The First Command: A Gift of Freedom and Trust

 

"The First Command: A Gift of Freedom and Trust"

In Genesis 2:9–17, we step into the quiet beauty of Eden, where God had placed the first human in a garden filled with life, beauty, and abundance. Out of the ground, the Lord made every tree grow — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the very center stood two remarkable trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

And it was here that God gave humanity the very first command — and notably, it was a prohibition:
"You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17)

Notice what God did before the command: He freely gave! He said, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden" (v. 16). Freedom came first. God's prohibition was not meant to be a burden but a boundary within a gift, a necessary fence that protected life and relationship.

Why was this first command so important?

Because it was about trust and love. It was about whether humanity would trust that God knew best — whether they would accept that true wisdom and life came from God, not from grasping for themselves. The prohibition was an invitation to live not by self-rule, but by trusting God's goodness and authority.

The boundary set by God wasn’t a trap. It was a space for relationship to grow. Without the option to say "no" to God, there could be no true love, no true obedience. Love must be freely given. Trust must be willingly chosen.

In every age, including our own, the question still echoes:
Will we trust the God who gives abundantly — or will we grasp at what He has lovingly withheld, thinking we know better?

Today, let us remember: the first command was not a denial of life but a protection of it. It was an invitation to walk freely and trust deeply in the One who made us. Amen.

More: Sabbath School Lesson 5: The Nations Part 2