Eden and Canaan

Read 02:15 &version=KJV&src=tools" target="_self">Genesis 2:15  and Genesis 3:17-24. What were the consequences of the Fall, as far as the living space of the first human couple was concerned?

At Creation, God placed Adam and Eve in a perfect environment that embodied abundance and beauty. The first human couple met their Creator in the setting of a lovely living space that could provide for all their physical needs. In addition to the spoken word of God, the Garden of Eden served as a learning center where Adam and Eve gained significant insight into God’s character and the life He intended for them. Therefore, when they broke the trusting relationship with their Creator, their relationship with the Garden of Eden changed as well, and, as a sign of the broken relationship, they had to leave the garden. They lost the territory that God had given to them. Thus, the Garden of Eden became the symbol of abundant life, and we will rediscover its motifs in the theme of the Promised Land.

How did the patriarchs perceive the promise of the land? (See Gen. 13:14-15; Gen. 26:3, 26:24 &version=KJV&src=tools" target="_self">24; 28:13 &version=KJV&src=tools" target="_self">Gen. 28:13 .) What do you think it means to us, as Adventists, to live as heirs of the promises (Heb. 6:11-15)?

As Abraham entered the land God had shown him, by faith that land became the Land of Promise to him and his descendants. It remained the Land of Promise for 400 years. The patriarchs did not really own the land; it was not theirs in such a way that they were able to give it to their children as an inheritance. Rather, it belonged to God, as the Garden of Eden had belonged to Him. As Adam and Eve did not do anything that entitled them to the Garden of Eden, Israel had not contributed anything to deserve the land either. The Promised Land was a gift of God based on His initiative. Israel had no inherent right or claim to own the land (Deut. 9:4-6); it was only by God’s grace that they could possess it.

The patriarchs were heirs of the promises until they were fulfilled. We, as Christ’s followers, have inherited even better promises (Heb. 8:6) that will be fulfilled if we become “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (06:12 &version=KJV&src=tools" target="_self">Heb. 6:12 , RSV).