Gardening by God's Design - Part One
GOD’S DESIGN FOR GROWING
FOOD AS REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE
By His design, the Creator's first job for man was farming
1. In the book of Genesis, newly created man and woman were given the mandate of cultivating the earth for the purpose of growing food for themselves. "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15) This was God’s design.Fast forward to today. That first responsibility given to man has never been rescinded. So anyone who desires to farm/garden is in line with God’s design and to them He has said a hearty, “AMEN”. For mankind to tend a garden in order to grow food, etc. is God’s design.
By His design, the Creator intended for man to derive pleasure, joy, find fulfillment and experience beauty and abundance through gardening
2. God created the Garden of Eden. The word “ Eden” means “pleasure”. So caring for Eden was to be a pleasurable & fulfilling thing for the man & woman. Genesis 2:9 says, “Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food”.
2. God created the Garden of Eden. The word “ Eden” means “pleasure”. So caring for Eden was to be a pleasurable & fulfilling thing for the man & woman. Genesis 2:9 says, “Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food”.
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Eden was a pleasure to behold. It was beautiful by God’s design. It was pleasing to man to look at, to tend to, to taste & it was satisfying to eat. Gardening, by God’s design was a delightful responsibility that God gave to the first couple. It was designed by Him to be a thing of joy, beauty, abundance, satisfaction and it was rewarding.
And the pleasure of tending a garden and enjoying its fruit is an aspect of God’s design that we know experientially is still true, don’t we?
And the pleasure of tending a garden and enjoying its fruit is an aspect of God’s design that we know experientially is still true, don’t we?
By His design. the Creator provided a way for the soil to be nourished and sustained organically
3. Every living thing that God created is organic, was created from the dust of the earth and will eventually return to the ground. When God pronounced the curse on Adam & Eve, He said, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19
Even in giving the curse God was gracious, for the earth is sustained in this way. Living things that have died return to dust and continue to nourish & replenish the soil. This aspect of God’s design is what we call composting, though it is only vegetable matter that we commonly put in our compost bins. “If it was ever alive, then put it in the compost bin” is how the flyer from the recycling & waste company describes what goes into my compost bin.
“From dust to dust” is the key to sustainability & the Lord is the creator of it. It is His design, even though it was a result of sin, having come about as a consequence of death. This is a solid example of how God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose. His deep love for Adam & Eve is so clearly seen here to me, even after they disobeyed Him.
Even in giving the curse God was gracious, for the earth is sustained in this way. Living things that have died return to dust and continue to nourish & replenish the soil. This aspect of God’s design is what we call composting, though it is only vegetable matter that we commonly put in our compost bins. “If it was ever alive, then put it in the compost bin” is how the flyer from the recycling & waste company describes what goes into my compost bin.
“From dust to dust” is the key to sustainability & the Lord is the creator of it. It is His design, even though it was a result of sin, having come about as a consequence of death. This is a solid example of how God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose. His deep love for Adam & Eve is so clearly seen here to me, even after they disobeyed Him.
Of course we see the Lord’s love for sinners there in the garden even more profoundly in Genesis 3:15 when He pronounced a curse on Satan, that revealed His plan to send a redeemer to rescue us from our sin, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” This truly is God bringing the greatest good out of the greatest disaster that has ever overtaken mankind. This is Romans 8:28 personified.
4. "Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food”. Food was created to nourish the first couple and to delight their taste buds. It was given for man's wellbeing and pleasure (we'll see this more clearly with the next point).
Food was God's love made edible (Norman Wirzba). And it still is, even to those who do not believe. Acts 14:17 says, He did not leave Himself without a witness, in that He did you good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
There are so many implications and applications here that I could write an entire book all by itself. But I'll cover just a few thoughts here.
First application: Food is a gift meant to connect us intimately with the Lord three times a day. The gift of food provides many opportunities for us to truly worship the Lord through the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. When, as believers, we sit down to a meal, it is our practice to give thanks to the Lord for this first gift God gave to mankind. Even Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for His food (Matthew 14:15-21).
It is an opportunity to worship Him through the sacrifice of our praise. So let's think about the gift that we're putting in our mouths and stomachs and truly thank Him for it - for His faithful provision of sustenance and love.
Second application: Food is a gift to be shared with others. This is what we see Jesus doing throughout the gospel books of the bible. In the book of Luke, for instance, Jesus is either going to eat a meal with people of all persuasions (disciples, tax collectors, sinners and Pharisees), or He is actually at a meal with the same or He is leaving a meal.
First application: Food is a gift meant to connect us intimately with the Lord three times a day. The gift of food provides many opportunities for us to truly worship the Lord through the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. When, as believers, we sit down to a meal, it is our practice to give thanks to the Lord for this first gift God gave to mankind. Even Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for His food (Matthew 14:15-21).
But, let me ask you, is your prayer of thanks really a conscious act of worship? Or is it rather just a redundant prayer of lip service - something to get out of the way so we can dig in? This act of truly giving thanks is more challenging than it seems.
It is an opportunity to worship Him through the sacrifice of our praise. So let's think about the gift that we're putting in our mouths and stomachs and truly thank Him for it - for His faithful provision of sustenance and love.
Second application: Food is a gift to be shared with others. This is what we see Jesus doing throughout the gospel books of the bible. In the book of Luke, for instance, Jesus is either going to eat a meal with people of all persuasions (disciples, tax collectors, sinners and Pharisees), or He is actually at a meal with the same or He is leaving a meal.
Food is still to be a gift, given away freely to others. When Jesus taught a multitude on a hillside, His disciples came to Him and said that the people were hungry and should be dismissed to go into town to BUY food for themselves. Jesus' reply was, "They do not need to go away. You give them somethin to eat". In other words, "Do not make them have to go away to buy food. You freely give food to them."
The disciples were stunned. How could they ever feed so many with what they had - five loaves of bread and two fish?
We all know the end of that story. Jesus miraculously created enough food to feed 5000 men and in addition, their wives and children. Matthew 14:20 says, "They all ate freely - as much as they wanted, even seconds and thirds, I would guess, until they were satisfied. And the disciples gathered up twelve basketfuls of leftovers" (basically).
There are commands in Scripture to joyfully practice hospitality. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels with out knowing it." And Romans 12:13 says, "Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."
When we are obedient in this and drop all the excuses why we cannot be hospitable, though those excuses, even obstacles still remain, just like with the disciples, if we trust that the Lord can do what we cannot, He will be faithful to set the table with food and guests, even providing what was impossible for us. And He will be at that meal with us.
As for myself, I long to do this continually, though I fail at that. But if I was this generous with the mere resources that I have (or don't have) I know I would see what the disciples saw - a miraculous disclosures of the Lord providing what I thought was impossible. I will get to see Him and know Him more intimately.
Let's do this with the abundance that the Lord gives (or withholds) via our gardens.
By His design, the Creator gave to man the gift of seed Hybridized seed, when planted from last year's seed, will most likely not grow to be like the parent plant that you had before. If you want a guarantee that it will be the same, you must purchase the seed all over again.
View the story of Percy Schmieser, a Canadian farmer, who was sued by Monsanto for infringement of their patented canola seed, even though he never planted or grew it:
By God's design plants were to reproduce according to their own kind.
We all know the end of that story. Jesus miraculously created enough food to feed 5000 men and in addition, their wives and children. Matthew 14:20 says, "They all ate freely - as much as they wanted, even seconds and thirds, I would guess, until they were satisfied. And the disciples gathered up twelve basketfuls of leftovers" (basically).
There are commands in Scripture to joyfully practice hospitality. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels with out knowing it." And Romans 12:13 says, "Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."
When we are obedient in this and drop all the excuses why we cannot be hospitable, though those excuses, even obstacles still remain, just like with the disciples, if we trust that the Lord can do what we cannot, He will be faithful to set the table with food and guests, even providing what was impossible for us. And He will be at that meal with us.
As for myself, I long to do this continually, though I fail at that. But if I was this generous with the mere resources that I have (or don't have) I know I would see what the disciples saw - a miraculous disclosures of the Lord providing what I thought was impossible. I will get to see Him and know Him more intimately.
Let's do this with the abundance that the Lord gives (or withholds) via our gardens.
5. “Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;” Genesis 1:29
Food was the first gift given to man from God. And as are all of His gifts, it was free. Growing food was never intended to touch our pocketbooks. It did not originally cost the gardener anything for the Lord gave us another gift that was contained in our food. That gift was the seed that was needed to grow future food.
God gave us our first diet which was plant foods containing seed. Our food was not just food for today, but God designed it to have within it what we needed for tomorrow’s food as well. It contained seed to grow future food just like what we had enjoyed already. We could look forward to more of the same goodness.
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This is quite different from today’s methods of farming which are extremely costly. Big Ag tells us that we must buy the seed - something God gave us freely, neatly packaged in our food.
Seed now can be very costly. This has come about through the two processes of hybridization and genetic modification of seeds.
Food was the first gift given to man from God. And as are all of His gifts, it was free. Growing food was never intended to touch our pocketbooks. It did not originally cost the gardener anything for the Lord gave us another gift that was contained in our food. That gift was the seed that was needed to grow future food.
God gave us our first diet which was plant foods containing seed. Our food was not just food for today, but God designed it to have within it what we needed for tomorrow’s food as well. It contained seed to grow future food just like what we had enjoyed already. We could look forward to more of the same goodness.
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So another design that the Lord set in motion was that man would depend upon the seed in plant foods to grow more of the same kind of plant foods. He gave us seed to guarantee future food. It was like money in the bank.
This is quite different from today’s methods of farming which are extremely costly. Big Ag tells us that we must buy the seed - something God gave us freely, neatly packaged in our food.
Seed now can be very costly. This has come about through the two processes of hybridization and genetic modification of seeds.
Genetically modified seeds are created in a lab by splicing genes from other species, often from animals or from another unrelated plant into the seed to be modified. This seed is then patented.
When a farmer purchases patented genetically modified seed, the farmer must first sign a contract that prohibits him from saving and planting that patented seed next year. If he breaks contract and plants the seed from his first crop, Monsanto will sue for infringement of his patented seed and the court can fine him exorbitant fines that cause him to lose his livelihood and farm. And that's even if the seed was not intentionally replanted by him (for instance, pollen from a neighbor's Monsanto seed blew into his field , cross pollenated a farmer's pure seed and sprouted the next year. At this point that farmer's entire stock of seed is ruined because he cannot tell which was contaminated with the stronger-gened-GMO seed.
When a farmer purchases patented genetically modified seed, the farmer must first sign a contract that prohibits him from saving and planting that patented seed next year. If he breaks contract and plants the seed from his first crop, Monsanto will sue for infringement of his patented seed and the court can fine him exorbitant fines that cause him to lose his livelihood and farm. And that's even if the seed was not intentionally replanted by him (for instance, pollen from a neighbor's Monsanto seed blew into his field , cross pollenated a farmer's pure seed and sprouted the next year. At this point that farmer's entire stock of seed is ruined because he cannot tell which was contaminated with the stronger-gened-GMO seed.
This is and worse is what many farmers have faced all over the world. One farmer in particular, Percy Schmieser, from Canada, was taken to court by Monsanto. Though the court ruled that he was completely innocent of having planted the seeds intentionally, the judge ruled, nonetheless, that he had infringed upon Monsanto's patented seed and and ordered him to turn over all of his seed to this billion dollar ag giant (see the link below for his story). He livelihood was completely taken away from him.
View the story of Percy Schmieser, a Canadian farmer, who was sued by Monsanto for infringement of their patented canola seed, even though he never planted or grew it:
But there’s good news. If you want to use seed as God designed it to be, some is still available. It is called heirloom seed. Any heirloom variety will produce seed that is the same as its parent.
There are several companies that sell heirloom seed. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company is the one I purchase seed from. Take a few moments to explore what Baker Creek has to offer.
Stay tuned for more concerning God's design for growing food, part two.
6.Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12
So a tomato plant was a tomato plant, different from other plants & other species of life. A tomato plant has a DNA unique to itself. And its seed reproduces the same as the parent plant - same DNA, same appearance, same fruit, same seed.
That tomato plant cannot morph or evolve into a different type of plant or a different species as evolution teaches us. It will always reproduce another tomato plant, although within its species there can be a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but it is still a tomato plant that produces tomatoes.
Genesis 1:11-12
So a tomato plant was a tomato plant, different from other plants & other species of life. A tomato plant has a DNA unique to itself. And its seed reproduces the same as the parent plant - same DNA, same appearance, same fruit, same seed.
That tomato plant cannot morph or evolve into a different type of plant or a different species as evolution teaches us. It will always reproduce another tomato plant, although within its species there can be a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but it is still a tomato plant that produces tomatoes.
Today, it's a bit difficult to find seed that reproduces after it's own kind.
Modern science, however, attempts to go beyond God’s design by creating types of crops that can never be found in creation, such as genetically modified organisms that might resemble the plants we are familiar with. But they contain a totally foreign DNA than the plant the Monsanto scientist has produced. He has invaded the DNA and inserted a totally different species there, such as a tomato plant that has been altered to include the DNA of an Arctic flounder (fish). The flounder's antifreeze gene, which helps it survive in frigid water and gives the tomato plant increased cold tolerance that could allow it to even produce fruit in the dead of winter.
There are several things that are troubling about all of this:
1. These GMO products, in the U.S., are given a GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) rating by the FDA. This means that when compared to their counterpart non GMO foods, the GMO is as safe to eat. This is in spite of the fact that there were no independent studies done to prove the GMO's safety. Monsanto only presents their own studies to the FDA, which actually proves nothing, since there is an enormous conflict of interest involved.
2. GMO corn is spliced with an insecticide -Bacillus thuringiensis - that kills any insect that bites into the corn. Every cell of the corn is laced with this toxin so it cannot be washed off. All parts of the plant are poisonous. We must ask ourselves, how might that affect our children and ourselves?
Of the other varieties of corn that have been genetically altered (there are 243 to date) some are herbicide-tolerant (HT corn). This means that they can be sprayed with the herbicide Roundup without sustaining any damage whatsoever, though Roundup will kill all other weeds. Since these varieties came into use, the use of Round up (and Roundup only) has increased 15 times what it was before the HT varieties were introduced.
So HT varieties are heavily sprayed with a toxin that kills weeds. Are we asking how that might affect us?
3. In spite of these questions, Monsanto refuses to allow any independent research company to conduct studies on their products, yet they continue to insist that GMOs and their weed killer are completely safe to use. There are no warning labels on any of their products.
4. As of June 2024, Monsanto/Bayer has been court ordered to pay out a whopping 11 billion dollars to tens of thousands of individuals who have sued Monsanto/Bayer for the herbicide Roundup's part in causing their cancer. Jurys all over the world are finding the evidence for Roundup being a carcinogen to be overwhelming, specifically non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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