01-13 The Garden of Eden--Part 2

Genesis 2:8-14

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We look forward with great joy and longing to our heavenly abode. What we understand from God’s revelation about heaven can equally apply to the conditions that were encountered by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This is where everything happens in Gen 2:4-3:24. Before we look at specific features that were prominent in Eden—Review:

As we begin to examine the character of the Garden of Eden (vs 8)—the focus will keep returning to man and his relationship to his environment and to His Creator and the first thing we discover about man is:

1. Man’s Nature

Moses unveils the reality about man’s creation in that God formed him from the dust of the ground. This draws the 1st part of a contrast that we noted last time how this description prioritizes man’s lowliness in relation to God: creature and the Creator. But the 2nd description forms the contrast in that God breathed into man the breath of life. this is the description of glory and infinite value—the value of man’s life is greater than that of any other creature. Because of this, man is capable of relating to God, can recognize the divine authority of His Creator and honor Him properly and can be held accountable for his choices and deeds and reckoned guilty and judged—all of this before sin ever enters the world (Rom 5:12).

2) Man’s Environment

vs 8 is our introduction to the Garden of Eden. There’s debate over what the word “Eden” means…some say it is an Akkadian or Sumerian term “plain, flatland.” Others believe it is a Semitic term “a place of abundant waters” or simply “delight, luxury or delight.” Then we have the meaning of the “Garden of Delight” which is a fitting description of God’s creation.

If you were to look up synonyms for “Eden”: Camelot, Elysium, fantasyland, lotusland, never-never land, nirvana, Shangri-la, utopia…for some Eden is no more real than these fictional places where a carefree life and existence takes place.

Notice that the garden was not Eden but “in” Eden. Eden is a location (or region) and the garden is within a part of Eden. It is an actual place, not an allegorical or mythological location.

Eden is mentioned 14 times in the Bible (not including the few times it refers to a person’s name). It is used as a symbol of great fertility.

Isaiah 51:3 NASB95

3 Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

Sometimes Eden is referred to by the name “Garden of Eden” sometimes it is the “Garden of God or of the Lord”

Ezekiel 36:35 NASB95

35 “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

Conditions in the Millennial Kingdom will return to the likes of this garden--Both Isaiah and Ezekiel promise that the waste places of Judah will blossom, becoming as Eden.

Eden plays a prominent role in Satan’s rebellion—figured by king of Tyre who shared Satan’s prideful heart:

Ezek 28; (vv2,6-7, 12-15) (Satan’s rebellion had to take place after the 6th day and after Eden was “planted”--”very good”).

This is man’s environment—it is beautiful, delightful, fertile, place of abundance: a paradise that was known and experienced by Adam and Eve—and a place where God was present.

A. The Features of Eden

1) God Planted the Garden

It is particularly worthy of being noted that the garden was intentionally planted—YHWH is depicted thruout the Bible as a “planter.”

Numbers 24:6 (NASB95) comparing dwellings of Israel

6 “Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens beside the river, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters.

Psalm 104:16 NASB95

16 The trees of the Lord drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

This is especially applied to His relation to Israel:

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 1354 נָטַע

God brought a vine, his people, out of Egypt (cf. Ex 15:17) and planted it (Ps 80:8 [H 9]) with his own hand (Ps 80:15 [H 16]); cf. Ps 44:2 [H 3] among choice vines (Isa 5:2). Indeed, they were “his pleasant planting” (Isa 5:7).

Isaiah 5:1–7 NASB95

1 Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. 2 He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones. 3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? 5 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. 6 “I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.” 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

Israel became a wild vine and YHWH expresses His desire that they would return to be the branch of His planting (Is 60:21). The Lord warned that they (b/c of unfaithfulness) would be uprooted and exiled from their land (Jer 45:4) but God would promise:

Amos 9:15 NASB95

15 “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.

The planting activity of God is to establish something—a garden, Israel, other nations, the wicked (Jer 12:2), the heavens (Is 51:16).

In Gen, God plants “a garden.” The Heb term is exactly what we would think in terms of a garden...a plot of ground protected by a wall or a hedge. These areas were often irrigated (Isa 58:11) and were used to cultivate flowers, fruits, and vegetables (Song 5:1; 6:2). During the hot summer months such gardens provided a refuge from the stifling heat (Song 5:2; 8:13). The king’s residence often included an elaborate garden or private park (II Kgs 25:4). Frequently gardens were used as burial places (II Kgs 21:18, 26).

I find it interesting that the LXX translates this Hebrew term “paradeison” which we get the Eng “Paradise.”

For those in Jesus’ time, paradise was the abode of God—heaven.

Luke 23:39–43 NASB95

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Revelation 2:7 NASB95

7 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

The overcomer (defined by John—1Joh 5:5 “5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”) is promised to eat of the Tree of Life in Paradise…this immediately takes us back to Gen 2—where one of the trees God planted in the Garden was the Tree of Life. That tree of life is in heaven. It is prominently featured in New Jersualem:

Revelation 22:1–2 NASB95

1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Paradise is where God dwells (not isolated dwelling—omnipresent): paradise is the sanctuary of God. It is the place where unbroken fellowship with God and His people takes place. It is my thought that the Garden of God was intended to be this place (on earth) where God would commune with His people. This makes Eden a sanctuary of sorts—which makes sense to me. For 1 thing…God does take the realities of heaven (archetype) and makes a copy of that—putting it on the earth (type).

Hebrews 8:5 NASB95

5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

So there is a heavenly tabernacle (archetype) and and earthly tabernacle (type) which Moses was shown the pattern for its construction while on the Mtn. Now this earthly tabernacle (constructed during the Wilderness Wanderings accord. to detailed instructions (Ex 25-27) was a copy of Heaven’s sanctuary…but Moses language in Gen 2 also reveals that the earthly tabernacle is a miniature recreation of the Garden of Eden.

Gordon Wenham argues that Eden was a sanctuary:

The Garden of Eden is not viewed by the author of Genesis simply as a piece of Mesopotamian farmland, but as an archetypal sanctuary, that is a place where God dwells and where man should worship him. Many of the features of the Garden may also be found in later sanctuaries particularly the tabernacle or Jerusalem temple. These parallels suggest that the Garden itself is understood as a sort of sanctuary.

He describes what he believes to be the evidence of this:

The entrance to the Garden of Eden is located to the east and guarded by cherubim; all the entrances to the portable sanctuary are on the east side and the entrance-curtain into the Most Holy Place has cherubim woven into it (Gen 3:24; Ex 26:31; 36:35; 2 Chron 3:14; cf.1 Kings 6:23-29).

The lampstand placed in the Holy Place of the tabernacle resembles a tree, possibly recalling the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9; 3:22; cf. Ex 25:31-35).

Genesis 2:11-12 refers to gold and onyx; these and other precious materials are used in the construction of the tabernacle (e.g., Ex 25:7,11-13; 28:9) and the temple (e.g., 1 Kings 6:20; 1 Chron 29:2) and form part of the clothing of the high priest (e.g., Ex 25:7, 11, 17, 31).

Parallels exist between the Lord God’s walking in the Garden of Eden and his actions linked to the portable sanctuary (Gen 3:8; cf. Lev 26:12; Deut 23:15; 2 Sam 7:6-7).

God charged Adam to “cultivate and keep” the Garden and the same terms are used to describe the Levites’ activities in the tabernacle (Num 3:7-8)

T. Desmond Alexander (Face to Face with God) concludes that “While the construction of the portable sanctuary at Mount Sinai orientates the people’s expectations toward the future, it also reminds them of the past.” It seems that God planted the Garden in Eden to be that original Paradise that was a mirror of the heavenly sanctuary where God and man would enjoy unbroken, unhindered fellowship—until Gen 3.

2) God Placed Man in the Garden

Man was put in the garden and given responsibilities that we will discover next time. Three particular qualities about man’s abode is evident.

Eden was Beautiful

Notice the striking description of Eden in vs 9 “pleasing to the sight.” Everything about God’s creation could be described as such for everything was “good.” Even with the scar of the curse, we see so much beauty in God’s created universe. But in the Garden—this was even more so. The term “pleasing” also refers to something that is “desired” and in a perfectly righteous way. The trees God caused to grow were desired when Adam set his eyes upon it. This was also true of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (3:6).

Calvin

No corner of the earth was then barren, nor was there even any which was not exceedingly rich and fertile: but that benediction of God, which was elsewhere comparatively moderate, had in this place poured itself wonderfully forth. For not only was there an abundant supply of food, but with it was added sweetness for the gratification of the palate, and beauty to feast the eyes.

Eden was Useful

Not only pleasing to sight but “good for food.” Here, God makes provision for Adam and would even commend His creation to Adam:

Genesis 2:16 NASB95

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

There was truly the absolute abundance of provision made for Adam when God placed him in the garden. There was no wanting, no lacking, no need that wasn’t already provisioned by the good Creator.

Eden was Suited for Man

Genesis 2:7 NASB95

7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

By his nature, man is related to the materials of the ground from which he is taken from. He is also related to God who gives to him the breath of life. Now the environment he is put in, where he would be given the task of cultivating and keeping the garden (vs 15) would be a constant reminder of his origin and his responsibility before God—to ultimately work for God’s glory.

Now, as Adam had this from even before the Fall, sin didn’t change how we ought to view our responsibilities before God. We should all be reminded of where we come from—that God is our Creator and to Him we owe all allegiance and devotion and the work that He has provisioned for each one of us (though different in nature) has the same direction of working for God and to His glory.

This is what Paul meant when he said

Colossians 3:23 NASB95

23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

B. The Location of Eden

vv 10-14

The designation of the garden “toward the east, in Eden” is probably written from Moses’ perspective, writing to Israel during the Wilderness Wandering which would place it most likely in the area of the Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq.

Vs 6—description of a mist (or a flow) rising from the earth could well be the “river” in vs 10—the one that “goes out of/from Eden.”

Kent Hughes writes:

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Man’s Position (vv. 8–14)

Eden’s abundant river then watered the garden and flowed out and then separated into the headwaters of four rivers: the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates.

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Man’s Position (vv. 8–14)

Here is the insoluble problem: While the Tigris and Euphrates are identifiable with rivers today, the Pishon and Gihon are totally unknown. Efforts to equate them with other rivers in the area fail, and identifying them with man-made canals in the area is impossibly anachronistic.

Since the flood altered the face of the earth in ways we could never fully understand, the description of the rivers would not serve us at all in trying to determine or pinpoint Eden. But there have been attempts to identify the location of the Garden of Eden:

In the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia—George Wright describes:

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 1. Central Asia

Columbus when passing the mouth of the Orinoco surmised that its waters came down from the Garden of Eden. It is fair to say, however, that he supposed himself to be upon the E. coast of Asia. The traditions of its location somewhere in Central Asia are numerous and persistent.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 2. The North Pole

Dr. William F. Warren has with prodigious learning attempted to show that the original Eden was at the North Pole, a theory which has too many considerations in its support to be cast aside unceremoniously, for it certainly is true that in preglacial times a warm climate surrounded the North Pole in all the lands which have been explored. In Northern Greenland and in Spitzbergen abundant remains of fossil plants show that during the middle of the Tertiary period the whole circumpolar region was characterized by a climate similar to that prevailing at the present time in Southern Europe, Japan, and the southern United States

Hughes again writes:

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Man’s Position (vv. 8–14)

the most exotic assertion came from the great British General Charles George Gordon, who fought in the Crimean War and then in China where his exploits earned him the popular title “Chinese Gordon.” Later he served as governor of Sudan, and he died defending Khartoum in 1885. Gordon was also a devout student of the Bible. His answer? The Garden of Eden was located on one of the one hundred beautiful islands in the Indian Ocean that make up the Seychelles. Specifically, he pinpointed the location of the garden in the valley of Mai on Praslin Island. As one British officer quipped, “Whether Chinese Gordon was right or wrong, you must admit that Eden should have been there.”16

The Mesopotamia, near the head of the Persian Gulf would be a reasonably educated guess…but Adam knew one thing…he was in Paradise. It was here that Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes Adam as “speaking and walking with God as if they belong to one another.”

I think one reason this Paradise doesn’t appear more often in Scripture is b/c of just how thorough the Fall was and result of Adam’s transgression which had completely ruined and altered mankind’s understanding of God, His original purpose and plan for the creation of man—and something radical had to be put in motion in order to recapture that Paradise—could only be found thru Christ.

Further, it is not man’s environment that brings about his wretchedness. That comes from within (Mark 7). Adam’s was perfect and he still transgressed God’s command. The only hope today is for those who understand their condition from the preaching of the gospel and turn to JC—putting faith in Him alone for salvation.

May our Lord’s self-sacrifice be exalted in the description of the Garden of Eden—b/c it is thru Him that all things will find restoration to God’s original design and intent.