I was reading from Genesis chapter 3 this morning, at the end of this chapter God kicks Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden after they disobey and eat from the tree if good and evil, their banishment from the Garden was part of their discipline.
Verses 22 to 24 follow this punishment;
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So 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.
First, it amazes me the God was talking to another being in verse 22. We may assume that God is speaking with Christ or with the Holy Spirit. I can't quite wrap my head around that!
But, what really amazes me is that God still loves and care for mankind - and for us - in this moment where He was the most betrayed and forsaken.
We could certainly understand God's frustration with Adam and Eve, they had ignored and broken the one and only rule that He had given them, they had ruined paradise! Frustration, even anger could be understood at this moment.
But God, in His merciful, compassionate, loving way, disciplines His children, and then patiently takes steps to care for and to protect us from ourselves and from any future harm.
How, you may ask. God protected us by taking away eternal life on this earth and in this current, tainted, sinful world. Thanks to this action we are able to live our lives now in a state of preparation for an eternal future glory with God, our Father. And, we are able to trust - with a hope and an assurance - in perfection waiting for those of us who believe and obey Jesus Christ.
So, the next time you consider death, thank God for it, and consider what is waiting for you on the other side.
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