Eden to Eden: In the Beginning

We are starting at the very beginning—creation and the Garden of Eden!

The Bible opens with the words in the beginning… hence the title of the book—Genesis. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And this is the very beginning of God’s love story for us! It then goes on to explain the beginning of all things and from the very beginning, we see God’s handiwork and plan for humanity.

Let’s first look at the word God. The Hebrew word for God used in these early passages of scripture is 'ĕlōhîm, meaning divine one. El means “mighty” or “strong” and is used to reference gods in general. However, the ending of Elohim is significant because it is a plural ending and means more than one.

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” Deuteronomy 10:17

“For the Lord (Jehovah which means “existing One”) your God (Elohim)…” He’s the existing One, the uncreated, and Creator of all things. A couple chapters prior in Deuteronomy 6:4, we see “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” which means “the Lord (Jehovah) our God (Elohim– plural), the Lord (Jehovah) is one!” which explains that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are one and they (He) created the heavens and earth. As we will see in coming chapters, there are multiple 'ĕlōhîm but only one 'Elōhîm the Creator—YHWH.

In the first two verses of the bible, we see that the Holy Spirit was also there, hovering over the waters of the deep. There was darkness and chaos, and yet when God spoke, there was movement that brought life. 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2 

The Hebrew meaning for “without form” is “tôû” which means confusion, emptiness, wasteland, wilderness, chaos. So even in the midst of the chaos, God’s Spirit was moving, and He had a plan and a purpose to bring it all into order. As He spoke, things were created and had their being.

In Psalms 33, the Psalmist points out that: 

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” Psalms 33:6

The Hebrew phrase “breath of mouth” is rûaḥ (H7307) which translates to breath, wind, spirit, Spirit of God. So the fact that we see the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2 indicates that when God spoke, His Spirit moved and made things come to life. This is the equivalent to the Greek word pnoē (G4157, root word from G4154) that’s found in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit is poured out. 

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind [pnoē], and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit [pneuma, G4151, root word from G4154] and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit [pneuma] gave them utterance.” Acts 2:2-4 emphasis added

Pnoē means breath (of life) or wind, and pneuma is specifically the Holy Spirit. This is why we’re to be Spirit-led. When He moves, we move, and things come together according to God’s plan. The Spirit is part of the creation process, just as Jesus is.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:1-5

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:15-17

Jesus is the light! For the first three days of creation, there was no sun or moon, yet God separated the light from darkness. During this time, the light of God (Jesus) filled the world.

In the first chapter of Genesis, we see the order in which Yahweh created things.

• Day One — Light/Dark + Day/Night
• Day Two — Firmament (a vault or dome separating the waters above from the waters below and creating the expanse we know as sky). Firmament is rāqîaʿ (H7549) in Hebrew and means extended solid surface, expanse.
• Day Three — Dry Land + Seas + Plants
• Day Four — Two Great Lights (Sun + Moon) + Stars
• Day Five — Sea Creatures (Fish) + Birds
• Day Six — Land Animals + Man
• Day Seven — Rest

On the sixth day, God created man in His image.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:26-28

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

It's amazing to note that the very first thing God did after creating them was to bless them. He is a God of blessing and has been since the very beginning! All throughout scripture, we’ll continue to see that “God blessed.” He created a “good” place (days 1-5) and then put the man He created into that good place. Not only did He bless them specifically, but He blessed the very first whole day they would ever have—the seventh day. Essentially, He moved them from “good” to “blessed.” Yes, it was for Him to rest, but it also inherently was a blessing for them as well.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:27-28

This blessing goes with us as we carry out our God-given purpose. But what does it mean that we are created in His image or are image bearers of God? 

It means we carry the name of Yahweh and are to represent His name. In the Ancient Near Eastern culture (as with many cultures), a name carried a certain list of attributes and there was power in it. Having a certain name required a person to represent those attributes and characteristics in all they did. Thus, man (Adam) was made in His image and was to represent His name in everything he did—it doesn’t just mean that man was created to look like God.

God then created a garden—the Garden of Eden—for man to dwell. This garden had everything he could want, and he even was given dominion over all things as we saw in Genesis 1:26-28. God proceeds to give man dominion over everything on the earth. The word “dominion” means to rule over or have power over something. God delegated His power over creation to Adam and a couple of verses later we see Adam was to subdue the earth (verse 28). God gave Adam (man) authority to rule over this earth and everything in it in subjection to God. So He essentially placed humankind in the Garden as representatives of His Kingdom to rule and reign over everything here on earth. We are His Kingdom ambassadors in this realm! Man was to rule as God would—just and wise—not just in the garden, but over the entire earth (Psalm 115:16). God had given Adam kingship and the ability to rule—He exempted Himself from the day-to-day governing and gave that to Adam—we even immediately see that as Adam names all of the animals! What an incredible privilege and great responsibility God gave man! 

The story of creation and the Garden of Eden is a beautiful one and filled with more insight and clues to God than we ever realized. Man walked with God. It’s where heaven and earth intersected, and the supernatural aspects of the spiritual world were part of daily life. He created us as part of His family and then gave us dominion over the place He just created. This territory of land (Eden) is believed to have been on a mountain (Ezekiel 28:14) and where God created His garden—the ancients believed that both gardens and mountains were where the divine dwelled. Just imagine this gorgeous, lush, blooming mountain garden, flowing with rivers and waterfalls, with birds chirping and animals roaming. Mountains were where the ancients believed they met with supernatural beings (whether it was Yahweh, lesser gods—which we will talk more about later—or the supernatural beings). Think of it this way, that high ground (mountain) was where heaven and earth connected, and when the fall happened, God disconnected this intersection of heaven and earth. He's now in heaven, and we're on earth. It's also interesting to think that maybe people in the Old Testament were anticipating the return of the Garden of Eden by the reconnection of heaven and earth on a mountain. Nevertheless, this Holy Mountain (as referred to by the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah, along with the Psalmists) was where Yahweh walked with His creation. Can you imagine walking with the Creator of everything right beside you—just walking in a beautiful garden talking with Him? Oh what a beautiful thing that would be!

This blog post is a snippet from The Rooted Truth's new study called Eden to Eden: A Journey Through God's Redemptive Story. This study will have you digging into not only the stories you know and love from the Bible but also the weird things in scripture like the Nephilim and so much more. You’ll receive everything you need to deepen your faith and understanding while growing closer to God. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your spiritual life as you see the Biblical narrative with new eyes! Get access to all the live calls PLUS the 200+ page digital study when you join the community.

To join the 16-week live course which starts August 15, 2024, click here.