Eden: The Heart of God

This is an abbreviated version of the topical essay that was my final project for the Bible Core Course that I took in Lausanne, Switzerland. I learned a lot in researching and writing it, and I really enjoyed doing so! Hopefully it may help you gain some insight on the spiritual significance of the Garden.

The Garden of Eden is a major focal point of the story of creation of the earth and of mankind, and it reflects a lot more than that as well. It tells a lot about the heart of God and his design and desire for mankind. There are two major questions that can be focused on: What was God’s heart and intention in the creation of the Garden of Eden? and how does it reflect the history of mankind in relation to God? There are several archetypes that can be found and examined in the famous story of the creation and fall of man.

I chose this topic because I am a big picture thinker. I believe that it is important to see the Bible as a collective whole; connected together as one story, and I enjoy doing so. Every connection that I can make brings more insight into the greater picture of who God is and who we are as a species, particularly in relation to him, as he has designed us to be.

In addition to this reason, I have chosen it because many people’s focus – including my own—can be on the wrong things. Questions about the location of the Garden of Eden or even of its physicality distract from the more important concepts of the purpose behind it and the meaning of it that can be applied to us.

In analyzing the Garden, we will explore the reasoning for the specific design of the Garden, his desire for mankind, how that is reflected in the Jewish Temple, and how that is referenced to and applied in the New Testament, as well as in our own lives. We will observe the spiritual significance in the two humans and the two trees of the Garden.

The story of the creation of man and of the Garden of Eden is a very famous one, even among non-Christians. Genesis 1-3 tells the story of the omnipotent God who creates the heavens and the earth with but his voice. He creates a paradise (or a “Garden”) containing the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and he places his most precious creation, made in his own image, there to dwell in a place of peace and beauty. He names his creation Adam –meaning simply “Man” and creates for him a wife, who is later named Eve, as she is the “mother of mankind” (Genesis 3:20). The Lord tells them that they can eat of any tree in the Garden, with the exception of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, lest they die for it. When the Serpent (Satan) tempts them, however, they both give into sin, eating of the forbidden tree, in attempts to be like God, through knowledge and wisdom. God is, therefore, forced to cast them out of the Garden and into the now imperfect world that is the consequence of their sin. He guards the Garden with angels; never to be entered again.

Throughout the first Chapter of Genesis, recounting the creation of the universe and of mankind, the phrase “God saw that it was good” in response to his own creation, is used repeatedly (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 25, 31). He creates an elaborate expanse of beauty and wonder in the universe and in the world that he creates. The fact that there is such variety in what he creates – that he bothers to create different types of creatures for the sky, the earth, and the sea, creating all sorts of vegetation, displays his desire to create and create good and lovely things. The Garden of Eden (Eden translating into the Hebrew word for “Delight”[1]) contains “every tree that was pleasing to the eye and pleasant to eat.” (Genesis 2:9).

The Garden is a place of peace, where all sorts of animals live together, in harmony, and eat only the vegetation provided for them (Genesis 1:30). It is not until after the fall of man that there is any mention of a creature being killed (Genesis 3:21)

When the Lord creates Man, his desire is to bless them and to see them prosper. (Genesis 1: 28-30, 5:2). He creates them in his own image (Genesis 1:17) and when he sees his final creation, he says that it is “very good.” He deeply desires to be with them, dwelling with them in the paradise that he created. After Adam and Eve commit sin, they hear the sound of the Lord walking in the garden and they hide, knowing that it is him. The fact that they recognize the sound of him coming implies that he has walked through the Garden before (Genesis 3:8).

God’s desire to dwell with man is carried throughout the entire Bible. It is his purpose for designing the Tabernacle (Exodus 29:45) and, eventually, the more permanent Temple, built by Solomon (1 Kings 6:13). Josephus makes a direct correlation between the Jewish Tabernacle/Temple and the Garden of Eden, in design and purpose[2]. The Temple is a place designated for Heaven to meet Earth, and for the glory of God to dwell in. One explicit rule of the Temple – deviating from other Temples—was that there be no images within it that one would bow to (Leviticus 26:1). The role of the Priest was to act as a representation of Mankind, in the image of God, as an ambassador and mediator. Thus, the image of God is in the Temple, where his glory comes down. This can be compared to Adam, created in the image of God, representing him in the Garden of Eden; where Heaven meets Earth. The only heavenly images in the temple are that of Cherubim, strategically placed – on the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31), and on the walls of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1), as well as on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-20)— in order to protect or shield humans from the glory of God, cutting off the most holy places. Throughout Ezekiel (1,10) and Revelation, the Cherubim represent the righteousness as well as the judgement of God. This is an image similar to that of the Cherubim who stand at the entrance of the Garden, with the flaming sword, to guard it, after Adam and Eve are cast out (Genesis 3:24). Images of Pomegranates and Palm Trees are all around the Tabernacle/Temple, symbolizing the beauty and Paradise that is Eden. The number seven is repeated throughout the design of the Tabernacle, as there are seven furnishings of the Temple, all together, and within the golden lampstand, there are seven bowls (Exodus 25:31-40). This would have immediately been associated, in the Hebrew peoples’ minds, with the seven days of creation. Even gold, which is a main material of the Tabernacle/Temple, to represent God’s holiness, can be traced back to Eden (Genesis 2:11).

Much of the imagery used in both the Garden and the Temple is repeated in Revelation 20-22, describing Heaven and the glory of God’s victory over death. It encompasses the greater plan of God and Man in union together.

Jesus places himself in the role of the Temple (John 2:20-22), as the ultimate example of God unified with man—as a man himself. He is the perfect Temple. Adopted into the Kingdom of Heaven, through Christ, the church, which Paul refers to as the Body of Christ, is the new Temple (Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 3:16), having received the same Spirit –the Holy Spirit—that empowered Jesus, even resurrecting him from the dead. Thus, believers are alive, in Christ, fulfilling God’s desire to dwell intimately with man, which begins at the Garden of Eden.

When God creates humankind, he says “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26) addressing the multiple aspects/divinities within himself, as the trinity—three in one. Part of this very statement entails that Man should be in unity with God, as God is in unity with himself. Humankind is meant to be involved in this unity of the trinity, that is founded on love. Jesus speaks of this unity in John 14.

The only thing that the God says is “not good” before sin is that Man is alone (Genesis 2:18). Therefore, he creates a woman—also in his own image (Genesis 2:21-23, 1:27) to accompany him. The first woman is made from the flesh of man, and the rest of mankind comes from Woman (Genesis 3:16, 3:20). They are made one flesh, holding fast to one another, as was the design intended for the rest of humanity to come (Genesis 2:23-25). Marriage between man and woman is used throughout the New Testament as an illustration of God’s love for humanity (1 Corinthians 7:1-16, Ephesians 5:22-33).

As man is created in God’s own image, God imparts authority to them. With the very idea of creating mankind came the idea of giving them dominion over all of the earth (Genesis 1:26), as stewards of it and, again, as a representation of the greater glory that is God, who has authority over all things. God clearly put care into each creation of his, so while man is obviously his most precious, he still finds joy in the plants and the creatures as well, and he desires humanity to live in harmony with them.

Much of God’s authority throughout the entire Bible is in his voice. From the very beginning he merely speaks things into existence (Genesis 1:3, 6, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). This is a gift that he gives to man and to man alone. Humans are the only species that can communicate, verbally, in the way that we do. He gives Adam speech and delegates to him the task of naming the creatures of the earth (Genesis 2:19). The tongue is a powerful tool that can be used to build up or to tear down, which James addresses in his letter to believers (James 3:1-12). With speech comes great authority and responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

Adam is the one creation that God uses more than his voice to create and serves as an archetype for all of humanity. Forming him out of the very earth, God actually breathes life into him (Genesis 2:7). This signifies the combination that Man is of earthly material and of life-giving power of God, himself. This highlights the importance of human life and its role as a representation of God on Earth, as a priestly mediator between the physical world (or Eden) and the Spiritual Heavens, bringing them together.

In the book of Romans, Paul uses Adam as an archetype of humanity and also compares/contrasts him to Jesus, as the Christ. In Chapter 5:12-14, Paul uses Adam as a representation of humanity - the original ancestor, a man created in the image of God and ultimately rejecting the task to act in that. The inheritance of sin from him is not necessarily a physical one, but a spiritual one. His sin was a path that all would follow, so it is fair to name him as an original source of it. He continues on to make a comparison between Adam and Christ – as they were both men, created in the image of God. One failed to represent him while the other succeeded, and each ones’ decisions would affect the rest of humanity after them; one in condemnation and one in life. In verses 15-18, he makes a major contrast between the two, explaining that the sacrifice of Jesus is more powerful than the failures of Adam and mankind – it trumps sin. This relates back to his common theme of adoption: Adopted as children with Christ’s blood – we inherit, spiritually, his life and spirit, as something that becomes an innate part of us – the law written on our hearts (minds). Paul constructs a similar analogy in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, stating “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” And once again in 1 Corinthians 15:45: “Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” Here, he refers to Jesus as the “Last Adam.”

With the knowledge of this truth, while we are exempt from the curse of sin, there is no excuse for it, as we are children of God and his righteousness—as we were originally designed to be—through the sanctification of Christ Jesus. He brings us back to the design of the garden, which we become ourselves, by him.

Eve is also an important representation of both humanity and of characteristics of God. When she is created, the Lord states that she is a “helper fit for him” – the word “fit” here can actually be translated into the Hebrew word for “corresponding to,” meaning equal in nature; half of a partnership. It is not until after the fact, as a result of her sin and of the fall, that the Lord says that women will be ruled over by men.(Genesis 3:16). It is interesting that oppression against women is or has been present in pretty much every single culture, throughout history. Unfortunately, Eve is a symbol of that fallen world. However, it is to be noted that she is also the mother of all mankind; an image that is related directly to God on multiple occasions, throughout the Bible. Feminine descriptive words are commonly used, both by followers of the Lord and even by the Lord himself, to describe his loving, nurturing, and protective character, and to describe his divinity as the creator of all living beings (Hosea 13:8, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Isaiah 66:13, Psalm 131:2, Luke 13:34).

A huge aspect of the Garden of Eden and of its intentional design is that of the choice given to Adam and Eve; the choice to act either in obedience to the Lord and thus, goodness, or in rebellion and thus, evil. We know that a fundamental basis of love is freedom of choice, and that it is a crucial element throughout the fullness of God’s plan for unity with man. He always reaches out, but man must choose to receive love and to give it in return, through faith. In the Garden of Eden, there are two trees listed, existing in the midst of it: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What precisely these trees are and the fullness of their significance and meaning—even if they are each singular trees, verses a group/type of tree(s)—Or existing in the physical world at all—is impossible to interpret for sure, but the basic concept of what they represent is what sets the course for the entire story of Eden and of the fall.

Beginning with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Serpent deceives Eve by suggesting that it is not God’s intent for man to be like himself; enlightened in the way that he is (Genesis 3:1-5). While this is not true, the Lord did not allow Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as his heart was for them to attain this knowledge in the right way. The tree represents the improper way of attaining discernment and the pride that is in the decision to defy the word of God. Writer and scholar, C. John Collins states that “God intended that through this tree humans would come to know good and evil: either from above, as masters of temptation, or from below, as slaves to sin.”

German Theologist, Franz Delitzsch, writes that the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was, indeed, designed to lead man to divine knowledge, through the abstinence of eating from it, stating:

“This end was to be accomplished, not only by his discerning in the limit imposed by the prohibition the difference between that which accorded with the will of God and that which opposed it, but also by his coming eventually, through obedience to the prohibition, to recognize the fact that all that is opposed to the will of God is an evil to be avoided, and through voluntary resistance to such evil, to the full development of the freedom of choice originally imparted to him into the actual freedom of a deliberate and self-conscious choice of good.”

He continues on to explain that by obedience, Man would have obtained the godlike knowledge of good and evil, fulfilling his role as one in the image of God, wholly and fully.

“He would have detected the evil in the approaching tempter; but instead of yielding to it, he would have resisted it, and thus have made good his own property acquired with consciousness and of his won free-will, and in this way by proper self-determination would gradually have advanced to the possession of the truest liberty.”[3]

However, since mankind failed in this, choosing instead to walk in their own way, attempting to be like God without involving God in the process, they learned the difference between good and evil by way of their own guilty conscience, falling victim to the death of sin. Therefore, the tree in and of itself, by merely existing, was not necessarily evil, nor did it contain any demonic power to it. It was intentionally created by God, its purpose warped by the rebellion of Man.

Meanwhile, the Tree of Life resides in the midst of the Garden, equally available and accessible to Adam and Eve. The Tree of Life is a symbol of eternal life in God and of righteousness. It is used repeatedly throughout the book of Revelation, as what has finally become attainable to man, in heaven, through the victory of Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:7, 22:14, 22:19). In the context of the Garden of Eden it represents God’s presence there and the righteous attainment of proper judgement and goodness.

After Adam and Eve both eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Lord says, in Genesis 3:22:

“…Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever…”

And he drives them both out of the Garden, placing guard over it and forcing them to live in the harshness of the world outside.

It is clearly stated that eating the fruit of the Tree of Life would grant Adam and Eve life everlasting, but the connotations of that are unclear; whether or not it had been, up to this point, the source of their immortality, or if was, instead, a means by which they would regain life that they had lost by the condemnation of their sin. Regardless, the Lord could not allow them to live eternally in the separation from himself that they had stepped into, leading ultimately to condemnation and death.

The Serpent, itself, is not actually referred to as Satan until Revelation 12:9. In Genesis 3:1, it says that the Serpent was “more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God has made,” which could imply that God did, in fact, create the tempter.

The story of Satan being Lucifer, the once glorious angel of the Lord, cast out of Heaven after leading a rebellion against him, is actually nowhere in the bible, but was, instead, taught through oral tradition, most likely, and then popularized by the famous poem, “Paradise Lost,” by John Milton, in the 17th Century. Nowhere in the Bible is Satan even referred to as a fallen angel at all. This isn’t to say that is absolutely isn’t true but it is has been widely accepted as gospel truth by Christians—their belief supported by passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah, taken out of context. Whether Satan was a being of good that became evil or evil from the very beginning is inconsequential. Either way, he simply presents the opportunity to rebel against God, which is a necessity in order for Mankind to be truly good, as their goodness would not even be their own without opportunity for evil. The Lord provides humanity with the means to achieve the godliness that was intended for them from the beginning.

The Garden of Eden is the root of God’s intention for mankind; that he dwells with them in perfect unity and oneness. Man’s purpose and design, on earth – that they unite the Spiritual and the Earth, walking as living and breathing images of the Creator, united to him in love—directly and through one another, as vessels of him and as his children.

While there are a lot of mysteries and questions about creation and the Garden of Eden—many that can never truly be answered—there is still so much to see in it and to draw out of it and it is a perfectly appropriate beginning for the Bible, not only because it is the beginning of the story chronologically, but because it sets the stage for the rest of it and it says so much about the character of God and about his heart for mankind.

I know that this post was long, but believe me, it could have been much longer. I just wanted to share a piece of some of what I was able to learn on my own with the tools given to me. Hopefully it was insightful or at least interesting to you.

I will be writing more about my travels soon!

Thank you so much for reading!

--Emily

#bible #word