12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
--John 1
Very good Molly. "As many as received Him" is important because as many as received Him could not do so by the will of man but by the will of God.
The grass receives the rain. Does grass have free will to reject the rain? As much grass as receives the rain the grass will turn green.
Are you grass, Tony? Just lying there taking what comes--rain, sun, frost, snow? You may be almost as ephemeral as grass, but does that make you grass?
Adam was not grass. Grass is passive. Adam was the first modern farmer.
15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [to]
"dress" [it]
H5647
עבד
‛âbadaw-bad'
A primitive root;
to work (in any sense); by implication
to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.: - X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen,
bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, +
husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man),
bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve (-ing, self), (be, become) servant (-s),
do (use) service, till (-er), transgress [from margin], (set a) work, be wrought,
worshipper.[to]
"keep" [it]
H8104
שׁמר
shâmarshaw-mar'
A primitive root; properly
to hedge about (as with thorns), that is,
guard; generally
to protect, attend to, etc.: - beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe,
preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for),
watch (-man).That word for 'receive' is not a passive word. Lambano means to take in an active sense, as one takes on a task and vows to do his best to implement it.
al Adam [god Man] was not to be a shirker with a passive job, watching tv while the garden ran itself. He was to be God's husbandman, protecting and tending the garden of God, the son of the right hand, doing the work of the Father.
Main Entry:
hus·band·manFunction: noun
Pronunciation: 'h&z-b&n(d)-m&n
1 : one that plows and cultivates land :
FARMER