The fact that the Lord God made every tree which is pleasant to the sight (Gen. 2:9) means that God wanted to please man and to make him happy. God's intention was not that man should work, but that man should be completely pleased and satisfied. This is contrary to our religious concept, which is to worship God. When I was a young Christian, I saw many long-faced worshipers of God. However, God does not care for that kind of worship. He cares about our happiness. This is why the Psalms tell us in several places, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord" (Psa. 95:1; 100:1). God enjoys our smiling faces. He likes to see that we are pleased with Him and satisfied with Him. Do not think about what you have done for God or about what you should do for Him. You need to consider whether or not you are joyful in the Lord. Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. You should be joyful in the presence of God. If you are not joyful in His presence and if you are not happy, it means that you are wrong with God. Everything you do for God will become a heavy burden to you if you have no joy. You do not need such a burden; you need joy. You need to be joyful, pleasant, and fully satisfied by God and with God.
Genesis 2:9 says that the trees were good for food. Notice that the Bible does not say that the trees were good for producing materials, for the concept of Genesis is not that of human labor or achievement. Thus, no manufacturing materials are mentioned. The concept of Genesis 2 is fully focused on life. Thus, it says that the trees were good for food because food is related to life. Without food, we cannot live. Food maintains our life and satisfies us.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden. If we study the record of Genesis 2, we will realize that, apart from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, no tree is mentioned by name except the tree of life. We do not know the names of the other trees, but we do know that there was a tree called the tree of life. This shows that the tree of life was the center.
The tree of life is the center of the universe. According to the purpose of God, the earth is the center of the universe, the garden of Eden is the center of the earth, and the tree of life is the center of the garden of Eden. We must realize that the whole universe is centered on this tree of life: nothing is more central and crucial to both God and man than this tree. It is very meaningful to see man in the garden standing before the tree of life.