Monday, September 28, 2009

Therefore the LORD God sent him out

"Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life."
Genesis 3:22-24 NASB

Ask anyone who knows me and they will quickly tell you that I am not the most well-read individual on the planet. I just figure that if a book is that good, then someone will surely make it into a movie.

To the best of my knowledge (and upon searching IMDB), I have determined that no one has made a movie based upon Paradise Lost, John Milton's epic poem of the opening events of man as recorded in the Book of Genesis.

The story is probably fairly familiar to many of you. But the root of all mankind's disruption of the Divine fellowship that was once shared with God Himself is found both the opening chapters of Genesis and is loosely paraphrased in Milton's story.

Early in the story of Paradise Lost, Satan asks Eve;
"Wherein lies th'offense, that man should thus attain to know?"
Book 9, lines 725-6

What a great question. Satan basically says, "What's the big deal?" or "What harm is there in knowing the difference between good and evil?"

The issue behind this question is difficult to understand. Perhaps there is a note of sarcasm by God here (as Elijah used in 1 Kings 18:27), regarding Satan’s empty promise that they (Adam and Eve) could become like gods. Or, maybe it is just the fact that now man has the experiential knowledge of evil.

So what is it there for?

It is there to demonstrate something about God? He does the merciful thing. That's right. God does the merciful thing. God drives Adam and Eve from the garden where the Tree of Life grew so that they could not eat of that tree as well. How terrible would it have been to have eaten of that tree and lived forever in sin? How awful would it have been to live forever without the hope of salvation?

You and I will face death. But you and I have the hope of Salvation that Jesus Christ offers.

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Genesis 3:23

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