The Book of Jubilees, a text that expands on the Torah and offers a unique perspective on biblical history, gives us a fascinating glimpse. It claims to be a divinely revealed account, offering a more detailed narrative than Genesis alone. The author of Jubilees wants to provide a comprehensive guide for Israel, stating this is "the law and testimony which was written down for Israel, in order that they should observe (it) all the days."
So, what was life like in Eden, according to Jubilees?
Apparently, it involved a lot of gardening.
The text specifies that "in the first week of the first jubilee, Adam and his wife were in the Garden of Eden for seven years tilling and keeping it." Seven years! That's quite a long apprenticeship in paradise.
Tilling and keeping... What does that even mean in a perfect world? It sounds like hard work, doesn't it? Jubilees continues, "and we gave him work and we instructed him to do everything that is suitable for tillage." So, GOD Himself gave Adam instructions. Imagine having the Creator as your gardening coach!
And what did this divinely ordained gardening entail? "And he tilled (the garden), and was naked and knew it not, and was not ashamed." This reminds us of the Genesis account, of course, highlighting their innocence. But Jubilees adds another layer: responsibility.
Adam wasn’t just frolicking among the flowers. He "protected the garden from the birds and beasts and cattle, and gathered its fruit, and ate, and put aside the residue for himself and for his wife [and put aside that which was being kept]." He was a protector, a provider. Even in paradise, there was a need for stewardship. He had to guard against outside threats—the birds, the beasts, the cattle. He had to harvest, to manage resources, to plan for the future.
It paints a picture of Adam not just as an innocent bystander, but as an active participant in maintaining the Garden’s perfection. It suggests that even in a state of grace, there was purpose, there was work, there was a need for responsibility.
Isn't it interesting to think that even before the Fall, before the knowledge of good and evil, there was still a job to do? Perhaps that’s the real message here. That even in the most ideal circumstances, we are meant to cultivate, to protect, and to care for the world around us. Maybe that's a lesson we can all take to heart, no matter where our own "garden" may be.