“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
Genesis 2:8
What does the beauty of God’s original garden have to do with our present wilderness world? Everything. We cannot understand the wilderness and what it means to be exiles if we don’t understand the garden we lost by virtue of our sin. Do you ever find yourself daydreaming of a world like ours, but without the sin, suffering, and shame? That is a longing for Eden.
The truth is that we were not created for the wilderness, but for the garden. We were created to enjoy God and the world He made. We were created for life and life to the full. There was once a time when man and woman stood naked and unashamed; where sweat and trouble and worry did not typify the day. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, yet here we are.
We all feel the loss of Eden in our hearts. It is at the bottom of the grief we feel at the brokenness of this world. You have been an exile since the sin of your first parents, Adam and Eve, who sinned and were banished from the garden. But your Savior has a home prepared for you in heaven!
The truth is that we were not created for the wilderness, but for the garden. We were created to enjoy God and the world He made. We were created for life and life to the full. There was once a time when man and woman stood naked and unashamed; where sweat and trouble and worry did not typify the day. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, yet here we are.
We all feel the loss of Eden in our hearts. It is at the bottom of the grief we feel at the brokenness of this world. You have been an exile since the sin of your first parents, Adam and Eve, who sinned and were banished from the garden. But your Savior has a home prepared for you in heaven!
Scripture Focus
Genesis 2:4-25
Insight
We must own our reality as exiles so that we can own the garden that only God gives.
Bible In A Year
- 1 Samuel 11-12
- Psalm 125
- 2 Corinthians 4-5
