Introduction
- We are continuing our study on how Mount Zion is developed in scripture, which Hebrews say is the mountain we ascend when we gather for worship.
- Read: Hebrews 12:18-24.
- Genesis 2–3 continues creation’s temple imagery, presenting Eden as sacred space.
- Read: Ezekiel 28:13–14.
- Ezekiel critiques Tyre’s ruler, but the imagery highlights Eden as God’s mountain sanctuary.
- Eden is the meeting place of heaven and earth, functioning as the Most Holy Place of creation.
- Humanity is placed there as priests, to work/serve (ʿābad) and keep/guard (šāmar).
- The fall in Genesis 3 is expulsion from God’s presence, not just loss of innocence.
- This separation explains the later tabernacle and priesthood, which provided a way back to God.
- Hebrews 10:19–22: in Christ, the second Adam and great High Priest, the way is opened.
- In worship, the church ascends the mountain in Him, sharing Eden’s nearness of God.
Eden as Sacred Space
- Read or paraphrase: Genesis 2:4-14.
- The divine name shifts from “God” (elohim) to LORD God (yahweh elohim).
- Reflection question: what might this change in name suggest about how God is relating to creation and to humanity at this point in the story?
- The garden of Eden is where God dwells, set on his mountain, source of life‑giving waters (Gen 2:6).
- God “formed” (yāṣar) the first human (Gen 2:7); Isaiah 44 contrasts Yahweh forming His people with humans forming lifeless idols.
- Check question: where does garden of Eden imagery later appear in the Bible and why?
- Tree of life (Genesis 2:9) → tabernacle lampstand (Exodus 25:31–40).
- River from Eden (Genesis 2:10) → temple river (Ezekiel 47:1–12).
- Gold of Havilah (Genesis 2:12) → gold overlay of ark and furnishings (Exodus 25:11, 17, 24, 29, 36).
- Tree of knowledge (Genesis 2:17) → law in the ark (Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 31:26), with warnings of death for improper approach (Numbers 4:20; 2 Samuel 6:7).
- Tree of life “in the midst” (Genesis 2:9) → God dwelling “in the midst” of His people (Exodus 25:8; Deuteronomy 23:14).
- Eastward entrance (Genesis 2:8) → eastward orientation of tabernacle and temple (Exodus 36:20–30; 1 Kings 7:21; Ezekiel 47:1).
- God “planted” Eden (Genesis 2:8) → God “planted” Israel on His holy mountain (Exodus 15:17; 1 Chronicles 17:9).
- Precious stones in Eden (Genesis 2:12) → stones in priestly garments and sanctuary adornment (Exodus 25:7; 28:9, 20; 35:9, 27; 39:6, 13).
- Eden was the first earthly sanctuary, the original meeting place of God and humanity.
- Later sanctuaries, from tabernacle to temple, were patterned after Eden.
- In Christ, the true temple (John 2:19–21), worship is both a return to Eden’s pattern and a foretaste of new creation (Revelation 22:1–2).
Work and Keep
- God placed Adam in Eden to “work/serve” (ʿābad) and “keep/guard” (shāmar) the garden (Genesis 2:15).
- These verbs are priestly terms, later used for the Levites who served (worked) and guarded (kept) the tabernacle (Numbers 3:7–8).
- Read: Numbers 3:5-10, 18:7.
- In the rest of the Torah (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), the working and keeping of the priests is further developed.
- Work: offering sacrifices, caring for and transporting the parts of the tabernacle, teaching, and leading worship gatherings.
- Keep: guarding the assembled tabernacle, observing worship festivals (mo’adim, recall Genesis 1:14), and staying loyal to God and his teachings (avoiding idolatry).
- Reflection question: how did “working” and “keeping” shape the role of the priests in the tabernacle, and what does that reveal about their service in God’s presence?
Working and Keeping in Gathered Worship
- Read: Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15-16, John 14:15, 1 John 5:21 (these passages use Greek terms that often translate ʿābad and shāmar).
- Reflection question: how do we fulfill the role of working and keeping while gathered on God’s mountain in worship?
- In assembled worship, the church enacts this our priestly identity:
- Praise and prayer as work/service/sacrifice (recall 1 Peter 2:5).
- Receiving God’s word keeps/guards our holiness.
- Worship is both encounter and formation, shaping God’s people to work and keep in His presence, then sending them out to extend His blessing to the world.
Not Alone
- Read: Genesis 2:18-24.
- Reflection question: since God declared it “not good” for Adam to serve and guard sacred space alone, how does that shape our understanding of worship?
- In Genesis 2:18, “not good” addresses Adam’s aloneness. He lacked a corresponding partner (ʿēzer kenegdô), not God’s fellowship.
- Adam names the animals (Genesis 2:19–20), exercising image‑bearing authority, yet none corresponded to him in kind. The animals are not image bearers, so they cannot share his vocation.
- “Bone of my bones” signals shared humanity and equal vocation. “She shall be called woman” uses a passive verb (yiqqārēʾ), recognizing likeness, not exercising authority. This contrasts with Adam’s active, authoritative naming (yiqrāʾ) of the animals (Genesis 2:19–20) and later “Eve” (Genesis 3:20).
- Unity is humanity’s first state before God; division comes only after sin (Genesis 3), echoed in Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers.
- In Christ, the church gathers as a reconciled people. Assembled worship enacts Eden’s pattern: we ascend together, healed and restored as one body in the presence of the great High Priest.
Occupied Territory
- Read: Genesis 3:1-6.
- Check question: where is the serpent?
- Reflection question: what rival voices compete with God’s Word in our worship today?
- Sacred space can be occupied territory. Even in Eden, Adam and Eve faced the serpent’s voice. They listened to a rival voice instead of God’s
- This pattern repeats: Israel entered the land with Canaanites already present. God’s word warned of corruption if they remained. Psalm 106 laments Israel’s fellowship with the nations, leading to idolatry and judgment.
- Reading: Psalm 106:19-23.
- For the church, assembled worship is sacred space in time. Loyalty must be guarded, God’s Word must be heeded above all others, and His presence is preserved through faithfulness.
Exile from the Summit
- Read: Genesis 3:8, 22–24.
- Somewhat tragically after Adam and Eve’s failure, we see the garden reinforced as the place of God’s presence.
- The verb used for God “walking to and fro” in the garden (hithallek) is the same verb later used to describe His presence moving within the tabernacle and temple (Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 23:15; 2 Samuel 7:6–7).
- The Lord’s approach in the “wind of the day” might point forward to later passages where God’s glory descends.
- Adam and Eve heed the serpent’s voice, not the Lord’s, and are expelled from the garden.
- Cherubim and a flaming sword guard the eastward “way”, forming a kind of gate (Genesis 3:24). Israel’s sanctuaries also faced east, with cherubim woven in the tabernacle veil and carved into the temple, guarding the Holy of Holies (Exodus 25:18–22; 26:31; 1 Kings 6:23–29).
- Eden is the first earthly sanctuary. Adam’s disobedience is a descent from the summit, loss of priestly access to the ideal Holy of Holies.
- Psalms 24:3 askes the question “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?”). In Genesis 3 the answer is no one.
- Yet hope remains. The tabernacle and temple later provide mediated access, foreshadowing ultimate restoration in Christ, whose death tore the temple veil (Matthew 27:50–51, Mark 15:37–38, Luke 23:44–45).
East of Eden
- Read: Genesis 4:1–7.
- After exile, access to God was mediated through sacrifice at the eastern entrance, where cherubim stood guard. This anticipates tabernacle and temple entrances.
- Cain and Abel’s offerings show worship remained central. The words used (minḥāh = tribute/grain offering; ḥaṭṭāʾt = sin offering) reflect sacrificial language.
- God’s warning to Cain can be read: “At the door a sin offering is lying down… you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). The “door” guards sacred space, where Cain faced the choice to repent.
- Later sin offerings required blood and confession (Leviticus 5:5–6; Numbers 5:7). Confession was essential; without it, sacrifice left the worshiper unchanged. Adam and Eve failed here, shifting blame instead of confessing (Genesis 3:12–13).
- John affirms the same principle: confession opens the way to forgiveness (1 John 1:8–9).
- Cain’s failure to confess and return to worship drove him further east, away from God’s presence. Confession is essential for true worship!
- The biblical arc: exile eastward → ascent back to God’s mountain. In worship, the church enacts this return. Christ opens the way, reversing exile, restoring fellowship in God’s presence.
Conclusion
- Eden is God’s first earthly sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, where His presence dwelt with humanity.
- When we gather, God restores our unity, guards our loyalty, and opens the way back into His presence through Christ.
- Next lesson, we’ll see how the flood is like baptism and the ark like the creation mountain-temple in miniature, with Noah serving as priest of a new creation. God’s chosen leads his people through the waters to worship.