God’s Design

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What was so good about God’s design? 

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31a

What was so good about God’s design of the world?  When we look around today it is increasingly more difficult to see the beauty and benefits of the world around us.  The world seems so out of sorts, broken even.  So much needs to be fixed and corrected.  Each one of us understands the words struggle, hardship, tragedy, and conflict.  But the Bible tells us that God created everything, and that it was very good.

As we read further in Genesis 2, we begin to see what made God’s creation so good.  These characteristics are what make life good today, and we do well to preserve and promote these in our families and communities. 

  1. God’s design was very good. When He created the world, there was no mistake, no sorrow, no lawlessness, no hatred, no division.  There was perfect harmony among God’s creation and between His creation and Himself.  Imagine a world with no pain, no fear, no crying, no sorrow.  This was God’s design for you and me. 

  2. God’s design valued life (2:7). The final act of God’s creation was man and woman.  Humanity is the crowning glory of God’s creation, and we were all made in His own image.  Danny Akin summarizes the uniqueness of human beings saying, “they are spiritual, moral, social and cultural beings who were supposed to use the totality of their lives to please God.”[1]  We were made for a real and right relationship with God, one another, and the whole world.  God made every life, and every life matters. 

  3. God’s design was satisfying (2:8-9). God placed the first man in the Garden of Eden.  He did not leave man in a wilderness.  He didn’t leave man to find his home on his own.  Instead, God put him in a garden where he would have every need met.  The Garden of Eden provided for man’s needs and was completely satisfying.  God’s design was for us to have all we needed. 

  4. God’s design demanded man’s responsibility (2:15). God did not put the man in the garden to lay back, relax, and take it easy.  No, the man was expected to work the garden.  He had work to do, though this work was enjoyable.  There weren’t weeds, thorns, and briars to interfere.  The man cared for the garden and the animals.  God’s design expected man to be productive and creative. 

  5. God’s design operated under God’s authority (2:16-17). God gave man one simple command to follow.  God expected man to follow His command in obedience.  If man could keep just this one command, he would continue to enjoy God’s provision and paradise forever.  God’s design expected man to live under God’s authority. 

  6. God’s design promoted love and family (2:18, 24). God recognized that the man was alone and needed a helper, a companion.  It wasn’t good for him to be alone, so God made woman.  Man and woman both reflect the image of God and are equal in relationship to God.  Together man and woman would work, worship, and walk with God.  As a family they would multiply God’s goodness in their children.  God’s design promoted love and faithfulness in the family. 

  7. God continued to be active in His design. He did not create the world and abandon it.  He remained close and involved in the lives of those he created.  He made the man and woman.  God made the garden.  He put them in the garden.  He gave man responsibilities and reminded him of God’s sovereign rule.  He made man and woman for one another.  God designed the world that man and woman would enjoy the blessings of relationship together with God, and God’s design was very good. 

     

It may not seem like its very good today, but trust God will restore creation one day.  I encourage you to hold onto these characteristics and promote them in your own family and community. 

 

 

[1] Akin, Daniel and Bruce Ashford.  I Am Going, B&H Publishing Group, 2016, pg. 5. 


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