In the last devotion, we started talking about the Garden of Eden (Gan Eden in Hebrew or Paradise). This devotional reading looks at its possible location.
Nuggets
- The first river is the Pishon River that flowed around the land of Havilah, named after a descendant of Ham, Noah’s son.
- The Gihon River, as well as a spring, flows near Jerusalem.
- The Tigris River is still identifiable today.
- One of the most familiar rivers is the Euphrates River.
The location of the Garden of Eden is potentially identified by the rivers that run through it.
I grew up thinking that the boundaries of the Garden of Eden was the four branches named in Genesis 2: 11-14.
That isn’t what verse 10 says. Verse 10 says an unnamed river split into the four branches. These branches flowed in or around specific areas.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Celebrating Creation’s Story series
Pishon River
“A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there” (Gen. 2: 10-12 NLT)
The first river is the Pishon River that flowed around the land of Havilah, named after a descendant of Ham, Noah’s son.
We don’t know where it was because, somewhere along the line, it probably dried up. If it had changed course, we would probably know where it is at. However, names have been changed over time.
Land of Havilah
Any change in the river hasn’t stopped some from suggesting Havilah was in southwest Arabia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, or India.
Mention of the land of Havilah occurred a couple of more times in God’s Word.
- “The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan” (Gen. 10: 7 NLT).
- “Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives” (Gen. 25: 18 NLT).
What we do know from verses 12 and 13 is the presence of gold, bdellium (an aromatic resin), and onyx stone. Other historical documents list the Amorites possessing jewels that came from Havilah.
Good is not a good thing or a bad thing. It is a gift from God.
It is the desire of gold over God that is a bad thing. It is the motivation for thirsting for it that can lead us into sin.
Gihon River
“The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush” (Gen. 2: 13 NLT)
The Gihon River, as well as a spring, flows near Jerusalem.
Let’s get the identification of the spring out of the way first. Solomon was anointed king by this spring. “Then King David ordered, ‘Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.’ When they came into the king’s presence, 33 the king said to them, “Take Solomon and my officials down to Gihon Spring. Solomon is to ride on my own mule” (I Kgs. 1: 33 NLT).
Because it was a major water source to Jerusalem, Hezekiah rerouted it so that the Assyrian army couldn’t find it. “He blocked up the upper spring of Gihon and brought the water down through a tunnel to the west side of the City of David. And so he succeeded in everything he did” (II Chron. 32: 30 NLT).
Back to Gihon as a River.
Some believe it is known by other names. Those rivers are the Blue Nile or Oxus (also called Jaihun).
Land of Cush
Cush, a powerful nation, consisted of descendants of Ham, the son of Noah — the cursed son.
- “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers” (Gen. 9: 22 NLT).
- “The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth” (Gen. 10: 6-8 NLT).
Kush has often been translated as Ethiopia. For example, Pharaohs of the 25th dynasty (744-656 BC) were Kushites, an ethnic group of Ethiopian and Nubian descent. It was located in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
Does it seem strange that the firstborn in Mesopotamia would move all the way down to Egypt? Maybe; maybe not. Maybe they, too, went because of a famine.
The land of Cush has been mentioned several times in God’s Word.
- “Listen, Ethiopia — land of fluttering sails that lies at the headwaters of the Nile, that sends ambassadors in swift boats down the river” (Isa. 18: 1-2NLT).
- “Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army — your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons” (Ezek. 38: 3-5 NLT).
- “While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman” (Num. 12: 1 NLT).
- “Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The man bowed and ran off” (II Sam. 18: 21 NLT).
- “Charge, you horses and chariots; attack, you mighty warriors of Egypt! Come, all you allies from Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia who are skilled with the shield and bow!” (Jer. 46: 9 NLT).
- “Men from distant Persia, Lydia, and Libya served in your great army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, giving you great honor” (Ezel. 27: 10 NLT).
Tigris River
“The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur ...” (Gen. 2: 14 NLT)
The Tigris River is still identifiable today.
The eastern branch of the two rivers that defined Mesopotamia, The Tigris River flows from the Lake Hazer, through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and emptying into the Persian Gulf at Shatt Al-Arab after merging with the Euphrates River. It is surrounded by Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria.
Euphrates River
“... The fourth branch is called the Euphrates” (Gen. 2: 14 NLT)
One of the most familiar rivers is the Euphrates River.
The western river of the two that defined Mesopotamia, it starts in modern-day Iraq and flows through Syria and Turkey. As we said, it merges with the Tigris River before it empties into the Persian Gulf at Shatt Al-Arab.
The Euphrates River is mentioned several times in God’s Word.
There are several mentions of the Euphrates River by name in God’s World. Usually, it is identified as a boundary for something.
- “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates” (Gen. 2: 10-14 ESV).
- “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15: 18 ESV)
- “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory” (Josh. 1: 4 ESV).
- “Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Deut. 1: 7 ESV).
- “Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west” (Deut 11: 24 NLT).
- “And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals” (Isa. 11: 15 ESV).
- “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (‘Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!’) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Rev. 16: 12-16 ESV).
Pretty important river, isn’t it?
Making the Connections #1
The four rivers – really branches – flowed from one river. Let’s apply it this way.
All disciples have Jesus within us. His Gospel is to come out of us and flow to all non-believers.
That is our marching orders. Go and tell.
- “And then he told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone’” (Mk. 16: 15 NLT).
- “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28: 19-20 NLT).
Making the Connections #2
I’ve long said that God is working to get us back to the Garden of Eden. It seems that is correct.
It is hard to not compared the Garden of Eden with New Jerusalem.
Both have rivers. The Garden of Eden has four rivers. New Jerusalem has the river of life. Since the unnamed river split into the four branches, the source is unknown. We know the river of life will have God’s throne as its source. “A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High” (Ps. 46: 4 NLT).
Well, God must love rivers.
- “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams” (Ps. 23: 2 NLT).
- “You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights” (Ps. 36: 8 NLT).
- “With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!” (Isa. 12: 3 NLT).
The tree of life is in both Paradises. God also loves trees. It isn’t that they are just pretty at which to look. They provide food and so much more.
- “They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jer. 17: 8 NLT).
- “Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches” (Job. 14: 7 NLT).
- “Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth” (I Chron. 16: 33 NLT). “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit” (Mt. 7: 17 NLT).
Both have gold. But it is mostly refined gold.
- “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Prov. 17: 3 NLT).
- “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (I Pet. 1: 7 NLT).
- “They sailed to Ophir and brought back to Solomon some sixteen tons of gold” (I Kgs. 9: 28 NLT).
- “The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself” (Deut. 17: 17 NLT).
- “I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God’” (Zech. 13: 9 NLT).
- “My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!” (Prov. 8: 19 NLT).
- “So I advise you to buy gold from me — gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see” (Rev. 3: 18 NLT).
- “The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass” (Rev. 21: 18 NLT).
- “The twelve gates were made of pearls — each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass” (Rev. 21: 21 NLT).
Look what Paget said. “Love is the true gold.”
Resource
As wonderful as the Garden of Eden was, New Jerusalem is hands and above superior.
Boardman and Newton made great points. Boardman wrote, “To every human being, not less than to Adam, God has given a garden to till and to keep: it is the garden within him.” Newton wrote, “The gold of heaven means the grace of God.”
Resources
But that means we have to be vigilant to keep our soul focused on God. We do that through grace.
How Do We Apply This?
- Obey God’s commands.
Father God. There are things that we may not be able to figure out from Your Word, but You never hide from us. We seek You, Lord. Help us find You. Amen.
What do you think?
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