Saturday 28th January
Read Genesis 2:15-17
“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 from it you will certainly die.’” (NIVUK)
All trees are free to eat from, including the tree of life, bar one. What does that one tree represent? Traditionally it represents wisdom, and the prohibition forbids a grasping after wisdom that is God’s alone. ‘Good and evil’ are often transformed to ‘right and wrong’ and so the test is whether humanity will trust that God knows what is right and wrong and is the only true arbiter between them. To ‘eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil’ is to decide for oneself what is good. To stand in the place of God. Rather than respect that the life and holiness of God are at the centre of the garden and are granted by God, to eat from that tree is to place humanity in the middle.
David, when in trouble in the desert, wrote a passionate and beautiful psalm that reflects on that truth in a profound way.
“You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63:1-7) (NIVUK)
He thirsts for Yahweh with His whole being. To be found outside the garden, in the desert, without the living water provided by Yahweh (v1, cf Genesis 2:8-14) creates a need and longing that can only be satisfied by God (v5). The original intention of creation is that humanity finds its true counterpart in Yahweh. That we trust solely and purely in God’s word and be satisfied with all the rich food He provides. To recognise that as good and right.
What is promised in the garden is that God will be our God (v1), our lodestone for all that is good and true and pure. We are called to work and keep the garden, to revolve our lives around Him, for He is truly the only One worthy of praise.
Is that your longing too?
