In the Likeness of the Life-Giver
Photo by Alexei Scutari on Unsplash
In the Likeness of the Life-Giver is the second piece in a series of three prose poems recounting the story of the Creation and the Fall. The first post in this series is In The Beginning. I wrote this series two years ago, as we closed 2017 and entered into 2018.
At the beginning of time, God created a garden, Eden, within what is now the Fertile Crescent. Cocooned by the life-giving waters of four rivers and ablaze with sunlight, Eden was overflowing with lush greenery. There was no one to work the land, so from the soil, God molded a man in His likeness. For this purpose, God created the man: to cultivate the land and to care for the animals.
Among all of God’s creatures, the man was alone. Thus, God saw fit to create a helper specifically designed for him. The man fell into a deep slumber, and from one of the man’s ribs, God formed a woman. Before the fall, the man and the woman stood naked, exposed before one another, yet they felt no shame.
Now, the man and the woman lived harmoniously among the animals, and God walked with them in the garden. They cultivated the land, and were given careful instructions by God regarding what vegetation was available for consumption. It was God’s command that they did not eat from one tree in the garden, which would open their minds to the knowledge of good and evil. Yet all the vegetation throughout the rest of Eden was blessed to be given to the man and the woman for food. (See Genesis 1:29.)
“Behold, I have given…” To behold something is to be overcome by it. Be enraptured. Be captivated. Be awestruck. Your God has given.
