3. Our Kingdom Paradise (God’s Place)
Week 2 • Day 3
"I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still you give yourself away. Oh the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God!" - Reckless Love by Cory Asbury
Over the last year, my family has become passionate about planting succulents and cacti. We love to travel up and down the California coast to discover new plant nurseries. Some of these nurseries are absolutely spectacular. They are a multisensory experience. You can see the bright colors, you can smell the fresh air and the fresh dirt, and you can hear fountains running with water. There is something about a garden that feels peaceful; like you don't want to leave.
As the Bible opens in Genesis, we see that all of life on earth begins in a spectacular garden. God created the heavens and the earth as His very own “cosmic-temple”, and then He created the first humans, Adam and Eve to exist in a particular location on the earth. God places Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden that He called Eden.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:8-9
Let’s talk about what this unique kingdom place called Eden was like for Adam and Eve! Imagine a place out of which water - the source of all life - bursts forth endlessly. Imagine a place oozing with natural resources waiting to be tapped into. Imagine a place with a full supply of fresh fruit to be eaten and enjoyed. The Lord had abundantly blessed His people in this kingdom space! At the same time, this garden was not exclusively about material blessings. When you think of the garden, imagine a land where there was peace and harmony between God and His people as they multiplied. Imagine a place where Adam and Eve walked with God together in the garden and spoke to each other freely. Imagine a time where there was no regret, no shame, no mistakes. Imagine a place where God’s blessings flowed to His people and out from His people in abundance!
How amazing is that! To live in this kingdom place of paradise was to live in perfect harmony with God and with each other, with tremendous purpose, and with access to tremendous spiritual and physical blessings.
As we visualize this amazing kingdom place that God has prepared for humanity, let’s take a look at some details we have been given about this Garden paradise!
GOD’S PLACE WAS DESIGNED BY GOD’S RULE
We’ve seen how the Lord uses His mighty and powerful rule to create. Over the course of this week, hopefully you are beginning to see that His creation was aimed at His glory in the heavenly realm as well as His glory in the earthly realm. God would be glorified in the earthly realm via the thriving and enjoyment of the pinnacle of His creation on earth - humans made in the image of God! If Genesis 1 was about establishing the cosmic order to further God’s glory through the mere acts of creation, then Genesis 2 is all about situating the human on the dry land and providing all that he would need to subdue the earth and bring glory to God.
When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground...
In the “recipe” of God’s glory on the dry land, there are 4 missing ingredients: no bush, no small plants, no rain, and no man. Out of His love for us and to further His glory, God saw fit to provide everything needed for humanity to thrive!
And the Lord God planted a garden...
And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food...
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden...
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it... - Genesis 2:5, 8-10, 15
Here’s a question - Why is God so determined to provide for humanity? Why does He need any further glory on earth if He is already the one who is all-glorious? Did He need to create humans to fill a void in His God-ness? The Christian answer to this is emphatically NO! God didn’t need to create anything to complete His glory. With or without creation, God would remain self-sufficient and possess ALL glory! Instead, throughout the creation narrative we discover that God Himself exists in a mysterious relationship. In addition to the Hebrew word for God (elohim) being plural, Genesis already offers hints at this mysterious “us” relationship.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image... - Genesis 1:26
The Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us... - Genesis 3:22
...God is love - 1 John 4:8, 16
Have you ever noticed that human relationships tend to have creative results?
Consider the co-working shalom relationship of Genesis 2 in which God’s image-bearers are called to take care of the garden in harmony. The result of these types of relationships are accomplishments and advancements that could not have otherwise been achieved alone. In a similar “image-like” way, it pleased God to work together within the divine “us” relationship to create the cosmos - a work that remains advanced beyond all human comprehension - and then share His work of creation with humans.
Consider the marriage relationship at the end of Genesis 2 in which God’s image-bearers are designed for intimacy. The result of this kind of relationship is the reproduction of children who bear the image of their parents. In a similar “image-like” way, the result of the overflow of God’s love within Himself (“us”) is the creation of God’s family of people who bear the image of the divine “us” and who are able share in the love of the Heavenly Fatherly! [1]
“It’s the nature of the fullness of the divine love to share itself. That’s just what love is like! This sharing is not the completion of God or the improvement of God... ‘It’s not a sign of a fountains deficiency that it is prone to overflow’” - John Piper (Quoting Jonathan Ewards)
God didn’t need to do any of this, yet creation is simply an overflow of God’s love within the divine “us” that couldn’t help but to be shared! Thus, when human image-bearers partner together in various loving relationships to create and share, humans reflect the divine “us” relationship. And as humans live a life that reflects (or images) the divine “us”, the God of the Hebrew Bible is glorified! God’s kingdom place provides the materials needed for people to create for the glory of God!
...bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” - Isaiah 43:6–7
[1] PLEASE NOTE: This is not to suggest that God experienced sexual relations as we understand it, but it is to say that sexual relations within the context of the marriage relationship is the image communicated to us of a God who creates image-bearers as an overflow of His love.
GOD’S PLACE EXTENDS TO ALL PEOPLE
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. - Genesis 2:10-14
Yes, God uses this river to provide water and natural resources so that humans within the garden space would create and flourish to the glory of God. However, the fascinating element of this passage is that Eden is not merely an isolated oasis. The body of water is divided into rivers that flow into 4 mysterious places. While the Tigris and Euphrates are well-known locations, the mystery of the Pishon and the Gihon have eluded scholars. This has resulted in many different geographical interpretations. However, as we look for clues within the Bible itself, we discover that each of these names are associated with surrounding kingdoms that would eventually become Israel’s enemies including Israel’s archrival Babylon which lay at the intersection of the Tigris and Euphrates.
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. - Genesis 10:8–12.
This account of the rivers in Eden would be quite shocking to the Hebrew audience because it is a reminder that beyond their disagreements, even their worst enemies are in fact their brothers and sisters. Not only does God want to provide for His people located this one isolated garden space in Eden, but God’s kingdom place of blessing was meant to extend to all nations.
GOD’S PLACE AND THE DIVISIONS OF 4 AREAS
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:8-9
4 missing ingredients, 4 rivers, and now we are given 4 different topographical locations derived from 3 different “in” statements. The first and largest category we are given is “in the east”. This is significant because whenever the eastward direction is mentioned in the scriptures, we are moving further and further away from the center of the Lord’s kingdom place.
Second, we are told that “in the east” lies a place that is “in Eden”. If this were a map of concentric circles, we would see one extra-large circle labeled “east” and within that circle a smaller large-sized circle saying “Eden”. One traditional interpretation of the word Eden suggests a geographical “plain” whereas the other traditional interpretation means “luxury”, “abundance”, or “lushness”.
Third, “in the east” and “in Eden” there is a “garden”. If the “east” is the extra-large circle and “Eden” is the large circle, then the “garden” is the medium circle that lies within them both. As we move closer and closer to the center of this kingdom place, we begin to see the lusciousness of the garden described earlier. Paradise just keeps getting better and better as we inch our way closer to God!
Finally, the fourth and final realm brings us to the inner-most small-sized circle location! This hotspot is where the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are planted. At the center of God’s kingdom space is true eternal life and the true knowledge of good and evil.
Why do all of these concentric circles matter?
When we are introduced to the re-creation of God’s kingdom place throughout the scriptures, we find that the east is ALWAYS in the wrong direction. Then, structures like the tabernacle and the temple call for a 3-fold architecture. There was the large-sized outer courtyard where sacrifices were made on the altar of burnt offering. There was the medium-sized Holy Place which contained garden-like embroidery, the tree-like lampstand, the table of the bread of presence, and the altar of incense. Finally, there was the small-sized Holy Place which held the ark of the covenant guarded by the cherubim woven into the curtain guarding the entrance! In other words, the storyline of the Bible is all about the Lord establishing His kingdom place of residence with His people wherever they go.
Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. - Exodus 26:31–33.
He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. - 1 Kings 6:16.
Make a courtyard for the tabernacle.... - Exodus 27:9
The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings. - 1 Kings 8:64.
By looking at the first two chapters of Genesis, here is what we can learn about God’s powerful rule, over His family of people, in His kingdom place.
God rules by creating.
God’s people are designed to create and contribute to the kingdom on His behalf.
God’s kingdom place provided the materials needed for people to create for the glory of God.
God rules by forming and filling His creation.
God’s people are designed to multiply and love one another.
God’s kingdom place was meant to extend God’s blessings to all nations.
God delegates His rule to His image-bearers.
God’s people are designed to listen and obey the truth of God’s kingdom rule.
The center of God’s kingdom place is true eternal life and the true knowledge of good and evil.
God rules over all things.
God’s people are designed to love God and walk with Him as our Heavenly Father.
The Bible is all about the Lord establishing His kingdom place of residence with His people wherever they go.
As we move forward in this series, we will discover the details behind the story of God’s kingdom people in God’s kingdom place under God’s kingdom rule woven all throughout the story of the Bible. In fact, the story of the Bible begins in this garden space, and moves through the grand narrative of the Bible. The story then moves to you and to me, to our neighbors and co-workers. Ultimately, the story of the Bible ends in the same garden space that has become a city in which God Himself dwells!
You might be thinking all of this talk about paradise sounds so nice! Where is this experience in my life today? In order to truly grasp the story of how God brings us into His unique kingdom place designed especially for us, we must first learn about the existence of another kingdom that opposes God’s rule; the kingdom of Satan.
Share the Gospel: The Garden of Eden represents God’s unique kingdom place designed to provide the materials necessary for humans to create for the glory of God. The place was designed to extend God’s blessings to all nations! The center of God’s kingdom place is true eternal life and the true knowledge of good and evil and the Bible is all about the Lord establishing His kingdom place of residence with His people wherever they go!
