So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” (Genesis 3:24-4:1)

The First Year

At the beginning of time, God created a world that would provide every need of man and allow the creation to share in the glory of his Creator. The Garden of Eden was a beautiful home for Adam and Eve to walk in the cool of the day with the Lord God, enjoying a fellowship of divine companionship. Sin ruined the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God. They were strictly forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, understanding the command yet rebelled against the will of the Lord. Knowing that men would eat of the tree of life and live forever, God cast Adam and Eve from the garden protecting its entrance with cherubim at the east of the garden and a flaming sword which turned every way, guarding the way to the tree of life. Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve were cast from the protection of Eden and their first home.

Adam and Eve stood outside of Eden, peering into the garden that was their home. They could not go back in. There were no other humans literally in the world. Two people populate the entire planet. Birds filled the sky, and the oceans teemed with life. Cattle and beast roamed across the face of the earth. There was no fear between man and animal as all of God’s creation lived together in harmony. It will not be until after the great flood in the days of Noah that man will become a meat-eater, and the dread of man will come upon the animals. For Adam and Eve, they looked upon an incredible world of beauty untouched by the hand of men.

The early world was not a moonscape of disorder and confusion. Civilization began with Adam and Eve as a home was built, and they learned how to make fires, build structures, garden, and tend crops and care for animals. It was that first year that must have been so amazing for Adam and Eve. They would not see another human until nine months after conception when Cain was born and then Abel. Adam lived to the age of 930 years and had sons and daughters. It was the first year where Adam and Eve were alone in the world. The only one they could rely on was God. He would be their sustainer, their strength, and their protector. God did not abandon them and leave them to their own devices. As the world began to fill with people for nearly a thousand years, Adam could look back to that first year when it was only he and his wife and God. It had to be an exceptional time when the world was clean of the wickedness that would quickly fill the earth. Adam and Eve and God.

There was never a year like the first year in the life of Adam and Eve. As men began to multiply, the serpent’s influence wove its poison into the hearts of all men. In the days of Noah, God would destroy the world. The first year of Adam and Eve is a reminder of how important it will be for men to spend time alone with God, free from the trappings of the world. Adam and Eve thrived on the word of God and trusted in His power and wisdom to see them through the first days, the first weeks, the first months, and the first year of life outside Eden. Life should always be viewed from the perspective of a world filled with seven billion people, but every soul stands alone before God. Each man and woman need God in a personal way. He needs to be the only focus of life, the only purpose, and the only desire. It is as if we have been cast from Eden, and we stand outside – alone. To whom shall we turn for our help? The Lord God Creator is the only one that will sustain us and carry us through. How would you fare in your first year?