Garden of Eden II. A clarifying thought occurred to me about how I can imagine the Garden of Eden in perfection. Basically, it tentatively incorporates some later verses wherein God uses nature as an object lesson.
There are wandering thoughts rather than serious study via word study or anything. Still, hear me out.
In perfection, our hairs would still be counted. Hair could fall out. It simply wouldn’t be “lost”, only no longer attached.
“As long as seasons run” is a bit trickier passage. After all, it appears that seasons began following the flood. It also demonstrates that one can’t necessarily work backwards, applying object lessons too strictly, as though everything now is as it automatically must be.
However, when I imagine a variety of colored foliage in the garden, I can do so without death in mind. Rather, there are patterns in nature that demonstrate our reliance upon God and His gifts. Why can’t color change be one of them?
Obviously, I’m speculating. This stuff isn’t related to salvation, nor should any of us go about somehow making a cult of it. Still, it strikes me that God was purposeful with creation to an extent we routinely underestimate.
Faith is significantly more important in the first three chapters of Genesis than many realize. The tree was an object lesson—a visible, ongoing teaching moment—that we live by God’s Word. Why not also pair the life span of flowers–or the detached vine—as a reminder that we cannot live apart from the Lord of Life?
So, while I think that destruction is contrary to the nature and desire of God, perhaps changing leaves is not a parallel to the punishment of mankind because of sin. (Purposefully leaving all animal life out of this . . .) Maybe lilies would have always faded, but we wouldn’t have as God’s set apart image.
I’ll ponder it more. But, see? “Theologizing” impacts imagination! 😉
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