“But these tribes were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed. So the God of Israel caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath-pileser) to invade the land and take away the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as captives. The Assyrians exiled them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.”
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There’s something about the creaturehood of men that is dependent upon God. We are not his equals nor do we have the same ontological glory as he. In times of extreme stress, this is an obvious truth. But in times of ease and comfort, we seem to take this for granted. This is a prime truth of the Eden narrative. What happened in Eden is in many ways a telling expose on how providence and perfection do not satisfy mankind. The innate curiosity and philosophical mind of our creature is our greatest asset, but it is also our most vulnerable exploit. The desire to know, to dominate, to thrive, makes us ideal kings for creation but it also makes us automatic rebels in a kingdom. We are not satisfied in a pew or a throne. We are insatiable. This is the evergreen evil being explored in the history of the Jews. God loves a creature that isn’t content to love him. We are vampires and zombies, always seeking to drain life. Interestingly, this is a feature of our creation. It is a necessary quirk of compatibility between the finite and the infinite. But it needs pruning and oversight, and this is the ultimate function of the law, grace, and Christ. Knowing this highlights how much God loved us to have made us at all.

Human Nature: Humans are inherently curious and driven by a desire to know, dominate, and thrive, making them both capable rulers of creation and potential rebels against God.

The Fall of Man: The narrative of Eden illustrates how even in a state of providence and perfection, humanity’s insatiable nature led to disobedience and a desire for more.

God’s Love and Grace: God’s love for humanity is evident in creating beings with such a capacity for love and knowledge, even though it necessitates guidance and redemption through law, grace, and Christ.