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The Adventist Home
The First Home a Model—The home of our first parents was to
be a pattern for other homes as their children should go forth to occupy
the earth. That home, beautified by the hand of God Himself, was
not a gorgeous palace. Men, in their pride, delight in magnificent and
costly edifices, and glory in the works of their own hands: but God
placed Adam in a garden. This was his dwelling. The blue heavens
were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living
green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its
canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings—the
handiwork of the great Master Artist. In the surroundings of the holy
pair was a lesson for all time—that true happiness is found, not in the
indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God through
His created works. If men would give less attention to the artificial
and would cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer to
answering the purpose of God in their creation. Pride and ambition
are never satisfied, but those who are truly wise will find substantial
and elevating pleasure in the sources of enjoyment that God has placed
within the reach of all
God’s Choice of an Earthly Home for His Son—Jesus came to
this earth to accomplish the greatest work ever accomplished among
men. He came as God’s ambassador, to show us how to live so as
to secure life’s best results. What were the conditions chosen by
the Infinite Father for His Son? A secluded home in the Galilean
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hills; a household sustained by honest, self-respecting labor; a life of
simplicity; daily conflict with difficulty and hardship; self-sacrifice,
economy, and patient, gladsome service; the hour of study at His
mother’s side, with the open scroll of Scripture; the quiet of dawn or
twilight in the green valley; the holy ministries of nature; the study of
creation and providence; and the soul’s communion with God—these
were the conditions and opportunities of the early life of Jesus
Rural Homes in the Promised Land—In the Promised Land the
discipline begun in the wilderness was continued under circumstances
favorable to the formation of right habits. The people were not crowded
together in cities, but each family had its own landed possession,
4
Patriarchs and Prophets, 49, 50
.
5
The Ministry of Healing, 365, 366
.