Hidden Treasures in the Word: From East to West

God has Hidden Treasures throughout His Word to reveal Himself and His Plans and Purposes in the World and in Your Life

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
— Proverbs 25:2

Details in Scripture matter. God places His patterns and pictures through the pages of scripture as treasures for those who would seek them out.

This article is for those who love to search out the concealed truths of scripture and uncover the precious truths God has placed there for us.

Key Passages in Scripture - East to West

Here is one treasure I’d like to trace for you - that of “East to West.” Let your mind piece together this puzzle and I’ll meet you at the end with a summary of my thoughts.

Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— (23) therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
— Genesis 3:22-24

He [God] said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's [Abel’s] blood is crying to Me from the ground. (11) Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (12) When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”… (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
— Genesis 4:10-12,16

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. (2) It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. (3) They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. (4)  They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
— Genesis 11:1-4

Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel [house of God] on the west and Ai [ruins of the world] on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD
— Genesis 12:8

He [Ishmael, a picture of the flesh] will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.
— Genesis 16:12

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
— Exodus 3:1

For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards.
— Exodus 26:22

The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits… (16) For the gate of the court [on the east side] there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four sockets.
— Exodus 27:13,16

Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
— Leviticus 16:14

He took up his discourse and said, "From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab's king from the mountains of the East, 'Come curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!'
— Numbers 23:7

Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
— 1 Kings 4:30

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
— Psalm 103:12

Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun [worshipping idols].
— Ezekiel 8:16

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. (2) He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. (3) When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. (4) Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. (5) Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded.
— Ezekiel 47:1-5

In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
— Zechariah 14:4

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem [to the west], saying, (“2) Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
— Matthew 2:1-2

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out [from Zion, Jerusalem, to the west], bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha [Mount Moriah, to the East]. (18) There they crucified Him…
— John 19:17-18

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. (12) Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate [to the East]. (13) So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
— Hebrews 13:11-13

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East

What picture is God painting through “the East” in scripture?

• Removal from the presence of God

• Removal from fellowship and communion to being a “vagrant and a wanderer on the earth”

• Independence from God

• Dwelling of man

• Man’s achievements apart from God

• Wilderness

• Ruin of sin

• Pride

• World

• Flesh

• Where God calls men from (Abraham, Moses)

• The entrance into the way back to God

• Where the sacrifice for sin took place (brazen altar in the tabernacle)

West

What picture is God painting through “the West” in scripture?

• Dwelling, Abiding with God in His Temple

• Communion and fellowship, belonging with God

• Dependence on God, Faith

• Humility

• Atonement

• The Way back to the Father

• Men searching for God

• Direction of writing from East to West toward Jerusalem (for languages begun east of Jerusalem)

• The place of God’s throne, His house

• Where the blood of the sacrifice was brought (Mercy Seat) to make atonement for sin

• God’s plan for salvation goes from East to West

• God’s glory and river extend from west to east flowing from the temple to the world

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My favorite verse out of this collection is the following:

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
— Psalm 103:12

This is not simply a nice poetic way to say this. This is a promise… Christ’s sacrifice to the east was brought before God’s throne on the west, and atonement was made. God made a separation from our sin which separated us from God, so that we could be once more joined to Him. As far as the east is from the west - He has made atonement through the blood of Jesus.

When God looks from His throne on the west toward the east, He no longer sees your sin or mine, but rather the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God slain for us on the altar as a substitutionary offering for our sin. We are washed in the blood, free to boldly enter before Him clothed in the righteousness of Christ!

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
— Matthew 13:44

But from there [the East where God has scattered you] you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
— Deuteronomy 4:29

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, (25) to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
— Jude 24-25

Search for Him - you will find Him!

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If this was encouraging to you, please share with others who would be edified.

Questions or further thoughts? I’d love your feedback in the comments.

• What do you think about these scriptures?

• What else did you see that I didn’t include?

• What would you love to learn more about?

Feel free to drop them in the comments and we can dive deeper!