From Garden to Glory: 10 Days Through the Bible's Grand StorySample

Day 2: Once Upon a Time

THE KINGDOM

At the beginning of any good fairy tale, how is the kingdom usually portrayed? As mentioned above, the sun is usually shining, birds are singing, and there is joy and laughter in the air. Why? Because the author wants the audience to know what the world looked like when all was good and right. There is a way that the world is “supposed to be.” By showing this, we can more clearly see the devastation any disruption causes—and understand why we spend the rest of the story longing for conditions to be returned to the way they were.

Think of The Lion King. How did it begin? With a magnificent sunrise, beautiful views of animals roaming, and the order of creation functioning properly. But what happened when Scar (the evil brother) became king? The land became dry and barren, there was not enough food or water, and animals languished and died. The kingdom was affected by the virtue of the king, and the beauty of the kingdom as seen in the movie’s introduction serves to highlight the severity of the devastation that takes place after the disruption.

Our story is no fairy tale, yet God began his story with a beautiful glimpse of what life was supposed to be like in his kingdom: there was love, beauty, order, and peace. And this initial glimpse in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 is a snapshot of what the kingdom of God was meant to look like. We are not supposed to view these chapters simply as a description of what had happened in the past, but as a window into the delight and love our Father has for his creation.

One of the amazing facts about this kingdom is that it was intended to be the perfect home not only for the King, but for his subjects as well. The goodness of the kingdom was one of the ways God showed his goodness to us. God lavished Adam and Eve with his “very good” creation, and it is in this goodness that we were intended to live.

The Garden of Eden is a picture of what life looks like when the kingdom of God is in full effect without the disruption of sin. As the story progresses, we will see that God is in the business of restoring his kingdom. And just wait until we get to the end of the story—the final kingdom is even more glorious than the first!

Most of us don’t like parameters (we will see that Adam and Eve were no different!). Our hearts are rebellious, and we want to be independent, autonomous, “free.” But protection and provision are found within the kindness of God’s good parameters.