Seeing God's Purpose of Life & Building in the Book of Genesis

    The Bible doesn't tell us so much about the Garden of Eden. I've been to some pretty cool gardens with with brick paths, ornate fountains, and  flowers of every hue.  But the Bible doesn't go into details like these.   Instead it says the Garden of Eden was full of fruit trees, a river with 4 branches, gold, bdellium, and onyx stone.  So it's not your typical garden description.  Is anyone going huh here? 

Rose Garden in Seattle

 Usually when I read something I don't quite get in the Bible, I just gloss over it.  So to be honest with you, I never thought much about the lack of description here until I read chapters 11 & 12 of the Life-Study of Genesis. 

   When I was in college I heard for the first time that this description is actually very meaningful because it mirrors the end of the Bible!!  Here's Genesis 2:9-12:

And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  
   And a river went forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four branches.
   The name of the first is Pishon [Heb. Flowing free]; it is the one that goes around the whole land of Havilah [Heb. to cause to grow], where there is gold.
   And the gold of that land is good; bdellium, and onyx stone are there. 

     In Genesis 2 everything is in its natural state--we can see there's gold by the river, bdellium (which is a pearl-like substance formed from trees), and onyx stone, which is a precious stone.  Then when you turn to Revelation 21 you see a vision of a spiritual city that's built with gold, pearl, and precious stones.  I was like wow when I saw this correlation. Even more than that this city God's desire is to build up all the believers into His habitation. 

     And in Revelation the city has a river flowing from the throne and on both sides of it grow guess what? The tree of life!  You can say wow again, because that's what I did.
 
But how is this all going to happen in you?  In chapter 11 of the Life-Study of Genesis Witness Lee shares that the gold, bdellium, and onyx stone are produced in us by the flowing of the river of life.  Now that really amazed me.  Here's some short excerpts from page 144 that show all the connections: 

In Romans 9 we are dust; in Revelation 1 we are gold. How can dust be replaced by gold?  The divine life must flow within us to bring gold into us.  This is even true of physical gold which is frequently found by a river….Now through the flowing of the divine life we had some gold within us. Something precious and weighty, the very divine nature has been brought into us….The flowing of the river also produces pearl….Furthermore, the flowing of the river brings forth onyx stone, which typifies the transformed man expressing God's glorious image (cf. Rev. 4:3; 2 Cor. 3:18)….The materials brought in through the flow of the river of life are for the building of God's habitation. They can only be brought in by the flow of the divine life. In other words, the divine life flowing within us makes us the materials for God's building (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Genesis. Anaheim: Living Stream  Ministry, 1974, Print). 

So this really encourages me to spend time in the Word and make sure I get the water that's there. 

Other Posts on Life & Building From the Life-Studies: 

From the Life-Study of Matthew:
What is the Significance of the Parables on the Treasure & the Pearl of Great Value in Matthew 13:44-46?

From the Life-Study of John
What's the Focus of the Gospel of John?

From the Life-Study of 1 Corinthians:
What is God Building in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
What Does it Mean to Build in 1 Corinthians 3:12 With Gold, Silver, & Precious Stones?

From the Life-Study of Ephesians:
What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?
What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?

From the Life-Study of 1 Peter:
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?

From the Life-Study of Revelation:
What is the Controlling Vision of he Bible Seen in the Book of Revelation?

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on  Genesis on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Genesis:

From the Life-Study of Genesis - What is the Focus of the Bible?
What Happened Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?
Why Did God Create Man in Genesis 1:26?
Why Did God Create Man With 3 Parts in Genesis 2:7?
Why Did God Put Man in Front of the Two Trees in Genesis 2?
Seeing God's Purpose of Life & Building in the Book of Genesis
What is the Story Behind the Story of Cain & Abel?
What Did Enosh Learn to Do in Genesis 4:26?
How Did Enoch Escape Death in Genesis 5:24?
Why Did Noah Need to Find Grace in Genesis 6:8?
What Does the Rainbow Symbolize in Genesis 9:13?
How Did God Call Abraham in Genesis 12:1?
How Did God Fulfill the Birth of Isaac in Genesis 12:7?
What Does the Marriage of Isaac & Rebekah Show in Genesis 24?
How Does the Story of Jacob Show God's Selection in Genesis 25?
Why Did Jacob Dream About a Ladder in Genesis 28:12?
Seeing Our Spiritual Journey in the Lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, & Joseph
Why Did Jacob Call theTwo Altars in Genesis 33 & 35 By Different Names?
How Do the Stories of Jacob & Joseph Mirror God's Purpose in Genesis 1:26?
How Did Joseph's Dreams Really Get Fulfilled in Genesis 41?