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Genesis 3:22-24 (English Standard Version)
“22Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" 23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
If you have walked in Christian circles for any length of time, no doubt you have heard about how Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Many of us know that God drove the man and woman from the garden. The part that I often had trouble with was this section.
After having eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God was concerned that Adam might have taken of the tree of life and have lived forever. It almost seemed mean that God wouldn’t allow the man and woman to eat of the tree of life.
For some time now, I’ve understood on an intellectual and theological level a few of the reasons why it would have been a bad thing for the man and woman to have eaten of the tree of life. It has only been the last while however that the reality has settled into my heart.
How do you feel about things like child poverty? How do you feel about things like sexual and emotional abuse? Do you like the bloodshed and starvation that you see in the world? What about human trafficking and the sex trade? Ever lose someone to drug abuse?
There are worse things than death. One of them is this –
A world forever cursed.
If Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life, that’s exactly what would have transpired. As horrible as the notion of dying might be, I believe that it is better to die once, than to live cursed for all eternity. (Not that I’m looking forward to that dark battle.)
I have often thought about this story as the basic explanation of: "I said no. You can't have it now. You have to earn it. Life is not supposed to be that easy. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Have a little self control."
ReplyDeleteAdam and Eve were in Paradise, they had to just obey a simple command. But, like all humans, they had free will and chose not to. The fundamental point is that we are all given great gifts, but the greatest is that we can choose how to use them (we are not robots or machines dictated to by fate). We are also given instructions as to how to live properly. If we follow - good things will come. If we do not, God chooses the punishment.