Yahweh told Adam that if he ate the forbidden fruit he would die. But now the biblical text reveals something very unexpected in Genesis 3:22b.
“And now,
lest he put out his hand and take also of
the Tree of
Life, and eat, and live forever . . .”
Even though Adam was guilty of
breaking Yahweh’s commandment and the process of dying had begun:
Eating from
the Tree of Life could still keep Adam alive forever.
Make sure
to note that the Tree of Life is the source of eternal life.
Adam became like the Tree
of Knowledge of TOV and RAH when he did an act of RAH.
Now there is only one way to keep Adam from eating from the Tree of Life
(Genesis 3:23-24).
Yahweh the
God sent him out of the Garden of Eden
to till the
ground from which he was taken.
Yahweh drove
Adam out the Garden.
Yahweh placed cherubim at
the east of the garden of Eden,
and a
flaming sword which turned every way,
to guard
the way to the Tree of Life.
Adam
began a journey that would take him on a westward journey from Eden back to his
homeland and the soil from which Yahweh formed him. The west is where the sun
sets, and in the ancient world is a symbol of the end of life.
An
interesting twist in this story is that you and I know where the Tree of
Life is located – in the middle of the Garden -- and what
eating from it will do – bestow eternal life on the one eating from
it.
Adam does not know
those things.
Adam
had been standing next to the Tree of Life and didn’t know
it! Yahweh didn’t point it out to him. He may have been aware that the tree was
there, but he could not see that it was the source of eternal life.
This reveals an ancient wisdom principle embedded in the text:
Humans are mortals
unless they find a way back to the Tree of Life.
The
text also reveals the way back to the Tree of Life. We know that Adam became
one like the Tree of Knowledge of TOV and RAH when he did
an act of RAH.
Adam has not yet done
an act of TOV, but he has the power to do it.
The
second story in Genesis is repeating the wisdom revealed in the first story.
●
Humans have free wills to act as individuals -- doing acts like
animals.
●
Humans have free wills to act together -- doing acts of TOV
like the Creator.
Doing acts of TOV
together is the way back to the Tree of Life!
The
key to understanding this wisdom is learning how to see through the
eyes of the Creator. Seven times in the first story this phrase
appeared – “And God saw that it was TOV.”
●
The Creator’s first act was creating the Light of Life.
●
The Light of Life is found in everything He created.
●
TOV is the Creator’s standard for
measuring life.
●
Seeing the state of life in the lives around you is “seeing
through the eyes of God.”
When
you encounter another person be the Creator’s representative
and see if his or her life is safe, secure,
functional, and that his or her quality of life
measures up to the Creator’s standard. If it isn’t, do what is needed to make
it TOV.
That is the core wisdom
principle that is repeated throughout
the Jewish Scriptures
and the teaching of Jesus.
It
is the path back to the Tree of Life.
Will Adam and Eve do acts
of TOV together so mankind will survive?
Or will they do nothing
or do more acts of RAH and bring an end to mankind?
I will continue the story in the
next email.
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Jim
Myers
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