Why God gave instruction to man at creation

From “Instruments in the redeemers hands” by Paul Tripp, p39-41 (the entire book is assigned reading for this week).

In explaining Genesis 1:26-28 Tripp makes the point that there is something unique about God stopping and actually speaking to the two humans he had just created.  He hadn’t done this with other creatures; for previous creatures he merely rested briefly and moved on.  But with man, God stops to tell man something -why?

God knew that even though Adam and Eve were perfect people living in perfect relationship with him, they could not figure out life on their own.  They were created to be dependent.  God had to explain who they were and what they were to do with their lives.  They did not need this help because they were sinners [they weren’t at that point]. They needed help because they were human….

What made them different from the rest of creation?… First Adam and Eve were created to be revelation receivers.  They were given communicative abilities that no other creature was given. They were created with the ability to hear, understand, and apply God’s words to their lives.  These abilities were not given primarily to encourage human relationships. They were given so that we could know God and understand him…

Trying to live without God’s help is to assign myself a sub-human existence.  It is to live like an animal, as if I were something other than what I am. Vast numbers of people attempt to live this way, but it is an act of irrationality.  They deny their identity, subvert their own lives and crush their own hope.  Human beings were created to live on the platform of God’s revelation, which is why we were given the unique communicative abilities we possess.

You’ve gotta love the dignity that being created gives to mankind.  You don’t find this in competing human philosophy where there is no purpose and no hope.