God placed man in the Garden of Eden

Dust symbolizes human frailty and mortality, demanding that man walk in humility. On our own, without God’s breath, we are earth, lowly, temporal, and perishable. God’s breath is the divine spark that makes us living souls. It's God's Spirit, not the dust, that gives us value, meaning, and purpose.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).

It is an honor that God grants to man to be a co-heir with Him. Otherwise, though dust is not nothing, it neighbors nothing.

 

Hannah’s declaration in her song of praise highlights, God's sovereignty and grace. She paints that man is but dust, lowly, insignificant, and mortal, yet God lifts the humble and restores dignity. The ash heap symbolizes deep sorrow, shame, and loss, often the place of mourning or rejection. Yet God stoops down to raise the lowly, restore the broken, and elevate them to places of honor.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory (1 Samuel 2:8).

God redeems, restores, and enthrones those who trust in Him. He turns ashes into beauty, and dust into royalty.

 

The Two Trees in the Garden of Eden

After forming the heavens and the earth, God planted the Garden of Eden as a delightful and purposeful habitation for Adam and Eve.  The garden was well watered by a river that split into four headwaters (Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates), signifying abundance and life. The garden was filled with trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food.

And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).

Amongst the trees were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 

The tree of life

The tree of life had the power to grant eternal life. However, when Adam and Eve fell, if they ate from the tree of life after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would have lived forever in his fallen state. Consequently, God banished them from the Garden of Eden and placed cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree. This was an act of judgment as well as act of divine mercy, preventing eternal life in a state of sin and separation from God. Eating from the tree of life meant immortality, but God intervened to prevent eternal life in a state of sin, reserving access to the tree for the redeemed.

And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever (Genesis 3:22b).

This tree is still there, to be eaten by those who will overcome.

 

Those who overcome by remaining faithful in trials, shunning sin and false teachings, persevere in love, obedience, and faith until the end. God will give them the privilege to eat from the tree of life. Guaranteeing immortality, God’s presence and fellowship, and the fullness of life in Christ.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Revelation 2:7).

God’s second chances are not just for survival, they are for restoration, purpose, and new beginnings.

 

God is the God of second chances, and often, third, fourth, and beyond. His nature is rich in mercy, patience, and redemptive love. The Bible is filled with examples of people who failed but were restored by God.

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).

The Tree of Life symbolizes eternal reward, restored access to God, and everlasting communion. Only those who overcome by remaining faithful to Christ to the end will partake of it.

 

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

This was the tree of temptation; eating the fruit from this tree gave Adam experiential knowledge of good and evil. The tree highlighted good and evil in man.

 

Rivers in the Garden

The names of the Pishon and Gihon rivers cannot be an indicator of where the Garden of Eden was situated. The global flood would have radically altered Earth’s surface, river paths changed, mountain ranges, and valleys formed. The entire ecosystems buried or relocated. Therefore, it is not reliable to trace pre-flood geography using present-day topography.

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. … (Genesis 2:10-14).

However, R. Tigris and R. Euphrates are post-flood and Noah and his sons named them. Therefore, those indicate where they were. It is also likely that Noah’s descendants, familiar with the old world, reused names for new rivers in the post-flood landscape.

 

God's command to Adam

Work was part of God's original design and not a result of sin. God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for creation, through tending, protecting, and being a steward. Work is good and God-ordained. Work reflects God's image in us as creative, purposeful, and productive. Work gives meaning and purpose.  

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15).

Through work, we fulfill God’s command to subdue the earth and have dominion. Even ordinary tasks become acts of worship, service, and purpose. Therefore, whatever believers do, it should be done in excellence.

 

Free will

God does not dictate; He commands, then gives us free will to choose right or wrong. However, choices have consequences.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16-17).

Our love for God and obedience to Him are out of choice. God specifically spelled out the consequences of disobedience to Adam before Eve was created.