Genesis 3:22-23
Man had made the mistake of disobedience. He ate of the tree from which God commanded him not to eat. How typical of our human nature! Often times we find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what God commands. Truly Paul says it well. There is a war within us. Those things that I want to do, I do not. That which I don’t want to do, that is what I do. Such is the way of dirt. It is not easily contained, often makes a mess, and is easily carried away by every wind of doctrine.
God feared that Adam, in his fallen state, would reach out and also eat of the tree of life. This would have sealed his fate. Had he eaten of the tree of life, he would have been sentenced to his fallen condition for eternity. It was God’s mercy, not his judgment that drove man out of the Garden. If Adam would have eaten of the tree of life, and forever remained fallen, where would be the hope of redemption later? The wages of sin is death. If death wasn’t allowed in the world, how could Christ be offered as payment for our sins? God drove Adam out of the garden so that he might have hope of a future redemption.
Likewise, God’s mercy compels him to reach out to us in our fallen state. Sometimes God must drive us out of our place of comfort in order to open the door for his redemptive work. What may feel like God’s judgment could actually be his mercy. The Lord chastises those he loves. Like a parent disciplines their child so that the undesirable behavior will be corrected, God at times must correct us so that we might have a better outcome. The next time we feel like we are in judgment, let’s stop and examine our situation. We may find ourselves in the middle of God’s mercy.
Genesis 3:24
God drove out the man (ESV) God has a way of driving out our humanity if we let him. The person who humbles himself before God will find that he can transform our very nature.
The Bible says that God placed a flaming sword in the east of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life. What fantastic imagery of the Word of God! The writer of Hebrews called it a sharpened two-edged sword. Jeremiah said it was fire shut up in his bones. Truly this flaming sword guards the way to life. When you read it, it breathes life into your soul. The very words on the page are life. The sword was in the East (qedem), literally the “front” of Eden. When you keep God’s word before you, it will give you answers when you have questions, and hope when you’re desperate. The Word of God is a lamp and a light when you sit in darkness. It brings joy to the joyless, and purity to those who need cleansing. The Word of God establishes, it corrects, it reproves, it teaches, and it makes wise the simple. This flaming sword guards life! Those who keep it before them, who always place it first, will find safety and life, and joy in its pages.
Matthew 1:5
The genealogy of Christ records that the harlot of Jericho later became a descendent of Jesus. What could take a harlot and make her a member of the family of Christ? Faith! Hebrews 11:31 says that by faith Rahab received the spies in peace. Likewise it is our faith that causes us to rise above our own past and take our place in the family of Christ. Three women are mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Tamar, who was wronged by her father in law, Rahab who was a prostitute by trade, and Ruth who was abandoned without a family. What a beautiful redemptive story is found in the lineage of the one who died to bring redemption to ALL mankind. It doesn’t matter what past you have, whether you were abandoned, wronged, or drowning in sin, you have your place in the family of God!
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