What is it with "east"?

[Inkfingers]

I hadn't given the topic any thought until it was mentioned here. I personally think it's symbolic, rather than geographical.

There's one take at this link. I'm Catholic so I don't get mixed up with "Messianic" churches or movements, but they seem to have some reasonable explanations.

http://messianic-revolution.com/2-21-significance-direction-east-scriptures/

This...

"Or another way to put it is, “Going west is positive while going east is negative.“"

...from your linked site puts it quite well. West seems to be the direction to head in, whilst East is the dodgy direction to head in.

 

[JAM2b]

You can't get closer to or farther away from God with geography.

 

[Inkfingers]

You can't get closer to or farther away from God with geography.

I'm not suggesting literal geography (as I do not take Genesis literally).

 

[dreadnought]

Reading Genesis again I notice that the further east you go, the further you get from God.

To begin with, God plants a garden to the east of his location (Genesis 2:8), then when man is expelled he is sent further eastwards (Genesis 3:24), and finally when Cain is expelled even further, he goes into Nod which to is yet further eastwards (Genesis 4:16).

So what exactly is it about East and West that lays behind this?

Any ideas?

I'm not aware there is anything to it.

 

[συνείδησις]

That's an interesting idea. Care to unpack it?

What's there to unpack? I simply made an observation.

 

[Inkfingers]

What's there to unpack? I simply made an observation.

The unpacking would be what you mean by following the sun...

 

[συνείδησις]

Traditionally, wasn't widdershins (i.e. in a direction contrary to the sun's course), considered as unlucky, whereas deisul (clockwise) was normal, usual and acceptable? This doesn't really answer your question, but the idea appears to have been identified outside of the bible also (or perhaps as a result of the bible).

That's interesting. It reminds me of psalm 19:1-6 where the sun is described as taking its course through the houses of the zodiac, that some say (and I believe) was created by Adam to serve as a witness of the gospel for future generations. I personally think that Abraham learned this message from Noah's close descendents near Haran, which accounted for his extraordinary faith.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

That's interesting. It reminds me of psalm 19:1-6 where the sun is described as taking its course through the houses of the zodiac, that some say (and I believe) was created by Adam to serve as a witness of the gospel for future generations. I personally think that Abraham learned this message from Noah's close descendents near Haran, which accounted for his extraordinary faith.

What is your reason for this belief?

 

[συνείδησις]

The unpacking would be what you mean by following the sun...

If you follow the direction the sun traverses during the day you will go from east to west. That's all that I meant.

 

[συνείδησις]

What is your reason for this belief?

Two books that I read by Seiss and Bullinger: The Gospel in the Stars and The Witness of the Stars.

I had an interesting experience once where I was driving through the Rocky Mtns with a friend and at one point started talking about what those two books hypothesized. We passed a church and people were congregating, so we said let's take a break and join them to see what's going on. They had a guest speaker who was giving a talk on - the gospel in the stars.

 

[DamianWarS]

Reading Genesis again I notice that the further east you go, the further you get from God.

To begin with, God plants a garden to the east of his location (Genesis 2:8), then when man is expelled he is sent further eastwards (Genesis 3:24), and finally when Cain is expelled even further, he goes into Nod which to is yet further eastwards (Genesis 4:16).

So what exactly is it about East and West that lays behind this?

Any ideas?

Lot choose the east land and "pitched his tents near Sodom" where Abraham went west to Canaan. East and west are contrasted in the text (Gen 13) as well as Sodom and Canaan, other contrasts are the "cities of the plain" with again Canaan which implies cites not on the plain (Jerusalem is a city in the mountains). Canaan is on the Mediterranean so perhaps to an ancient there is no "west of Canaan". The text goes out of its way to say "Sodom [was] wicked and [was] sinning greatly against the Lord" but nothing is said about Canaan but implicit in the text is that Canaan was the better place and the desired option of the Lord. Similar to a contrast of Cain's offering vs Able's offering one is the desire of God and the other is not but little is said why. I would suggest there is nothing "west" of Canaan and Canaan is the goal. Anything not "of Canaan" is considered east.

 

[Inkfingers]

Lot choose the east land and "pitched his tents near Sodom" where Abraham went west to Canaan.

Oooh, I missed that one. Good spot.

Canaan is on the Mediterranean so perhaps to an ancient there is no "west of Canaan". ... I would suggest there is nothing "west" of Canaan and Canaan is the goal. Anything not "of Canaan" is considered east.

I think that the implication in the text is that God's abode is west of Eden...

 

[DamianWarS]

I think that the implication in the text is that God's abode is west of Eden...

perhaps Eden is the reference point and where it begins but as you move west of eden it seems Canaan is spot where the western momentum ends.

 

[Tree of Life]

Reading Genesis again I notice that the further east you go, the further you get from God.

To begin with, God plants a garden to the east of his location (Genesis 2:8), then when man is expelled he is sent further eastwards (Genesis 3:24), and finally when Cain is expelled even further, he goes into Nod which to is yet further eastwards (Genesis 4:16).

So what exactly is it about East and West that lays behind this?

Any ideas?

Abraham came from the East in order to inherit the land of God.

 

[Inkfingers]

Abraham came from the East in order to inherit the land of God.

Indeed.

Going east appears to be bad, and going west appears to be good.

 

[marineimaging]

Reading Genesis again I notice that the further east you go, the further you get from God.

To begin with, God plants a garden to the east of his location (Genesis 2:8), then when man is expelled he is sent further eastwards (Genesis 3:24), and finally when Cain is expelled even further, he goes into Nod which to is yet further eastwards (Genesis 4:16).

So what exactly is it about East and West that lays behind this?

Any ideas?

You can only go so far north until you reach the pole then you are going south. But you go east and you continue going east forever. Or west. But if you go south just so far until suddenly you are going north. Be east is always east and west is always west.

 

[Tree of Life]

Indeed.

Going east appears to be bad, and going west appears to be good.

The ultimate suggestion is that the land of Canaan is the land of God - the good land which Israel ought to strive to inherit and remain in.

 

[Inkfingers]

The ultimate suggestion is that the land of Canaan is the land of God - the good land which Israel ought to strive to inherit and remain in.

Which is ironic, given that its a parched, arid, desolate, piece of sand.

Give me temperate Europe any day

 

[Tree of Life]

Which is ironic, given that its a parched piece of sand.

Give me temperate Europe any day

What made Canaan glorious was that it was the land where God dwelt and chose to establish his name. It was prefigurative of the heavenly rest which awaits us.

 

[dqhall]

Reading Genesis again I notice that the further east you go, the further you get from God.

To begin with, God plants a garden to the east of his location (Genesis 2:8), then when man is expelled he is sent further eastwards (Genesis 3:24), and finally when Cain is expelled even further, he goes into Nod which to is yet further eastwards (Genesis 4:16).

So what exactly is it about East and West that lays behind this?

Any ideas?

It is about as fruitless as looking for where up or down are.