Genesis 2:8-15
The Paradise of the Garden Eden
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Matthew 6:27-34
Do Not Worry
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I can picture the Garden of Eden as a Perfect Place, and as a Godly Place...A beautiful place to live...I picture the beauty of the green Garden of Eden, with all its Glory that God had built...
We are told that it was God who planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed...The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food...In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil...God planet all kinds of trees...Trees that produced food and two other usual trees, that were quite different...One was the Tree of Life, and another Tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil...We do not have these two types of trees growing around us today...
The Garden of Eden was a thing of beauty...After all God planted this Garden...This Garden would have been truly organic...This Garden would be truly green, and with other glorious colors...This Garden would have been an environmental paradise...Four waterways flowing through and around the Garden would make it even more beautiful, if that is possible...One could hear the different water flowing relaxing and calming...Seemingly nothing to worry about...
The beauty of this Garden would be breathtaking...Beauty can take our breath away, and then make us sigh...Beauty can do this...Beauty can affect our breath...The LORD God took the man and woman in the Garden of Eden and gave them breath...He let the first man and the first woman work the Garden and take care of it...Two beautiful sights, both the Garden and the two working in this place of beauty...
We can be taken back by beauty, because God created beauty for us to get a glimpse of Him...Beauty can help take our minds off the brokenness of the world...Beauty can take us away from worry...Each day may have enough trouble of its own, but not so in Eden...There were no worries or brokenness in the Garden of Eden...It was Paradise...Paradise was beauty...And great beauty is in Paradise...Jesus reminds us that even today there is beauty...God's work is still in nature and the things around us...There is this beauty of God, and beauty in God...