Soldier vs. Commander

The following is part of the book, Why Adam Cannot Be Saved, whose sections can be accessed here.

Man’s Relationship with God

Another aspect in the original relationship between man and God can be seen in God commanding Adam.

tsavah: to command, charge, give orders, commission, lay charge

God is a Commander and man was under His command. What God declared, man submitted to. Where God placed man, he stayed. That which God ordered, he heeded.

As mentioned previously, there was some contrary force in the realm of the earth with which man would have to contend. Man was expected to take dominion and subdue the earth as an ambassador for God’s Kingdom. Man was given authority, but also had to submit to authority so as to understand humility and faith in God. To teach him these things, God called man to be a soldier (Matthew 8:9; Luke 7:8).

We saw in Genesis Chapter 2 that God breathed into man the breath of life, allowing him to become a living soul. The Scriptures also speak of another purpose brought about in man when the Spirit of God is breathed upon him.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” Ezekiel 37:5-10

Remember, apart from the Spirit of God, man is dead.  When the Spirit of God is breathed into man, he is equipped to become a warrior. One of the functions of man receiving God’s Spirit is to be raised up as a soldier (Hebrews 11:33-34; Ephesians 6:11-16; I Corinthians 9:25-26; II Corinthians 10:4; I Timothy 6:12; II Timothy 2:3-4, 4:7). The Spirit comes and brings man to life, but also empowers him to stand in preparation to engage in battle.

While each individual must receive God’s Spirit, the goal is for these members to come together into one body. Each individual is not an entity of its own, but God is looking to form “an exceeding great army”. Similarly, Adam & Eve were not expected to reign by themselves. One of the first things they were commanded to do was be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth so that all mankind – male & female – would exercise dominion together.

The relationship between man and God was not only one of creature & Creator. Being given God’s Spirit allowed man to know God as a Father, but also empowered him to be God’s battle axe in the earth (Jeremiah 51:20). This aspect of man’s relationship to God was critical to the purposes for which man was created: to fill the earth with the glory of the Lord.

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