In the Garden of Eden, God intentionally placed Adam to dwell in a state of nuach rest, a special peace and stillness only available in His presence. God lived there in the garden, taking Adam and later Eve to be with Him constantly, living in this unique rest. This environment was ideal, set up by God as the perfect place for humanity, accompanied by the ideal activity of tending and keeping the garden, which extends beyond physical cultivation to all human service, aiming to develop, improve, protect, and preserve what He has given. God desired mankind to work, not just in physical labor but in service that produces good fruit, embellishes what is given, and ultimately glorifies Him. This tending and keeping also includes spiritual matters, as humanity was called to priestly service in caring for and preserving the things of God. God provided the best environment, physical bodies, and instructions, indicating that all would be well if they followed His principles. However, God needed to give specific instructions to ensure Adam and all mankind would not be sidetracked from their mission. In Genesis 2:16-17, God commanded, using an imperfect conjugation of the verb, a universal and timeless prohibition, "you shall not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." This command applies to everyone at all times, akin to the enduring nature of other divine commands. God granted free access to every other tree in the garden, withholding only this one, emphasizing the vast freedom within set boundaries. At the time of this command, Adam's mind was pure, showing no indication of questioning God's instruction, nor is there evidence of immediate rebellion from Eve until later influenced. Their pure minds perceived God's command as wholly good, with no reason to suspect ulterior motives from Him. God, acting as a loving parent, forbade the fruit of this tree to spare them the harmful consequences of mixing good and evil, desiring to teach them the difference in a way that avoided bitter experience. This command remains relevant today, spoken to each of us daily by God, presenting a choice between following the example of the first Adam, who disobeyed, or the second Adam, Christ, who perfectly kept God's commands. God offered access to all trees except the forbidden one, symbolizing vast areas of life open for exploration and growth through right knowledge applied with reverence for Him. The forbidden tree's fruit, though edible, led to evil outcomes, contrasting with the positive spiritual outcomes of the other trees, including the Tree of Life. God continues to present this scenario to us, having purified us in His eyes, placing us in a position similar to Adam in the Garden of Eden. With His Spirit and the right knowledge from His Word, He urges us to choose life and good, avoiding the path that leads to death.

God chose to place Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden for both physical and spiritual reasons. Physically, the garden provided an abundance of food through its trees, shrubs, and vegetables, ensuring sustenance for the first couple and their future family. It also offered resources like wood, oils, medications, spices, gums, glues, and rubber, from which shelters could be built and industries like cloth and paper-making could eventually emerge. Water was plentiful, with enough to supply four rivers, meeting a vital need for life. The garden required maintenance and harvesting, providing ample work to keep them and their descendants occupied. Spiritually, the Garden of Eden was a place of rest and peace. God took Adam by the hand and caused him to dwell there, to rest in a state of secure contentment and delight. This rest, unlike a mere cessation of activity, was a profound state of being, possible only in the presence of God. However, Adam and Eve did not respond with obedience, transgressing God's command and causing a separation from Him and the paradise He created for them. This separation denied them the rest and benefits of the garden, a condition that has persisted among their descendants, widening the gap from the peace the garden once offered.

The Garden of Eden marks the beginning of agriculture as God instructed Adam in the occupation of tilling the ground. Immediately after creation, God placed Adam in the Garden, teaching him to cultivate the earth, though this task became more burdensome due to sin. Had Adam remained obedient, God would have blessed his efforts, allowing the ground to produce abundantly with less toil. Instead, the curse made cultivation a struggle, requiring sweat and effort to yield crops for humanity. God did not abandon Adam and Eve after expelling them from the Garden; He provided the necessary instructions for life outside its bounds. The Garden itself symbolizes a state of rest, a place of peace and security where God intended mankind to dwell with Him. The act of God taking Adam and placing him in the Garden reflects a divine purpose of leading humanity into a permanent state of well-being, a rest that is only possible in His presence. This rest, distinct from mere cessation of work, embodies a deeper sense of stability and peace, as God led Adam into the Garden to dwell with Him. The Garden also represents all that God bountifully provided, a paradise of beauty and fertility where Adam could witness His creative power and care. God's actions in the Garden reveal His desire for mankind to live in harmony with Him, a condition disrupted by disobedience, leading to expulsion into a harsher world.

In the sacred narrative, the Garden of Eden emerges as a place of divine creation and profound symbolism, situated in the eastern portion of a region named Eden, with its likely location centered in the vicinity of Jerusalem, near the temple mount. The LORD God planted this garden, placing the man He had formed within it, and caused every tree to grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food, reflecting both aesthetic beauty and providential care. These trees, embodying God's character, prioritized beauty before functionality, revealing His desire to fulfill both the spiritual and physical needs of humanity. Among these trees, two held special significance: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Both were beautiful and bore fruit, yet God opened the way to one while forbidding the other. Eve, seeing the forbidden tree as good for food and pleasant to the eyes, was deceived by satan into desiring it for wisdom, a quality not inherent in its creation. This act of disobedience altered their relationship with God, perverting the divine qualities of providence and beauty into selfish ends, marking the beginning of humanity's misuse of God's gifts. A river, originating in Eden, flowed through the Garden, nourishing it before dividing into four streams that extended to the far reaches of the earth. This river symbolizes life and God's Spirit, emanating from His dwelling place to provide growth and sustenance not just within the Garden, but across the world. This imagery of water as a source of life connects to broader themes, pointing to a future restoration where, from Jerusalem, God's Word and Spirit will flow like rivers to heal and unify mankind with Him.

The Garden of Eden embodies a vision of rest and contentment, a place of beauty, productivity, and peace that God desires us to envision. Known also as paradise, a term derived from a Persian word meaning an enclosed park with trees, it suggests seclusion and a special space crafted for enjoyment. This imagery connects the ancient Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 with a future paradise, reflecting the Kingdom of God, where the Tree of Life and a river will once again exist, as described in Revelation 22, portraying an eternal state of divine bounty and tranquility. The Garden of Eden, meaning delight or pleasure, signifies a contented, peaceful, and exciting place where God's plan began. It serves as a clear type of the future paradise, often called the Kingdom of God or God's rest, linking concepts of peace, tranquility, bounty, and security found in a beautiful garden. These elements, including the work and stimulation a garden offers, are inseparable from both the ancient Eden and the coming Kingdom, with the presence of God as the common source of these cherished qualities. In the narrative of Genesis 2, after breathing life into Adam, the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, suggesting a unique preparation tailored for Adam and Eve. This act of planting, distinct from creating, implies a special effort made after Adam's awakening, possibly as a demonstration of God's power and diligence. Imagining Adam witnessing God swiftly craft a garden of immense beauty and functionality could have served as proof of God's superiority and work ethic, setting an example for Adam to emulate in his own tasks. This garden, named Eden for its delight, was not only visually stunning but also productive, with fruits to sustain life, showcasing God's precision, care, and wisdom in creation.

God planted the Garden of Eden after He created Adam, providing a visible demonstration of His creative power. Witnessing such a spectacle, as trees and beauty emerged at an accelerated pace, would have left Adam in awe, needing no further convincing of God's authority as Creator. The Garden, located in the eastern portion of a larger region called Eden, served as a paradise where Adam and Eve initially experienced only good, blessed with wonderful sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. This idyllic setting was God's possession, a place where He dwelled on earth and offered to Adam and Eve as their abode. In this Garden, God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which did not impart the ability to reason but held profound significance. When Adam and Eve ate its forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their nakedness, losing their innocence. This act of disobedience to God's direct command introduced sin and rebellion, exposing them to new, negative areas of knowledge. They began to feel guilt, shame, and fear, emotions previously unknown to them, and started to focus on their own desires, separating themselves from God. Their sin opened their minds to experiential knowledge resulting from being cut off from God, a consequence that affected all their descendants. The Garden of Eden, described as the Garden of the Lord and the Garden of God, holds clues to its location through biblical references to God's dwelling place. The river Gihon, one of the four rivers associated with Eden, connects symbolically to a spring near Jerusalem, suggesting a divine link. This connection implies that the Garden of Eden may be in the area of Jerusalem, specifically around Mount Zion, aligning with the consistent biblical portrayal of God's chosen habitation.

In Genesis 2, the narrative shifts from a cosmic perspective to a deeply personal one, focusing on the intimate relationship between God and humanity, beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This garden, set in a raw and untouched land, represents the initial meeting place of God and man, where He intended constant fellowship. God placed Adam and Eve into His garden, a pristine environment before any human cultivation or agriculture had begun, reflecting a time when the earth was unspoiled and perfect as He created it. The description emphasizes a world before rain, where a mist rose to water the ground, ensuring the land was primed for growth, yet untouched by human hands. This setting in the Garden of Eden highlights God's original plan for nearness, a closeness that mirrors the intimacy He offers under later covenants, aiming for an eternal relationship with humanity. The narrative underscores that this fellowship, initiated in the garden, was not an afterthought but a deliberate forethought in God's creation, designed to last forever.

The Garden of Eden holds a central place in God's purpose and patterns, reflecting a spiritual principle of copy, shadow, symbol, and pattern that connects to the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the Body of Christ. Eden, meaning delight, was named by God as a place that greatly pleased Him, a beautiful garden where He took delight. It was His home on earth, where He walked, and is referred to as the garden of the LORD, signifying His ownership and personal residence. The Garden of Eden was completely enclosed, with only one way in and out on the east side, guarded by cherubim after Adam and Eve were expelled. This single entrance reflects the singular path to God, requiring one to travel west from the east to reach Him. The altar for sacrifices, such as those made by Cain and Abel, was located outside the entrance to the Garden, near the gate, as it could not have been inside after the expulsion. A river flowed out of Eden to the east, and this directional pattern is consistent with God's unchanging ways. Those who turned away from God, like Cain, moved eastward, following the river to the land of Nod, which means wandering, symbolizing confusion and lack of direction. This eastward movement is seen repeatedly as a sign of opposition to God, with civilizations like Babylon establishing themselves east of Eden. Eden is considered the dwelling place of God on earth, and its location is tied to Jerusalem, which is viewed as the center of nations. All directions in Scripture are generally from Jerusalem, indicating its significance as the place where God lived and where everything revolves around Him. Evidence suggests that Eden was in the land later known as Jerusalem, the City of Peace, not in Mesopotamia, which is associated with anti-God confusion. After the Flood, though Eden no longer existed due to being washed away, some descendants of Noah attempted to return to the area of the Garden from which their ancestors were expelled. The family of Ham, specifically the descendants of Canaan, migrated to the land later called Canaan, which God eventually gave to Abraham and his descendants as their inheritance, pointing to Eden's location in this region. The entire biblical history from Genesis 12 onward focuses on this land, particularly Jerusalem, as the center of God's continuing plan from beginning to end. Further evidence of Eden's location near Jerusalem is seen in the place-name Gihon, mentioned as a river from Eden and later as a spring just east of Jerusalem, providing an abundant supply of water. This suggests continuity in God's plan, centering His sacred temple, the Garden of Eden, in this area rather than in Mesopotamia, aligning with His purpose to work with His people in one specific location.

In the Garden of Eden, God meticulously created Eve as a helper comparable to Adam, showcasing His detailed care in forming her from Adam's rib. He put Adam into a deep sleep to perform this divine act, taking not just bone but also flesh to build Eve with precision, ensuring she was both like and unlike Adam. God introduced Eve to Adam, who, upon seeing her, exclaimed with joyous astonishment, recognizing her as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, naming her woman, a reflection of his own humanity yet distinct as his feminine counterpart. This union in the Garden marked the institution of marriage and family, setting a divine precedent for intimate, complementary partnership before sin entered and altered their innocent state.

The Garden of Eden holds a central place in the unfolding of God's purpose within the Promised Land. Eden was the general area encompassing this land, with the Garden of Eden specifically located on Mount Moriah in the east of Eden. This same Mount Moriah, also known as the Temple Mount, became significant as the site of God's house. Initially, God's dwelling was in the midst of the Garden, later represented in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, and subsequently in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. The Garden, along with the Tabernacle and Temple, was considered the house of God on earth, each patterned after God's dwelling place in heaven, known as Bethel, the house of God. In reference to Eden, the term "camp" includes the area to the east beyond the Garden entrance, just outside the eastern border of the land of Eden. This reflects the arrangement of sacred spaces and boundaries, emphasizing the separation due to sin, as seen when God instructed Cain about placing offerings outside the camp. Two significant trees stood in the midst of the Garden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life, speculated to possibly be an almond tree due to symbolic connections with items like the Menorah and Aaron's rod, represents new life and God's authority. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, possibly a fig tree, was inherently good, as all of God's creation was declared very good. However, eating its fruit was forbidden, and the act of disobedience by Adam and Eve introduced the knowledge of sin and death. This tree symbolizes the law, which reveals sin but was not designed to produce eternal life, highlighting the choice between obedience and disobedience presented to humanity from the beginning.