FRIDAY
The Eden scene gives us one more important image that links Eden to the temple—the river of life.
Genesis 2:10 (ESV) 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
In Ezekiel 47, Ezekiel sees a vision of a river flowing below the threshold of the temple. Psalm 36 also links the Eden river to the temple.
Psalm 36:7–9 (ESV) 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, (temple) and you give them drink from the river of your delights. (literally, river of eden) 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
The river of life flowing out of Eden points us to Eden being a figure of sacred space.
In the garden, this river waters the fruit trees, including the tree of life. This is another symbol of God’s gracious provision of life and abundance in his presence. Life is sourced in God and in his presence. Without his gracious provision there is no life.
If we were to continue reading, we find that this river branches into four and provides the nourishment for four major civilizations.
Genesis 2:11–14 (ESV) 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
This image implies that the people of God are to be nourished in the river of life and tree of life but not just remain there drinking and feasting for themselves. They are to take that life-sustaining water to the nations. Just as we are called to fill the earth and subdue it (i.e., create more image bearers who live under the lordship of God and steward his creation), so we are called to take the life of God to those who don’t currently have it. This is our mission.
It’s vitally important to note again that this river originates in Eden, the presence of God. If we are to be successful in lifelong mission for the gospel we need to regularly return to the source of the river and drink our full. We need to regularly abide in the presence of God to fill us with his life. Mission to the world is exhausting. We often run into problems that we don’t have the resources to solve. We find challenges that are too big for us. The lost world is desperately lost. Without a regular return to the presence of God to fill our cups, we will either burn out and quit or we will become bitter and angry. Our mission for God will be done solely out of obligation and duty with no love, joy, and peace in serving him. Without a dependence on God’s resources to accomplish this mission, we will grow frustrated in our meager attempts. On this Beale and Kim write:
“We sacrifice for what satisfies. The soul-satisfying riches in the presence of God propel us out of our comfort zones, calling us out of the warm confines of our beds to our knees in early-morning prayer and meditation on God’s Word. Only these soul-satisfying riches can sustain us in the rigors of God’s calling on our lives as we move out to proclaim his name to the nations across the street and across the globe. A heart for mission grows out of a soul that finds satisfaction in God’s presence, the riches of which can be seen in the imagery of Eden.”*
*Beale, G. K.; Kim, Mitchell. God Dwells Among Us: A Biblical Theology of the Temple (Essential Studies in Biblical Theology) (pp. 11-12). (Function). Kindle Edition.
Additional Content
Reflection
Drink deeply from the river of life in the presence of God
Take God’s life to the nations across the street and across the globe, wherever God has called you.