Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 3:22-24 (New Living Translation)

²² Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”²³ So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. ²⁴ After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

In the creation (hi)story, Adam and Eve have been deceived by the serpent and have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Note God’s concern. God is “concerned” that man will eat of the Tree of Life and live forever.

Therefore, God placed cherubim to guard the entrance to the garden and a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life.

Is the Garden of Eden still somewhere on this planet? We don’t have any record that it was removed. Hence, the idea that it still exists somewhere is plausible (at least to me). Continuing this thought, the cherubim are still guarding the entrance and the flaming sword is still guarding the Tree of Life.

We live on a large planet. We haven’t walked every single inch of it. How does the garden exist? Where is it?

I’m just asking the questions. I don’t have the answers. Still, …