22 Then 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—”
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 He 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. To really understand what was lost in Genesis 3, take time to read Genesis 1 and 2 first.
When God Says No
Gifted Provision vs. Painful Survival
Sometimes we just don’t know how good we have it until we lose it.
God, the powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing, omnipresent One, took five days speaking life, order, and provision into existence. When all that was done, He created man and gave him authority and purpose. He could give names to what he hadn’t created and eat what he hadn’t planted.
He realized something was missing, so God created a companion for him out of his rib, and he was all bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This is wonderful!
After listening to Satan, Eve ate the fruit, then shared it with him, and suddenly everything that was perfect became imperfect because they now had knowledge God had protected them from.
They became ashamed of what was once natural, covered up their bodies, and hid from God’s presence.
Then when God asked Adam where he was, with all that knowledge, he still didn’t see the opportunity God gave him to check himself. Instead, he blamed the wonderful bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh for giving him the fruit and for his disobedience in eating it.
Because he stepped outside of God’s protective bubble through disobedience, they were sent out from paradise into the hard, cold world.
Why?
God was still in protective mode.
Eating from the tree of life would have made them sinful for eternity. So God blocked the way to it. Before, everything they needed had already been provided for them. Now Adam would have to work the ground for food and survival.
Even in judgment, God was still protecting them, and in the same way, He protects us.
Prayer
Lord, don’t let me trade Your protection for temporary temptation. Help me recognize the blessings and boundaries You’ve placed around me before I lose sight of how good I already have it. Help me see Your mercy even in the things You won’t allow.
And Father, just as Eve ate the fruit and shared it with Adam, help us eat of Your Word and share its richness, nourishment, hope, and restoration with the world around us. Where sin brought death, let the Good News of Jesus Christ bring healing, salvation, and eternal life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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