Now that the heavens and the earth have been created as a temple for God to dwell in, what’s next?  God creates an inner sanctuary.  God creates a beautiful place, a garden, where he can dwell in a similar sense to the sanctuary of the Holy of Holies.  God fashions the garden from the chaotic land structure, irrigates it, and creates people to tend to it.  The function of people is to preserve and serve in the garden of God.  A chunk (the word means more than ‘rib’) is taken from Adam’s side and a co-worker is formed to work alongside him in tending this sacred space.  What a beautiful picture.  How could we recreate the Garden of Eden in our own sphere of influence?

Genesis 2: 4-25

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
      When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- ⁵ and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth ^[a] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth ^[b] and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶ but streams ^[c] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- ⁷ the LORD God formed the man ^[d] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

 ⁸ Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 ¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin ^[e] and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. ^{[f] 14} The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

 ¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

 ¹⁸ The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

 ¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
      But for Adam ^[g] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs ^[h] and closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib ^[i] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

 ²³ The man said,
       “This is now bone of my bones
       and flesh of my flesh;
       she shall be called ‘woman, ^[j] ‘
       for she was taken out of man.”

 ²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

 ²⁵ The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

1. Of what is this the account?
2. Who planted a garden in the east?
3. What are the names of the four rivers?
4. What is not good?
5. What is man’s function in the garden of God?

Going Deeper

Observation

• What descriptor is repeated for the particular plants and shrubs that the passage describes?
• What two factors are missing for the production of those kinds of plants?
• How does God provide labour and irrigation for his garden?
• To what tree does mankind have access?
• What does the man say about the woman?

Interpretation

• What kinds of plants exist at the end of chapter one and where can they be found?
• How does this chapter give men and women dignity and purpose?
• To what end are the earth and the Garden of Eden made?
• What is the relationship between the man and the woman?
• Why are we told they are naked?

Application

• What is the 21st century relationship of mankind and vegetation?
• How do you need to rediscover the relationships of Eden?
• Does it matter that we can not locate Eden geographically today?
• Can innocence be rediscovered?
• Why is the New Age religion so fond of images of Creation?  How could a Christian dialogue with a New Ager who loves ‘Creation’?