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Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:7-12, 16-17, 21-24; John 1:4; 4:10, 13-14; 7:38-39; Exo. 28:9-11, 17-20; 26:29; 1 Cor. 3:9, 12; 2 Cor. 4:7; Eph. 5:31-32; Rev. 21:2-3, 9-12, 14, 21-23; 22:1-2
In this introductory chapter, with the help of the Lord’s grace, I wish to point out a wonderful picture that is in the entire Scriptures. To do this, we will consider all the Scriptures from the very beginning to the very end. This picture, which has been drawn by God Himself in His Word, reveals to us what is in His mind and what He is seeking. It is our aim in this chapter to see this picture. In order to see this picture, we must pay attention to the principles, that is, the main items in this picture. We must see the principles in this clear picture if we are to be able to understand what is in the Lord’s mind and what He is seeking.
First, we must realize that the Bible, from the beginning to the end, is the complete revelation of God. God is wise, and in order to show us the picture, He in His wisdom gave us such a revelation. In the Bible we have the start, the continuation, and the completion of this revelation.
At the very beginning of this revelation in Genesis 2, there is a picture. When I was young, I wondered about the second chapter of Genesis for two reasons. First, it seemed that Genesis 1 contains a full record of the creation and recovery of the earth, from the first day to the seventh. I asked myself why, after this account, there is yet another record of creation. I could not understand this. Some said that Genesis 2 is simply a more detailed account of man’s creation. Although this is true, we now know that the second chapter of Genesis is something much more than mere details. The second reason I wondered about Genesis 2 was that I thought all of God’s work was important and economical. Yet to me, this chapter did not seem very important. I was unable to understand this chapter. Eventually, the vision of the picture in Genesis 2 became clear and complete to me.
This picture is very simple. If we can see the seven major figures that are contained within this picture, it will become clear and complete to us. The first figure in this picture is a man whom God made of clay — an earthen man (v. 7). The second figure is a tree that has a wonderful name — the tree of life (v. 9). There is then the tree of knowledge (v. 9), a figure that we will not count among the seven figures and that we will not consider until the end of the chapter. The third figure is a flowing river (v. 10). From that river come forth three items: gold, bdellium, and onyx stone (vv. 11-12). These three precious and costly items are the fourth, fifth, and sixth figures, respectively. The seventh and final figure in this picture is a woman. This woman, a bride, came into being to be married to the man and to become one flesh with him (vv. 21-24). I would ask you to remember these seven figures: the man of clay, the tree of life, the river of water, gold, bdellium, onyx stone, and the bride.
We must see the picture that the Bible shows us with these figures. God created the earth as the center of the universe. On this earth God created a man of clay. After creating him, God put this man into the garden of Eden, most likely in front of the tree of life. This garden in which man stood was the center of the universe. Before him was the tree of life and the river of living water flowing near the tree. Out of that flow came forth pure gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. Finally, there was the bride who came into being to be married to the man.
Certainly, all the figures presented in this chapter must possess some figurative meaning. As figures, they must signify something. In order to understand these figures and the meaning of the picture in which they appear, we have to study the remainder of the Holy Scriptures. All the books of the Old and New Testaments reveal the correct meaning of each of these figures, item by item.
The first figure is a man of clay. According to the Scriptures, the man of clay is a vessel to God. The earthen man is an earthen vessel, as indicated in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.” Romans 9:21 tells us that every chosen person is an earthen vessel for God — a “vessel unto honor.” A vessel is simply an object into which we can put something. For example, cups and bottles are both vessels. Since we are earthen vessels to God, we are meant to contain something. What are we to contain? We will return to answer this question later.
The next figure that we find is the tree of life. The tree of life is a symbol of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the tree of life. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life.” Life is in Christ, and Christ is the source of life. Hence, He is the tree of life. The tree of life signifies Christ as life to us (10:10b; 14:6a).
The Lord Jesus tells us in John 7:38-39 that if any man believes into Christ, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. This living water will spring up within us and will flow out of us. In light of these verses, we can see clearly that the flowing river in Genesis 2 is a figure of Christ as the life-giving Spirit springing up within us as a fountain and flowing out of us as a stream (John 4:14b).
The Scriptures also show us the significance of gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. At a certain time, the Lord asked His people to build a dwelling place for Him and for His service. This dwelling place was the tabernacle, which was made of wood overlaid with gold (Exo. 26:29). If we were to enter the tabernacle and look around, we would see gold all around us. The tabernacle was full of gold. This shows that in principle, gold is the material for the building of God’s dwelling place among His people, His children.
With the tabernacle there is the high priest who serves the Lord. This high priest had a certain kind of clothing called an ephod (28:6-8). On the shoulder pieces of this ephod were two onyx stones on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (vv. 9-11). Moreover, there were twelve more precious stones on the high priest’s breastplate (vv. 17-20). If we were to enter into the tabernacle at the time when the high priest was serving the Lord, we would see gold, onyx stone, and precious stones. This shows us that these precious items were not only for the building of the Lord’s dwelling place among His children; they were also for the priestly service. The New Testament causes us to realize that the Lord’s building and the Lord’s priests are the same. First Peter 2:5 says that we are both a holy priesthood (hence, the priests) and the living stones that are being built up as a spiritual house to the Lord. We are both the priests and the stones. Thus, the gold and the precious stones are the materials for the Lord’s building and service among His children.
Next, we need to see the significance of bdellium. Bdellium is a difficult word, for in the entire Scriptures, it is used only twice: in Genesis 2:12 and in Numbers 11:7, where it is used to describe the manna. Some Hebrew scholars translate this word as “pearl.” Other Hebrew scholars translate this word as “resin” — a substance produced by a certain kind of tree. Some kinds of resin are in the form of a pearl. Thus, bdellium is a pearl-like substance.
In 1 Corinthians 3 the apostle Paul tells us how to build the church and with what material we should build it. Writing that the foundation of the church is Christ Himself (v. 11), Paul tells us that we, being the co-workers of God, are now working on the building of God (v. 9). The church, composed of the Lord’s people, is the dwelling of God. Paul says that we must be very careful as to whether we build with gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, grass, and stubble (vv. 10, 12). Rather than building the church, the building of God, with the negative things, we must build with gold, silver, and precious stones. Although here Paul mentions silver in place of pearl, silver and pearl both signify the Lord’s redemption. Gold, pearl (or silver), and precious stones are the materials for the Lord’s building with the Lord’s service.
At the end of the Scriptures, a city comes into being. This holy city is built with gold, pearls, and precious stones. The city proper is of gold, the wall of the city and its foundations are of precious stones, and the twelve gates are twelve pearls (Rev. 21:18-21). Based upon this knowledge and according to the principle set forth in the Scriptures, we may conclude that these precious materials are for the Lord’s building with the Lord’s service.
The final figure in Genesis 2 is a bride. The holy city, New Jerusalem, built of these three kinds of costly materials, is actually the bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:2, 9). The bride in Genesis 2, who signifies the church, was to be married to Adam, who typifies Christ (Rom. 5:14). This is stated clearly in Ephesians 5, which reveals that Adam and Eve are types of Christ and the church (vv. 31-32; Gen. 2:24).
We can now see a very simple picture of the entire Scriptures. In His creation, God created a man of clay according to His image (1:26). Because this man was made of clay, however, his nature was not precious. Although the image that he bore was wonderful, his nature was worthless. Such is man’s condition at the beginning of the Scriptures. But at the end of the Scriptures, God has gained a group of people who are pure gold, precious stones, and costly pearls in His sight.
Today, are we men of clay, or are we precious stones? On the day that Peter received the revelation that Christ is the Son of the living God, the Lord changed his name, saying to him, “You are Peter” (Matt. 16:18). In Greek the name Peter means “stone.” Having received such a speaking from the Lord, Peter told us that we, having been saved, are living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). We should not hesitate to say that we are no longer clay but living stones. If you ask me whether I am a piece of clay or a living stone, I will happily reply to you, “Praise the Lord! Formerly I was a piece of clay; now I am a living stone. Something happened to me. I was regenerated. There has been a transformation of my nature from clay to living stone. Now I am a living stone!” Everyone who has been saved by the Lord is a stone. According to God’s creation, we were men of clay. According to God’s new creation through regeneration, we have become living stones.
How can a man of clay change in nature to become a living stone? To answer this question, we must consider the picture shown to us in the second chapter of Genesis. I would illustrate this in the following way. Suppose I am Adam, a man of clay. As a man, I would see all these figures around me. I would no doubt appreciate the gold, the bdellium, and the precious onyx stone. Realizing how wonderful these items are, I would, as a man of clay, desire to become as precious as they are. I believe that God would tell me, “Adam, if you want to be as precious as those items are, you have to be transformed.” Then I would perhaps ask the Lord, “How can I be transformed?” I believe that in answer to such a question, the Lord would tell me, “If you are going to be transformed from a man of clay into those precious items, you have to eat the tree of life and drink the living water. If you eat this tree and drink this water, you will receive into yourself a life that you do not yet have. Once you receive this life, it will work within you and transform you from a man of clay into something precious.”
This is the very same concept that we encounter later in the Scriptures. The Lord is the tree of life who came to offer Himself to men of clay. He said to them, “I am...the life” (John 11:25) and told them to come to Him, eat Him, and receive Him as life to be regenerated (6:47-48, 57; 1:12-13). To be regenerated means to be transformed with the life of Christ from a man of clay to a man of stone. The more we eat and drink Christ, the more we will be transformed. This process of transformation spreads from our spirit into the parts of our soul and eventually, when He returns, into our body (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21). At that time we will be fully transformed into the image of the Lord from the center to the circumference of our being. No longer will we be people of clay. We will be the precious treasure of God.
We are transformed by experiencing and enjoying Christ as life. We enjoy and experience Him by eating Him as the tree of life and drinking Him as the river of water of life. The more we enjoy Him, the more we will experience Him and the more we will be transformed. Furthermore, the more we are transformed, the more we will be built up together. If we remain in our old life, old man, and old nature, the genuine church will never be built up. If we are going to be built as the church, as the Body of Christ in reality as a real expression of Christ, we must be transformed in our mind, in our emotion, and in our will. The more we are transformed, the more we will be built up together. At the conclusion of this building work, we will be the bride of Christ. This bride is the dwelling place of God, the real tabernacle of God among His people (Rev. 21:2-3).
I believe this is a very clear picture that shows us what is in the Lord’s mind and what He is seeking. God is seeking a group of people, who, having originally been made of clay, would receive Him as life by eating and drinking Him so that they would be transformed in their nature from men of clay into precious stones. Then by being transformed, they would eventually be built up together to be the Body of Christ, the tabernacle of God, the bride of Christ, built with gold, pearls, and precious stones. This is the picture of the entire Scriptures, and this is the eternal purpose of God.
On the positive side, all the Scriptures show us how we as people made of clay accept the Lord as our life, feed on Him, drink of Him, and by so doing, are gradually transformed into His image and built up together as an organism to be His Body for His expression and His bride for His satisfaction. There is, however, a negative side, signified by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). The tree of the knowledge of good and evil brings in death. This tree is the tree of knowledge, good, evil, and death. The Scriptures tell us that this tree signifies the one who is the source of death, the devil, Satan. Instead of receiving the Lord as his life in the garden of Eden, man received the tree of knowledge. Through this, sin entered into man. As a result, death came in, followed by judgment and eternal perdition (Heb. 9:27; cf. John 3:16). All these negative matters sprang from this one source, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Together, these positive and negative matters present a full picture of the entire Scriptures. Although this picture is very basic and simple, it is inclusive of all the major things recorded in the Scriptures.
By seeing this picture, we see how both ends of the Scriptures reflect each other. In a certain respect, the Bible is like a book of architecture. At the beginning we have a “blueprint,” and at the end we have a picture of the entire building. Between these two ends, between the blueprint and the picture of the building, there are many specifications detailing how the building work is to be accomplished. This is the Bible. If we are clear about this picture, it will be easy to know the Lord’s mind and eternal plan. Moreover, by seeing this picture, we will be able to realize what we are, where we are, what we shall be, where we should go, and what our responsibility is today — matters that we shall cover in the ensuing chapters. May the Lord open our eyes and be merciful to us.
