Genesis 2:8-10 — And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Myra and I talked a little about the Garden of Eden today. It made me think about how little we really know about it. I’m not talking about all the pointless speculation about where it was. After the flood who knows how the earth’s geography might have shifted? No, I’m talking about what it was like. I’d like to know what it was like, this place that God designed for Adam and Eve to live in.
Most of what follows is the exercise of, hopefully, spiritual imagination …
The Bible doesn’t tell us a whole lot about the Garden. I know I said wasn’t going to talk about where it was, but at least we can say that it was located in the East of a region called Eden. “Located” isn’t really the word though, is it? Let’s remember … It was planted by the Lord God.
When I was growing up, I had a very English idea of what a garden was. A garden was one of three things. It was a beautiful lawn (or collection of lawns) with pretty flower borders, or it was a collection of formally laid out beds, or it was a formally landscaped estate. My views of gardens were conditioned by what I saw around me. I wonder if that was what it was like for Moses? What was he saying when he said “the Lord God planted a garden“?
I don’t think I can begin to imagine what the lush, wild wonderland — full of “every tree that is pleasant to see and good for food” was like. There were so many trees …taller than the tallest redwoods, more graceful than the mountain ash, sweeter smelling than the cedars of Lebanon. And oh yes, that smell. Myra says it was like the smell of hot earth revived by a summer shower … rich, steamy, full of life. There was, of course, room for crops … Abel grew crops we know.
There were flowers, all the flowers we have, and all the flowers we have lost … but in all the perfection of their original creation.
Eden was filled with the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, living in a wonderful harmony. They each made the music appropriate to their kind and together they made a wonderful worship to a kindly creator.
Everything in the garden was calculated to provide the perfect environment for Adam and Eve and their children … and that perfect attention to our needs is what we can look forward to. Are you excited?