Genesis 2:8-9
“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 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.”
INSIGHT
-Eden in Hebrew is written as ee’ dehn which means the garden of God, delight, pleasure or paradise.
-God planted a garden eastward of Eden & placed man there. The garden was therefore planted in a place called Eden & God supplied choice plantations pleasant to the eyes & good for food. Then God commanded man to eat of any other tree but not from the tree of knowledge of God & evil lest he dies (Gen 2:16-17). When man ate of this tree; he substituted the perfect will of God for his own conscious will to do good & evil. This tree thus reminds us of our moral accountability to God Who created us in His image & likeness. We marvel at Gods’ work of creation for us; having over 200 bones, 500 muscles, 2 millions sweat glands to regulate temperature, the immune system, 6 senses, emotional composition etc. which respond to the mind, will & subconscious mind. In Gods’ image we have rational & moral capacity to be in communion & union with Him until eternity. The tree of life which is also in the midst of the garden is protected by Cherubim otherwise Christs’ work of redemption would be futile if man ate of it before Christs’ death & resurrection. Christ reminds us that those who overcome, He will give the privilege to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev 2:7).
PRAYER
We praise You & exult Your name Jesus for we have began yet another week in good health & sound mind. We rejoice in Your goodness & find delight in Your magnificent works of creation & salvation for us. Help us Lord to always be morally accountable to You through Your grace & follow Your holy will. Have mercy on us Father & cleanse us from all unrighteousness by Your precious blood. Heal all the sick merciful Father & guide all our children as they prepare to go back to school that they may excel in their studies. Direct our president & other leaders Lord in their plans & vision for this country. Bless us all Father in all we do through out this week & shepherd us in the way we should go. All glory & honor belongs to You Lord, now & forever Amen.
Blessed Week
Genesis 2:10-15
“Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”
INSIGHT
-From Eden is a main water stream like the one we find in Revelation 22:1; where a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God & of the Lamb in the new Jerusalem. The main river from Eden branches into four riverheads namely Pishon in the land of Havilah (Egypt towards Assyria) where there is gold, Bdellium & onyx stone, Gihon in the land of Cush (Ethiopia), Hiddekel which waters east of Assyria & river Euphrates which can be sighted to have the same origin as Tigris in Armenia. Eden is therefore a physical geographic location & not entirely mythical, but also a picture of Gods’ kingdom. In our prayers as taught by Jesus we ask for Gods’ kingdom to come & His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Christ gave us the living water, the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39), Who waters our hearts in sanctification, takes away all our worries, helps us in our work & fills us with His love so that we may live according to His kingdom principles. Christ also calls us to drink from Him for He is the source of our life & the door to eternal life.
PRAYER
Abba Father we thank You for Your goodness & love that You have always bestow upon us. Receive all the glory & praise for Your magnificent creation & Your divine plan for us. Remain in our hearts Holy Spirit so that we may find peace, direction & purpose in all things, & stronger faith in You leading to eternal life. Guide all our children & other students in their studies Jesus & protect us all by Your precious blood. Your grace is sufficient for us Lord, lead us in Your will so that we may bear much fruit. Amen
Isaiah 51:3
“For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”
INSIGHT
-The garden in Eden has been referred as the garden of the Lord which is a place of joy & gladness. The Lord has promised to comfort us; His people, for we seek the Lord & His righteousness like Abraham & Sarah who have been mentioned in the previous verse. They are classical examples of applying faith in God; which was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. The garden in Eden is a position where one seeks first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all other things including joy, love, peace, gladness etc follow. Apostle Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is not about eating & drinking, but righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).
PRAYER
Your righteousness is forever & Your salvation from generation to generation Father. Your works are perfect & Your ways are just Lord, train us in Your ways of justice & direct us in Your truth. It is only by Your righteousness Jesus that we can be righteous; wash away our sins by Your precious blood & renew our minds to only be inclined to Your will. Fill us Holy Spirit with the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility & self control, we humbly ask You. Amen
Ezekiel 31:18
“To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.
INSIGHT
-Pharaoh has been compared to the king of Assyria who had great power & described as the most beautiful tree in Eden through imagery. The fall of Pharaoh is thus predestined as shameful because of his pride. Just like Pharaoh, Satan was the anointed cherub in Eden, clothed in every precious stone, became proud & exulted himself as a god, & the Lord reduced him to ashes (Ezek 28:13-18). It is best therefore to be a lowly tree of righteousness, yielding fruit to the glory of God, & to the good of men. Like Pharaoh, the wicked man is often seen flourishing like the cedar, but he soon passes away, & his place is no longer found but the end of the upright man is peace. Jesus calls us to be circumcised at heart & remain humble, for the meek will inherit the earth, probably now & in the future when He returns to rule with glory & righteousness.
PRAYER
As a deer pants for streams of water, so our souls thirst for You our living God. Fill our hearts with humility King of glory so that Your presence may never depart from us, our families, leaders & nation. Direct our country Father; socially, financially, politically & economically so that we may bear much fruit & remain in peace; merciful God. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ & the love of God & the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now & forever more. Amen
Revelation 22:1-2
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 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.”
INSIGHT
-Magnificent beauty is described once more through the pure & clear river of water of life proceeding from the throne of God. The tree of life present in the middle of the street; in Eden is symbolic to the Vine Which will bring healing to the nations, bear twelve fruits each month representing the twelve tribes of Israel visible in the Old Testament & the twelve disciples as depicted in the New Testament, & it has abundance of life.
SUMMARY
-In Eden God created a garden towards the east also called the garden of God for man to dwell, subdue & keep it. God created trees pleasant to the sight & good for food, a river of crystal clear water which split into four river-heads, had many types of minerals & the glory of God was present in it. Instead of eating from the tree of life which bore eternity, Eve was deceived by the serpent & they both ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good & evil which brought about a curse on the earth. Jesus then died for our sins & promised to return with the coming of the New Jerusalem which will descend from heaven like a bride adorned for her husband to rule in glory & righteousness where there be no more curse, no tears, no pain, no sorrows & no death, for He will make all things new (Rev 21:1-5). Jesus will thus recreate the earth into its original order like Eden was; a place of righteousness, peace, joy & gladness to give freely the fountain of the water of life to anyone who thirsts. Christ calls us to believe in Him & distance ourselves from evils like pride which is a symbol of self belief/self exultation, for it brought down Satan, Pharaoh & king of Assyria, so that we may not perish but have everlasting life with Him in the New Jerusalem. Christ Who is the resurrection & the life gives us abundance of life through His grace & eternal life together with Him when He comes again.
PRAYER
You are the Alpha & Omega, the Beginning & the End Lord, all glory & praise belongs to You. Fill us with Your wisdom so that we may understand & keep Your word Father. Purify us from all evil & dwell in our hearts always that Your glory may forever be with us; Your children. Glory be to the Father & to the Son & the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning; is now & ever shall be; world without end. Amen