The Garden Again

So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and He sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And He placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
(Genesis 3:23-24 NLT)

I was writing about "A Garden Walk" before I took my "sabbatical" from writing.  I've been writing more about personal issues than the garden picture as of late.  I really sense the need to go back to discussing the garden picture again.

Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden due to their sin.  We blame them to this day for having to work by the sweat of our brow, the pain of childbirth, and death.  The cherubim is stationed to block the way back to the tree of life, and there is no way back in.  Why do I bother talking about this picture, then, if there is no way for us to go back to this picture?  There are several reasons.

First of all, the garden picture gives us a glimpse of what God was thinking when He created the heavens and the earth.  Many pieces of our experience today are a part of God's design, just as God intended.  Other pieces of our experience today are twisted derivations of His design that the serpent puts in place to pull us away from God and His design.  Going back to the original picture gives us a starting point for making the distinction.

Secondly, the garden picture reminds us of God's power, beauty, and love.  It reminds me that God's desire for my life is always good and every good and perfect gift comes from God.  Even the ability to choose my own path is a gift from God that I cherish and hope to use wisely.

Another reason I go back to this picture is it's simplicity.  It's so easy to get caught up in the details of the promises (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, and more).  It's easy to get caught up in the law of Moses, then trying to figure out what applies and what doesn't apply to us today.  It's easy to get lost in the details of His Story and the details of history, missing the whole point all together.  When I go back to the garden, I have an easy picture to remember that points me right back to Him and His Design for my life.

Finally (at least for now), everything changed when Jesus was born, lived, died, rose again, and ascended...sending His Spirit back.  The power struggle with the serpent, sin, and death changed.  The guardianship of the law changed.  The fulfillment of the promises took place.  The kingdom of God arrived and the power of death disappeared.  The "tree of life" is available to us, along with holiness, righteousness, and a restored relationship with God.  Our post-Jesus encounter should resemble His garden of Eden design more than it resembles the rest of the Old Testament or even Jesus' life (remember Jesus was still living under the law).  That's why I point people to the garden and refer to it as "A Garden Walk."

I look forward to sharing more about this in the future - how to see it, enter it, and enjoy the walk together with God.  I hope and pray you enjoy it so much that you can't wait to share it with those you love - empowering one more to walk together with God.

Walking on my path,

Pete