Wednesday 25th January
Read Genesis 2:8-9
“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 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.” (NIVUK)
Much ink has been spilt trying to define what these two trees in the middle of the garden signify, for the second of those trees is at the heart of the fall of humanity. Failure to grasp the temple symbolism of the garden means that scholars have relied on word studies and philosophy to understand what the author intended. But even a cursory reading of the passage, both before after today’s selection, reveals that spatial features are critical to comprehending the meaning of those two trees. The author deliberately draws our attention to the location of all this action. Where man is placed (v8b), where the trees are specifically found (v9b), how the water flows out from this central, special place (v10ff).
The temple symbolism built into this first garden sanctuary is rich with meaning. Just as temples have floor plans, so too this garden has structure. At the centre of Israel’s camp was the tabernacle, within which was the holy place. The temple, when it was constructed, also had a holy place at its heart. In the garden’s heart lies these two trees. Perhaps they symbolise life and holiness, life and moral authority, life and light. They find their mirror in the table of shewbread, an open invitation to fellowship with Yahweh and be sustained by His bounty and the golden lampstand shining light on dark places. Though some have argued that the ark of the covenant, containing the Law (that leads to true wisdom), is a better type – after all, as we will read, eating of the tree and touching the ark both end in death.
At the very least we should meditate on these two trees and reflect on where we ourselves seek life and wisdom.
