Covenant (3) Spiritual Protection

The covenant with Adam contains just one condition. It was needed because humans were given authority over their own lives, which left them free to make choices. Some of the angels had rebelled against God, so powers of evil were at work in the spiritual world, making it a dangerous place. Adam and Eve would have to be careful about their choices, or they could end up in trouble. God have given them the world, but they would have to be loyal to him to remain those blessings.

Every covenant contains a risk. The new covenant promised full salvation. We receive that as a free gift, because we cannot earn it. However, to receive the blessings of his salvation, we have to choose to follow Jesus, because it is only available in him. However, if we choose to reject him, we can lose our salvation.

The covenant with Adam carried a similar risk. God gave the earth to humans as a free gift. They could do nothing to earn it, but the only way they could enjoy this blessing was to follow God. They must avoid all contact with Satan and his powers of evil. This is the reason for the warning to avoid all contact with evil (Gen 2:17). This requirement was there for their protection.

All that the first humans had to do to keep the blessing of the covenant was to remain close to the Holy Spirit. This was essential for their protection. They were living in a dangerous world, where the spiritual powers of evil were at work to deceive and destroy. The only safe place was close to the Spirit of God. If the moved towards Satan or his representatives, the Holy Spirit would have to move away from them, because he is holy and cannot be close to evil. The humans would be left on their own in a contest with a powerful and deceitful enemy, so they would always lose.

Adam and Eve were not expected to be perfectly obedient. They could make many mistakes without any harm. If they picked all the fruit before it was ripe, or pruned a tree to hard, that would not matter, because God had given them abundance. The covenant was not one strike and you are out as many Christians suggest. It was not even three strikes and you are out. It was a warning not to wander out of bounds into danger, because it would be almost impossible to get back in.