The Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man
whom He had formed. (ESV)
If you were to ask most Christians to describe the Garden of Eden they would describe this big
garden that just kind of goes on and on. Kind of like a farmer’s orchard. But if that’s what Eden
was like, how would placing one cherub (with a flaming sword) in the east keep Adam and Eve and
all their descendants out (Gen. 3:22-24)? Why wouldn’t people be able to sneak in from the west,
north or south sides? We must realize that that the Garden of Eden must have had a wall around it,
with an entrance in the east. Only then would it make sense that a single cherub would have been
able to guard the way back into the Garden of Eden, from the east. We know that the Heavenly
Jerusalem has 12 gates through which people and angels may enter – three on each side (Rev
21:12-13) – then the Garden of Eden must occupy one ‘corner’ of the city. Of course, in a city as
large as the Heavenly city, a ‘corner’ could still very easily be hundreds of square miles! Today’s
verse tells us that the Garden of Eden was inside a much bigger area called Eden. When we start
to realize that Heaven is a physical place and the Garden of Eden is inside the Heavenly city itself
then it makes sense that Adam and Eve could walk with God in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). In
other words, God was physically living there, close to Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3. He didn’t have
to ‘zap’ down out of Heaven somewhere, because His Throne Room and Dwelling Place were
physically present in the Heavenly city. Of course, God’s Throne Room is at the top of His holy
mountain, not in the Garden; but whenever He wants, God came down into the Garden of Eden to
walk with them. Imagine the fellowship between the three of them as they physically walked with
each other!
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. God has always desired to be close to His people, to dwell with them. In what ways is He a
part of your life? How does He dwell with you?
2. As Christians, we should desire to grow in our personal relationship with Christ so that we can
dwell together with God more richly. How can you bring Him into your day today? How can
He be a part of all that you do?
3. How has your relationship with God changed the way you live your life?
4. Spend some time praying for loved ones and friends who are not in a vibrant and growing
relationship with God. Ask the Lord to give you specific names of people whom you can pray
for. Pray that they would embrace an authentic relationship with Him and have the desire to
grow.
