What is the purpose of the universe? The Psalmist proclaims, "All the world is a choir resounding with joyous song." And what is the underlying message of these songs? Simply this: God's praise is sung when each part of creation performs its assigned task without deviation, every creature acting out its ordained role as a fine, percision instrument.

When God appointed Adam choir master of the universe, the diverse elements of creation were bidden to obey his baton. Adam, who was composed of all those diverse elements, was provided with a score to follow and instructions on how to use each creation in its proper time and place.

So was God's plan for the mission of man: He gave him dominion over the works of His hands and He placed everything under his feet. Thus man's dominion requires balancing, adjusting, guiding, and coaxing all of the world's divergent forces into a symphony of divine service.  

We know from Scripture that Adam was created on the sixth day. On that day, God informed Adam of his duties and restrictions and then commanded him to obey, warning of the dire consequences of disobedience. But Adam failed to follow divine imperative.

It is not adequate to merely say that Adam dwelled in Paradise . It would be more accurate to say that Paradise dwelled within him. Adam was blessed with the inner joy of security and self-assurance. The agony of self-doubt never tormented this first man. He was completely at peace with himself, confident that his every motive was pure. The inclination of evil did not exist inside him. He was a perfect and harmonious blend of sacred forces.

In his prime, Adam's intellectual scope was all-encompassing, unlimited and unhampered by distortion, but sin clouded his vision and brought him to the gates of death. Adam changed profoundly after he erred. At first, not the slightest trace of evil resided within him. However, after eating of the forbidden fruit, he took the enemy into himself and made evil an integral part of his makeup. Soon his life became a bitter conflict, an endless struggle between good and evil, truth and falsehood. He hesitated, he stumbled, fluctuated between ascent and descent, success and failure. No longer was he a creature of truth.

This narrative of Adam is a perfect picture of mankind today. We see joy and beauty at the beginning, but pain and devastation in the end, when we fail to honor Him.  

"See, I have set before you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess," Deuteronomy 30:15.

God bless

Send your comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it