An omniscient God knows everything there is to be known. This includes past present and future. Upon His decision to create the physical universe and all that was to be in it, He also knew what he wanted to occur. He wanted to create an intelligent being, combining a physical mortal body, with an eternal soul, or spirit.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)
His purpose for creating this arrangement was to have a physical creature who would endure temptations, or whatever might come his way, and have such strong faith in Him they would live a short while as best they could, in order to be rewarded with an everlasting life, free from pain and temptations.
But with infinite wisdom and knowledge, He knew that this man He would create would be weak and would fail to meet His requirements. So, seeing that the man was to be so inferior in his physical body, God made long time plans to assure that he would have ample opportunity to acquire that exceptional reward.
Beginning at the creation, man was placed initially in an enviable position where everything he needed was supplied. Seemingly, his only duty was to tend the garden in which he was placed.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
He also had but one restriction, it seems, as to what he could not do, or which would cause him temptation. Most are somewhat familiar with the story, so we will move on to the time when he was expelled from the garden and placed on his own, to work for his sustenance and be subject to all of the temptations which have faced mankind since that day.
When there are but two people alive, no records with which to refer, no means of surviving except through one’s own initiative and ingenuity, things would be difficult. The modern popular fiction book, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe portrays an individual who was stranded on an uninhabited island and some hardships he encountered. This man, however, had the benefit of witnessing means of livelihood, cures for minor ills, etc., not enjoyed by the first two of God’s creation.
But, even though little is recorded concerning the method or the details of God’s instructions to Adam as to being an obedient servant of God, we can know that he did indeed give instructions and can conclude some of the things as well as His obligation to pass those instructions on to his progeny. We can also conclude that he gave Adam the instructions that were to be observed by all his descendents from then onward throughout the entire patriarchal period.
We can learn a lot from the account of Adam’s first two son’s, Cain and Abel. The story of the discord which arose between them proves that God had instructed them to offer sacrifices unto Him. Plus, it is obvious that He had requested them to offer a blood (flesh) sacrifice, since that is what Abel offered, through faith, and it pleased God, and Cain offered of his vegetable crops which displeased Him.
We find instances where God spoke to humans or appeared to them in a dream or vision, when there was something needed to be told. However, we find no record of His offering any additional commands for man to live by from those in the beginning to Adam’s family.
God has not seen fit to instruct individuals with new rules, etc., but has left the responsibility of passing his commands from one patriarch to the next. This becomes more and more obvious as you see the people move farther and farther from God’s instructions. In instances from time to time, you see virtually the entire populace turn to evil living away from God.
At the time of the universal flood, 1656 A.M., God found only eight people, one family, who had maintained their faith in Him. This was the reason for the flood, to cleanse the earth of it’s evil and begin again. As the earth became re-populated, God moved to arrange for the sending of His Son to redeem those from the beginning unto the ending of time who had kept faith in God and had made their best effort to obey his edicts.
The world again was populated primarily with people who had again turned away from God. This resulted in His choosing faithful Abram (whose name God changed to Abraham) to furnish the lineage to Christ. He further chose the son of Abraham, Isaac, and his son Jacob to furnish the chosen people. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and he fathered twelve sons who became known as the 12 tribes of Israel.
The giving of God’s second law through Moses came after their having been in Egyptian captivity and was set free by God through miraculous plagues and disasters inflicted upon the Egyptian captors. As they began their journey to the promised land of Canaan, God gave the ten commandments engraved in stone to them through Moses who had been appointed by God to lead them. The ten commandments contained the basis for the law given to them through Moses. This was the first of the written laws of God. Given only to the Jews (Israelites). The other nations were still subject to the law of the patriarchs, although there is none recorded at that point who were following God’s law.
There are a few things which can be gleaned. Under the patriarchal, the Mosaical and the Christian dispensations, the laws, though different, all required that one have unwavering faith in God, and His Son (under the Christian era) and strong effort put forth towards obedience to his commands. Where man failed, or presently fails, unintentionally, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sins. Under all three dispensations. Those under the old laws, could never have their sins completely removed, until the Savior shed His blood.
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