“The Lord planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.The LORD God commanded the man, saying… ‘from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.’ ”
🌳 At the heart of Eden stood two distinct trees: the tree of life, representing God’s gift of ongoing life in His presence, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, representing the choice to define life apart from Him. Adam and Eve were not commanded to reach for the tree of life— but they were commanded to trust God by obeying His word about the other tree.
Before the fall, choosing God meant choosing life. After the fall, the way to the tree of life was closed. But the pattern remains: each day we still face the choice between trusting God’s wisdom or leaning on our own.
While we cannot return to Eden, Scripture later tells us that Christ Himself opens the way back to life (Revelation 2:7). Until that day, the “tree” we choose is not a literal one—it is the posture of our heart. Obedience is still the pathway to life. Independence from God is still the path to loss.
Genesis 2 invites us to examine not which tree we reach for, but whose voice we trust.
Reflection: In what area of your life today do you sense the tension between trusting God’s guidance and relying on your own understanding? Read Proverbs 3:5
EVENING— Leaving and Cleaving
Focal Passage: Genesis 2:18-25
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Genesis 2 gives us God’s original blueprint for marriage—a pattern Jesus Himself quotes in Matthew 19. A healthy marriage, Scripture says, involves both leaving and cleaving. Leaving means shifting primary loyalty from parents to spouse, creating a new family unit with new priorities. As author Mike Mason puts it, next to the love of God, a marriage becomes the most important earthly relationship—one that must come before careers, friendships, even ministry.
Then comes cleaving. The Hebrew word dabāq paints a picture of two lives bonded together like glue—two becoming “one flesh.” C. S. Lewis compared it to a violin and a bow: separate pieces, yet one instrument when joined. This unity is expressed physically in sexual intimacy, but it reaches far deeper. True oneness includes emotional presence, mutual sacrifice, and a shared life of grace.
A counselor once told the story of a husband crushed by pressure at work and disappointment at home. When he walked through the door discouraged and depleted, his wife quietly came beside him—her presence, her touch, her gentle questions giving him room to breathe again. “I didn’t feel alone anymore,” he said. That’s oneness. That’s cleaving.
Marriage isn’t easy. But God’s design still holds. Leave what pulls you apart. Cleave to what draws you together. It is the road back to unity and health.
Reflection: What is one practical way you can “cleave” to your spouse this week—offering presence, encouragement, or intentional grace?
Closing Prayer: Father, thank You for the gift of marriage and the pattern You established from the beginning. Strengthen every union, heal what is strained, and help us love with patience, humility, and devotion. Teach us to leave what distracts and cleave to what unites. Amen.
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