The second river flowing from Eden is the Gihon, described as winding through the entire land of Cush. Like the Pishon, the Gihon roots the Eden narrative in a recognizable geography. The name Gihon will appear again in Scripture — the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem was the site of Solomon's anointing as king in 1 Kings 1:33–45, a connection that has led some interpreters to see resonances between the garden's center and Jerusalem as the later center of God's covenantal presence. The river flowing through Cush suggests a reach into the African world known to the ancient Israelites. Amos 9:7 references Cush in the context of God's sovereign care over all nations, and Acts 8:27 brings a man from Ethiopia — ancient Cush — into the earliest story of the gospel spreading beyond Israel. Even in these geographical details, the scope of God's concern extends across the known world. Ask today whether your own understanding of God's concern is as wide as the rivers that flow from his garden.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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