to take of them what he pleaſed either for Neceſſity or Delight within the bounds of Sobriety, without any other limitation or reſtraint at all. Whence,
6. Obſerve, Whatſoever God beſtowes upon us, he beſtowes Freely and Fully.
Obſerv. 6 AL things abundantly, 1 Tim. 6.17. Commanding us to open our mouthes wide that we may fill them, Pſalme 81.10. Satisfying the deſire of every living thing, Pſalme 145. Multiplying his Bleſſing like the Widdowes oyl, 2 King. 4. which never ceaſed till there were no more Veſſells to receive it; And as he gives largely, ſo He deſires that we ſhould ſatisfie our ſouls with his Goodneſſe, Jer. 30.14.25. Freely uſing his Bleſſings within the bounds of Moderation; but above all things, his Deſire is that we take of the waters of the Well of Life freely, without money; and drink, and eat, and delight their ſouls in fatneſſe, Iſa. 55.2. That we may rejoyce in the Lord alwaies, and again rejoyce, Phil. 4.4. And this God doth Partly becauſe the bounty of his Goodneſſe may be ſeen the more, the more we taſte it ſo many various and divers waies.
Let our acknowledgments in our duties unto God, be ſome way anſwerable unto his gifts unto us, Free and Full every way, that they may be accepted of him, who loves a Chearful Giver; the rather, becauſe we render unto him, 1. Of his Own, 1 Chron. 29.14.2. Our giving unto him is but Sowing, and that unto our ſelves, whereof we receive the increaſe, and that proportionable to our Seed, 2 Cor. 9.6.