So, is this saying that Adam and Eve weren’t created in the Garden of Eden?

This question came during a confirmation class after we had read Genesis chapter three together. Particularly this passage at the end of the chapter:

[23] So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Did you assume that Adam and Eve were created in the Garden? I’d say that’s an assumption almost everyone makes. But the verse we read in confirmation class certainly makes it sound like Adam was being sent back to where he came from when he and Eve were booted out of Eden. So, which is correct - our long-held assumptions or this new idea?

Whenever we aren’t quite sure about something in the Bible, the first place to check is... the Bible. Is our question referred to elsewhere? As a matter of fact, it is - just one chapter previous.

 the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

    [8] Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [9] And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    [10] A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. [11] The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. [12] (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) [13] The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [14] The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

    [15] The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.    Genesis 2:7-15

So, it appears that the questioner was correct. The Bible says that Adam was not created in the Garden, but God put Adam there after he was created - and took him and Eve out of their “paradise” after they sinned.

This bit of information may not be a big deal, but there are a couple lessons we can learn from this question and the answer we found:

1) Long-held assumptions are not always correct. Another great example of this is the idea that the Wise Men showed up at the manger after the shepherds. Christmas pageants usually depict it happening that way not because that’s the way it happened in the Bible, but because that’s the easiest way to present it in a play. (Check out Matthew 2 to see where the Wise Men actually found Jesus). The only way to separate false assumptions from God’s truth is to read what God really says in His Word.

2) When something in the Bible isn’t crystal clear, the first place to check for clarification is elsewhere in the Bible. A concordance (many Bibles have one at the back of the Bible) can be a great help to find where else in the Bible to look for specific words.

3) There’s always something new to learn each time you read - and it helps when you read/study with other people. Insights you see, might be missed by others (and vice versa).

So.... if you’ve gotten out of the habit of Bible reading or Bible study, here’s an invitation to get back into it. Check out the “What God Says About” readings elsewhere in this newsletter. Also check out the various studies offered - and if there’s not one that fits your schedule, find a couple of folks who can study when you can, then talk to me for some ideas on what to study.   

Thanks for asking,
Pastor David

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