Audio Download

Exiles in the Bible – Adam & Eve and the first instances ‘exile’ is used

[Study Aired September 27, 2024]

1: Adam and Eve are exiled from the garden of Eden

The first real typical mention of exile in the bible is found in (Gen 1:1-2) where we are told that the heaven and the earth that God created were incomplete. The earth “was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” What this heaven and earth are a shadow of is the marred vessel in the Potter’s hand that was shapen in iniquity and in need of being made anew right from the foundation of the world (Psa 51:5, Jer 18:4).

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

The universe is not teaming with life and the earth at this time in God’s creation is as much a representation of all the physical heavens as well, that have not been made anew in the Potter’s hand, not teaming with spiritual life, but rather ‘the dead burying the dead’ (Luk 9:60). In fact we are told in the final analysis that the physical heavens and earth will be destroyed, giving way to the new creation, and that destruction is again typical of the destruction of the first marred vessel that must be made anew in the Potter’s hand (Rev 21:1). The ‘new spiritual heaven and earth’ are words that represent the new creation that is going to be formed through Christ as God gives the abundant increase of new life, through Him (1Co 3:6). The natural precedes the spiritual (1Co 15:46), and Christ did create all the natural world including the universe that we live in, in a marred condition. This marred creation must precede the new spiritual heaven and earth, and the very Lord Jesus Christ who created the physical is going to have all men drawn to him (Joh 6:44) who is the author and finisher of the new heaven and earth that is formed through the faith of Christ and is a gift from God (Rev 21:1, Heb 12:2, Eph 2:8, Joh 3:5).

Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;[where the dead bury the dead] and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [by being baptized into his death as we die daily].

Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden of Eden not because of what they became, but rather because of what was made manifest in their already marred-in-the-hand-of-the-Potter condition. God’s plan of salvation started off with the marred clay that He purposed to put into exile where an experience of evil would unfold to humble mankind (Ecc 1:13 CLV) bringing us to see our need for our Creator. Our bodies, without Christ ruling in our heavens and earth, are servants of sin that have yet to be made free from our own iniquities, which is the natural self-righteous state that all flesh abides in (Php 3:9, Rom 7:24). The bondage of sin as we reside in sinful flesh that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50) is what separates us from our Creator, but thanks be to God, the same marred vessel that is subject to vanity can also be subject to our hope of glory within, Jesus Christ, who knows how to cleanse our heavens and earth and form a new creation (Rom 8:21-22). This process of forming a new vessel that was marred in the Potter’s hand at the beginning, in the beginning, is the way that God has purposed His plan to unfold. Satan was part of that initial creation, the marred crooked serpent (Job 26:13) that was placed in the garden along with Adam and Eve and everything else that God created, and what are we told of this creation, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good“. It was all good, and everything that would unfold going forward was very good in that it would ultimately lead to the salvation of all of His creation when God is all in all (Gen 1:31, Rom 9:18-23, 1Co 15:28). This, all to say, that the exile that Adam and Eve went into, as all exiles in the word of God are, is part of God’s “very good” plan that mankind as a whole will one day acknowledge (Jer 14:20, Heb 8:12, 1Jn 1:9).

Ecc 1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 

Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Jer 14:20 We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us oursins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2: The first time the word exile is used in the bible

To give some context to these first verses that involve the subject of exile, we need to understand the evil intention of Absolom the son of David. This fifteenth chapter of Samuel is all about the betrayal of Absolom to his father, and Ahithophel who was David’s trusted counsellor who was drawn away by Absolom’s flattering tongue that was seeking power and rulership over the kingdom of Israel. When David got wind of what Absolom was up to, he put a plan into action to flee from Jerusalem and avoid the imminent attack of his son. In the course of these events, king David instructed Ittai the Gittite not to flee with him from Jerusalem, reminding him that he was an exile and that he should stay in Jerusalem, which typifies our time in Babylon. Notice the response of Ittai which sounds very much like what Ruth said (2Sa 15:21, Rth 1:16-17). Based on what Ittai responded to David, he no longer needed to stay in Jerusalem and typified for us what God’s elect become after we go into exile and ‘come out of her my people’ (Rom 12:1-2, 2Co 6:17).

2Sa 15:19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.

2Sa 15:21 And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.

Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service [how we come out of exile].
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [1Jn 2:16-17]

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. [Joh 17:15, Joh 15:19]

Ittai declares whether in death or life (Rom 14:8), “even there also will thy servant be”, and Ruth declares “where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”. Where we lodge is in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) that are obtained by being given the power to lay down our life and be led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14-15), going where God would have us go as sojourners in this earth seeking a new country (Heb 11:14, Joh 21:18).

Rom 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

The main point I wanted to make with this section of the study is that there is an appointed time to go into that exile and to leave it. For God’s elect, we are blessed to ‘come out of her my people’ in this life (2Co 6:17), which means we are coming out of spiritual exile which can only happen through the much tribulation of this life, typified by the family and close associates who were against David who is a type of the elect. So that persecution is needful for us to grow, as it was for David, and moves God’s plan forward (Mat 10:21-23).

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents [Absolom], and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

This next section of Samuel is so encouraging and instructive for us as it typifies how God will provide a way for us to come out of this exile (2Sa 15:30-34), and despite ourselves if we are His, we will endure and be blessed to be dragged to Christ who is our strength in this life through whom we can endure all things (Php 4:13). The direction that David went is symbolic of our turning our eyes unto the author and finisher of our faith as we are spiritually raised in heavenly places (“went up by the ascent of mount Olivet” – 2Sa 15:30). David had a humble and contrite heart as he went up and wept, and had his head covered, which is a positive use of a man covering his head, David typifying the church in this instance who is likened unto a woman. He is barefoot which symbolizes his walking in the spirit and not being bound by the letter of the law (Act 7:33, Joh 1:27). All the people with him, each one had their heads covered as they went up weeping as well. This hiding or covering symbolizes for us today that we are hidden in the Lord (1Pe 3:4, Rev 2:17, 1Co 2:4-7, Col 3:3).

2Sa 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
2Sa 15:31 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
2Sa 15:32 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:
2Sa 15:33 Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
2Sa 15:34 But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

It is significant that although we are hidden in Christ as exiles, we are also completely exposed to God who exposes our old man of sin through the process of ongoing judgement that occurs when we are in exile and coming out of it (Col 3:3, Heb 4:13, 1Co 13:12-13, Psa 103:13-18).

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Psa 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Psa 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
Psa 103:16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Psa 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

The first time a word is used in the bible is often very significant, and the first use of the word ‘exile’ is no exception to this rule, found in (Gen 9:21 , Gen 35:7). This first use of the word ‘exile’ in (Gen 9:21) is very revealing as it is a type and shadow of the spiritual drunkeness that our old man experiences in Babylon. We all must go into Babylon to come out of her, and while we are there we are unknowingly in a spiritually drunken state.

Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered^H1540 within his tent.

This next use of the word ‘exile’ in God’s word is in (Gen 35:7), and explains in type and shadow language that in order to come out of exile we must bury all the idols of our hearts, and by doing this we are demonstrating by our actions, and not just our words that we want to seek the Lord with all our hearts, and minds and souls, which will result in our finding him, or rather in His appearing unto us (Jer 29:13).

Gen 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
Gen 35:3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
Gen 35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Gen 35:5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
Gen 35:6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
Gen 35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared^H1540 unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

2Sa 15:19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile ^H1540.

H1540 Exile gâlâh BDB Definition:

1) to uncover, remove

1a) (Qal)
     1a1) to uncover
     1a2) to remove, depart
     1a3) to go into exile

1b) (Niphal)
     1b1) (reflexive)
          1b1a) to uncover oneself
          1b1b) to discover or show oneself
          1b1c) to reveal himself (of God)
     1b2) (passive)
          1b2a) to be uncovered
          1b2b) to be disclosed, be discovered
          1b2c) to be revealed
     1b3) to be removed

1c) (Piel)
     1c1) to uncover (nakedness)
          1c1a) nakedness
          1c1b) general
     1c2) to disclose, discover, lay bare
     1c3) to make known, show, reveal

1d) (Pual) to be uncovered

1e) (Hiphil) to carry away into exile, take into exile

1f) (Hophal) to be taken into exile

1g) (Hithpael)
     1g1) to be uncovered
     1g2) to reveal oneself

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root