After completing His plan of creation, God, speaking to man, gives him important instructions—among which is the command to cultivate and keep the garden. These two words are very powerful; they are not placed there by chance. In fact, God establishes man in the garden, giving him full authority and responsibility. If we examine these words closely, we will understand the very essence of the instruction.

Let’s begin with the first: to cultivate. In a garden, many varieties of plants grow. On one side, you may find flowers of various kinds, and on the other, trees that produce different fruits in their seasons. For the garden to be beautiful and well-ordered, the services of a gardener are necessary. The gardener’s mission is to maintain the garden, to arrange and organize it so that harmony prevails.

And if insects attack the plants, he knows what to do to solve the problem. Therefore, the act of cultivating, as mentioned in the text, entrusts man with responsibility. The land God has given him is under his care—he is commanded to manage it, to plant and grow whatever he wants, and to take care of it. I believe the land of the Garden of Eden was a consecrated and blessed land, and it caused all seeds to sprout, for it contained all the nutrients necessary for growth. In my humble opinion, it was a land unlike any other.

Then comes the instruction to keep the garden. God does not merely tell man to work it—He asks him to keep it. In other words, the development, management, and protection of the garden were not God’s responsibility but man’s. When we observe how things unfolded, we understand that man was the one who was supposed to reign over the earth. He was made in the image of God and had authority over all the animals of the earth and the sky—to the point that he was the one who gave them their names (Genesis 2:19).

The earth, therefore, was man’s possession. God had given him authority and full power. While God reigns as King in the heavens, man was established on earth to reign and manage what his Creator had entrusted to him. This is the economy of the Kingdom—to be established, to reign, and to manage the earth. That was God’s original intention when He created man.

I explain this quite clearly in my first book. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s what I say about the economy of the Kingdom:

“Borrowed from the Latin oeconomia, itself from the ancient Greek oikonomia, the word ‘economy’ means the art of properly managing a household, of overseeing someone’s possessions, and by extension, the administration of a country.
Thus, the economy of the Kingdom consists of being God’s stewards on earth. When we observe how a kingdom operates, we see that at its head is the king, the sovereign, followed by his ministers who handle the administration of the sovereign state.
Not all ministers have the same responsibilities—some handle finances, others the army (defense forces), etc. All are responsible for executing and establishing the king’s will and authority throughout the kingdom.
The same applies to us—God is counting on us to take hold of every sphere of influence. He needs men and women of faith who believe that all things are possible, and He desires that our faith grow so we may become stewards and managers of His Kingdom on earth.”

We are therefore God’s administrators on earth. The Kingdom of Earth was given to us as a possession. But sadly, in fierce jealousy against man—seeing the glorious destiny that the Lord had planned for him—Satan devised a plan to destroy the creature made in God’s image. And unfortunately, he succeeded.

At that moment, I imagine God’s heart was filled with great anger and sorrow, like a father who had invested everything in his offspring, only to see it all fall apart. The one He had appointed to reign and manage the Kingdom of Earth had opened a door that would lead all of humanity to death.

This is the tragic outcome: difficult and laborious days awaited man. No longer aligned with Heaven because of sin, he had to face the consequences. He was excluded and expelled from the garden he had been assigned to manage…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE ECONOMY OF THE KINGDOM” written by Emmanuel MENIE.

We invite you to read the next article: “The Political Situation: Failure of Human Leadership”.

INSTRUCTION: CULTIVATE AND KEEP. INSTRUCTION: CULTIVATE AND KEEP.