"Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well-watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gommorah.)" (Genesis 13:10 NIV)
My upper Zoom group is still making its way through Genesis and this week, we sat still in chapter 13. It was probably my fifth or sixth read-through when I realized, Lot was looking for Eden.
Aren’t we all?
When we are given a choice, we’d each opt for Eden. Eden was a well-watered life with very few rules. The climate was California-coast perfect, the buffet was always open, the views didn’t disappoint. The trouble was, Eden couldn’t be maintained apart from the Creator. Adam and Eve had to walk with God in order to stay in the Garden.
When Lot was given a choice, he opted for what looked like Eden. Little did he realize that Eden cannot be recovered apart from the Creator Sustainer. What looks like a garden without God will ultimately disintegrate into a tar pit, a place of premature death.
Humans look for happiness like Lot looked for a garden. We want the good life and we’ll use almost any means to achieve it. The thing is, apart from God, it is a facade – a mirage in the desert that disappears on arrival. We cannot find wholeness, satisfaction, healing or life-giving purpose outside of our Creator Sustainer. It’s simply unachievable.
Friend, we cannot return to Eden without returning to God. He is the source of everything edenic. He is the sole Author and Restorer of humanity’s garden experience. Anything that looks like Eden apart from Creator is merely a mirage. If we are hoping to return to Eden, we must first and foremost return to God.
"The Lord will surely comfort Zion and look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing." (Isaiah 51:3 NIV)
"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:11 NIV)
We can’t return to Eden without God, but remarkable, anywhere we go with Him can become a well-watered garden. What a powerful promise amidst this wasteland!
What’s more, when I flip to the back of the book, I see another garden. The description of heaven in Genesis 22 reads like a Eden all over again and I can’t hardly wait to step in. We get a foretaste when we walk with our Creator Sustainer. God’s presence is the garden we’re after.
Lord, please forgive us for pursing gardens apart from You. We are so easily deceived by our eyes and death is smartly disguised. Today we’ve grasped it; there is not garden home beyond Your borders. We will only find life and loveliness in You. May we retain this teaching and entrust ourselves more fully to Your care and keeping. Amen.
I’ve recently discovered this song about going to back to Eden. Enjoy the listen!