The Garden on a Hill

Genesis 2:8
“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

In C.S. Lewis’s book about the creation of Narnia, The Magician’s Nephew, there is an “Enclosed Garden”. This is the place where Aslan sent Digory so that he could get the fruit which would heal his mother. It is clear that Lewis is referencing the Garden of Eden in his account, and it is interesting that he chose to position this Garden on top of a hill. The Garden of Eden must also have been on a hill.

We don’t often think about the topography of the early world, but God created the world with hills and valleys and places of interest. It must have been a beautiful world. Today, the places that we think are beautiful often involve hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and waterfalls, so the early world probably had these features.

A river came out of Eden. This river divided into four rivers. Water runs downhill. Therefore, it follows that the Garden from which the river flowed must have been on higher ground than the lands mentioned that were by the four rivers. This means that Eden was on high ground; perhaps it was on a hill, like Lewis’s Enclosed Garden.

Eden is the world that we lost by our sin. Every description of it is as a place of perfection and beauty. Jesus promised the repentant thief that “today you will be with me in paradise” – a word for the perfection of the Garden. Eden is descriptive of what we have been promised, having repented of our sins and trusted in the Savior, because it is a place with the presence of God.

We long to be in the garden of Your presence, out of the dry and thirsty land, in which we find ourselves. Thank You, Lord, for saving me and promising Your presence forever. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Lewis, C.S., The Magician’s Nephew. Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.