Dust to Glory by Jan Darnell

From dust, God created sons and daughters to bear His image. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen. 1:27 Then God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden; a garden He planted specifically for Adam to oversee. Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Gen. 2:15 cultivate (5647) abad – “work, serve, labor; to worship, minister, work in ministry, plow, cultivate”

This magnificent paradise included rivers and rich soil embedded with stones such as gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. Gen. 2:9-14 It was a place of abundant, fruitful provision, designed for Adam to enjoy as well as cultivate and keep.
keep (8104) samar – “watch, observe, guard, set aside, cling to”

Blessed by God for fruitfulness, Adam had been given the capacity to accomplish the tasks set before him. He was created with Godlike abilities for the glory of God. Everyone (male and female) called by My name, I have created for My glory. Is. 43:7

In Genesis 2, we read of Adam naming every animal as God named the stars. Gen. 2:19-20; Ps. 147:4; Is. 40:26 Adam was reflecting the glory of his Creator whose intelligence, authority and creativity were seen, for whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. Gen. 2:19 In any task assigned, Adam had the opportunity to explore his abilities in the fellowship of his Father, enjoying his position as the son of a magnificent God. Gen. 2:15; Lk. 3:38

Why would God put dusty Adam in a paradise like the Garden of Eden rather than a desert or wilderness? Why? Because our Creator designed us to know His goodness and His glory. Consider this: when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God answered, I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you… Ex. 33:18-22 God defines His glory to be His immeasurable goodness.

Let’s be clear on this point: Gods’ position and honor as Creator belongs only to Him and none other. I am the LORD, that is My name, I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images. Is. 42:8 All praise and honor belong to God as our Creator. There are no other gods but One. Let us be thankful that this God rules the universe by the glory of His goodness! Beyond our control, He could have also been the opposite of good. What if He were one of terror and madness! But He isn’t. God is good! Glorify Him and revel in the goodness of our Creator!

The heart of our glorious God wants to share His satisfying goodness with us. His glory was shared with the first man and woman in the Garden, even with the Hebrews in their exodus and wilderness wandering consequential to their disobedience. Ex. 16:7 Most importantly the glory of God was declared and shared with us through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Jn. 1:14

The Garden was full of the goodness of God, which Adam was told to freely partake of. Gen. 2:16 In this sense, God does share His glory. When the sun rises, God is sharing His glory. When the sun sets and the moon takes its’ place, God is sharing His glory. His goodness was the reason for creation, for the Garden, for you and for His salvation. Trust His heart to be good towards you. It is.

O taste and see that the LORD is good! Ps. 34:8