Eden’s Pishon River
A Devotional Series from Genesis
3/4 Reading Portions: Exodus 15; Luke 18; Job 33; 2 Corinthians 3
Genesis 2:11-12
The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
GOLD
One of the first things to keep in mind about these four rivers in Eden is that they probably don’t exist anymore, not in the way they existed in Eden. Remember, there was a worldwide flood recorded in Genesis 6-9, the water covering the tallest mountain for about twenty-five feet (Gen 7:20). As a former deep-sea diver who has walked on the sea bottom on occasions too numerous to count, I can tell you that water changes earth’s conditions enormously. After the flood, when they exited the ark and walked westward to the plain of Shinar (Gen 11:2), Shinar meaning “two rivers” in Hebrew, they may have said, “Behold, two rivers that look just like the Hiddekel and Euphrates (Gen 2:14, KJV; Dan 10:4, KJV); or in today’s terms, the Tigris and Euphrates (ESV).
As a prophetic foreshadow, this first river, פִּישׁוֹן (peey-SHON) in Hebrew, comes from a Hebrew root that means “disperse” or “scatter.” What was dispersed or scattered? We get our answer from the text, the land of Havilah possessed gold and precious gems, expressing the incredible wealth of the place. Gold, silver, and precious gems, like paper and coin money, have been used by men as a value marker from time immemorial (because YHVH God had recorded it as valuable in His holy Word). This is especially true in spiritual matters. We receive understanding of this from the New Testament:
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 1 Corinthians 3:12
YHVH God expresses that the value of Eden through the gold and precious stones is because of what made the land of Havilah rich—it was the invaluable presence of YHVH God. One day soon, when the Lord Jesus returns, He will place us into His New Jerusalem, where the streets are gold and the gates are precious gems:
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Revelation 21:21
Why are these terms used for the new heavens and earth, and the garden city of the New Jerusalem in particular? Because every entry from one place to another will be a reminder of the precious gospel price the Lord Jesus paid to redeem us (Matt 13:46); and our every step and stance will be an eternal testimony that we are upheld by Christ’s glorious, precious, and invaluable presence as YHVH God (John 15:5). Hallelujah! What a Savior!