Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we are all denied access to the Tree of Life.
Genesis 3:20-24
20 Adam named his wife Eve,because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 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.”23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 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.
Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we are not only banished from seeing God, we are also denied access to the tree of life. As a result of sin, we must suffer separation from God, as well as death. Adam and Eve, who are the founders of living people, (verse 20) could not have given us a worse legacy. The picture here is bleak.
Yet, in the midst of this bleakness, do you see the deep love of the Father God in this passage? When we read verse 21, we are given a beautiful image of God’s love for us. Adam hides from God because of the shame and fear he experiences in his nakedness (chapter three, verse 10). God deals with Adam’s fear and shame by providing him with what he needs. God, in the midst of Adam’s sin, makes him the clothes that he needs to conceal his naked body. Despite Adam’s sin, God lovingly provides for Adam’s needs.
Regardless of how deeply God loved Adam, He is still God, and He cannot tolerate, or live, with sin. Therefore, he had no other option but to send Adam and Eve away from the garden and guard access to the tree of life from mankind forever.
Have you ever wondered where the tree of life is on earth? I have. I have thought that, if only I could find it, then I could have stopped my loved ones from dying. Yet, I know I can never find the physical tree of life, because, just like Adam and Eve, I also have sinned and have been denied access.
In spite of my sin and shame, God still loves me, and this is why He gives me a new joy in the new creation; we are not denied access to this eternal life; in fact, we are welcomed in with open arms. It is not the barred arms of an angel that meets us but the bleeding hands, and side, of Jesus, who is for us the true tree of life.
Head: Ask yourself today ‘do I love Jesus and do I know that Jesus loves me?’
Heart: If the answer is ‘yes’ to both of the questions in the head section, then may you know in your heart today a renewed sense of joy and wonder at his love and his eternal provision.
Hands: If you cannot answer both the head questions above in the affirmative, take time today to pray through some of your doubts and offer them to Jesus. If you need further help, have the courage to contact someone who may be able to help you with your doubts. If you have answered the head questions above in the affirmative, pray or speak with someone, in a gentle and respectful manner about the eternal hope found in Christ.
Prayer: I thank you Lord that through Jesus you have given me access to eternal life. I don’t need to search for a tree to save me, as Jesus’s death on the tree has given me life, and life forever. Help me to live today with a renewed joy and hope for a future life with You in eternity. Amen.
A song to listen to: How Deep the Fathers Love
Emma Jane McNicol – Living Church Creek Road
These Grow Dailys were originally posted as part of the Bible in 10 series in 2017. During the School Holidays we take the opportunity to look back at the best of Grow Dailys over the years
