The two trees in the garden of Eden — the ones that God placed in the center — were literal trees in a literal place. But, they were far more than just trees.
In the beginning, God created a beautiful-in-every-way world. He set it in motion, promised to sustain it, and brilliantly designed a plan to restore it if it went off the rails.
In the beginning, the man and the woman thrived. Full of life, they tended the garden, and the garden rewarded them with food. Two trees in the garden of Eden didn’t just provide food.
One tree rewarded them unlike any other. It provided — not just sustenance for the day — but life itself. This tree of life grew in the middle of the garden. It stood tall as a symbol of eternal life. As long as the man and the woman ate its fruit, they thrived.
This tree wasn’t the only one in the middle of the garden. Nearby was the tree of knowledge. It, too, was a symbol. And, it came with a warning. Unlike the fruit from the tree of life, the fruit of this tree brought death. That’s why God told them to steer clear. He loved them deeply, and He wanted them to live.
Symbolism existed in the placement of the trees, too. Both grew in the middle of the garden. They might have been right next to each other. Certainly, what they symbolized existed side by side. The choice represented by the two trees in the garden of Eden echoes through time.
life and death
the tree of life
the tree of knowledge
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