Covenant (4) Symbols

Every covenant has symbols. The covenant with Moses had the ark of the covenant. The new covenant has the cross. The covenant with Adam had two trees in the centre of the garden as permanent reminders of the covenant.

In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:9).

The two trees represented a choice between two options. God had made humans free. Because he is gracious and loving, it makes sense to follow him, but they always have the choice to reject him.

The best option was to stick with God. This option was represented by the tree of life. Adam and Eve were free to eat from the tree of life, but the fruit itself did not make any difference, because God had already given them life. They had received life when God had breathed on them when they were created.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7).

Adam and Eve did not have to do anything to earn life. They did not need to eat from the tree of life to get it. God had already them life as a gift. The tree was a reminder of what God had already given them, just as the cross is a reminder of the salvation we have received through Jesus.