Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mercy and Judgment continued

The first part of verse 23 says that God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The next part says, "to work the land." However, this does not mean that work is a curse placed upon Adam and Eve and all succeeding generations for disobeying God. Before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, God had placed Adam in the Garden to work the land. Work preceded sin.

The difference here is that working the land will be much harder. Thorns and thistles and earning your food by the sweat of your brow.

After banishing Adam and Eve, God placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden and a flashing sword, guarding the way to the Tree of Life.

Cherubim-angels. Not naked babies with wings and halos. Cherubim are fearsome creatures. The great sphinx in Egypt is an approximation of a cherub. Cherubim appear again in the Wilderness wanderings. God commands that cherubim be crafted and placed on top of the chest of testimony (ark of the covenant) that resided in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle.

What can we learn from the relationship between the cherubim and the flashing sword and the Tree of Life? The Torah is likened to a tree of life (Proverbs 3). The cherub faced each other with their faces over the ark of the covenant which contained the tablets of stone on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments. The cherubim guarded the way to the Tree of Life, or Torah. The flaming sword....hrmmm....I dunno. But Paul says that part of the armor of God is the sword of truth. To get to the Tree of Life, you must use the truth and pursue it. Cut through all the bs using the sword of Truth. Many and varied will be the distractions and temptations to block your way. Fight them off with the sword of truth.

Be ye well,

Leo

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