So, we bit the fruit . . . then what? We were thrust into a world at war. Paradise was lost. But not forever.
Genesis 3:23 describes it:
“The Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life”.
God is so loving, even in our disobedience, that he covers us–better than we have managed to cover ourselves. They grabbed a few fig leaves and sewed them together—certainly not the sturdiest or best long-term solution–but God made garments of skin and clothed them. However, the most loving of all acts is that he ensures that the consequences of our sin are not to last for an eternity.
By guarding the tree of life, we can’t eat from it and live forever in this terrible state we’ve chosen. We have heard people say that God was so angry at Adam and Eve that He cast them out. But we don’t see it in the loving acts He commits here.
And that’s the Memo.
Steve from their Upcoming Book Embracing Brokenness
