After creating man and Eden, Yahweh places the man in the garden so that he might cultivate and keep it, just as the priests would later do for the tabernacle and temple. And within this restful place of work, Yahweh declares his provision, yet also states that the man must not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—if he does, he will die. Thus we see Yahweh placing man within His midst with purpose (Gen 1:16-18) and boundaries. Obedience leads to life in Yahweh's presence; disobedience leads to death outside of Yahweh's presence.

Mike McCoy steps into the pulpit this week to preach on Psalm 127 and God's plan for kingdom growth. Just as Solomon built a house for Yahweh and for himself, so he claims that all labor is vain unless Yahweh does the building. Indeed, unless Yahweh builds the house and blesses it with children, they labor in vain who attempt to build their own houses—they who try to build their own kingdoms outside of Yahweh's promises and blessing.

This week pastor Zach begins walking through the first chapter of Jonah where we see Jonah refuse Yahweh's command, go down to Joppa, and go down into a ship, fleeing Yahweh's very presence. In this irony-filled book, we begin to see how all things obey Yahweh, save his own prophet.

This week, pastor Ben Erickson from Barton Church visits and walks through Paul's closing remarks in 2 Thessalonians. As Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to not follow after the world, he includes disciplined work as a feature which characterizes such separation. If indeed there are any who are unruly and idle, not working so as to provide for themselves and others, then they are to be admonished as a brother so that they might learn to honor the Lord through work. Within all of this, Paul encourages all of them not to lose heart in doing good.

When Yahweh formed man from the dust and breathed the breath of life into him, He planted a garden and place the man there. The garden, set upon a mountain with flowing streams of water coming forth, had every tree which is good for food, including the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The garden that Yahweh planted was abundant in life, for it is where He himself dwelt with man.

And on the final day, God rested with His creation. Indeed, this rest is the culmination of His efforts, for God created the world with this day in mind, seeking to rest with His creation - especially His image-bearers. After the fall, Yahweh works through all of redemptive history to bring His own back into His presence so that He might rest with them forever.

On the sixth day of creation, God filled the land he created on the third day first with creatures according to their kinds. Finally, as the pinnacle and vice-regent of His creation, God created man in His own image. Man's duty was to have dominion over creation, to subdue it, and to be fruitful and multiply over the face of the earth, spreading God's image over all creation.

On the fifth day of creation, God fills what he created on day two with animals. Each was created according to its own kind, again portraying the order of God's creation. Thus God not only proves his complete sovereignty over the creatures of the earth, but also his wisdom in structuring a world devoid of chaos.