The Tree Of Life

Genesis 3: 22, 24

Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the Man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever--"

... He stationed the Cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Wow, the Man, the Adam, was now like God, in being able to distinguish what was good from what was evil. So when Satan told Eve that they would be "like God," she didn't realize that she would still need God to be God, not herself. 

When God made the Angels, He made them so they wouldn't be vulnerable to death, they would live forever. But when they sinned, since they couldn't die, then they also couldn't have a Savior to die for them to redeem them, so they now must bear their sin forever.

When God made Man, He made him to be able to live forever, but if He would disobey and sin, then he would be subject to death. So he would have to die. But now he could also have Someone to die for him, and pay that debt. 

But the Tree of Life was also there in the Garden of Eden with him, with no command to not eat of it. Now that he had sinned in disobeying the direct command of God, God didn't want him ruining his chances of redemption by not being able to die. 

God does not change. He wouldn't change His mind and decide to forbid Adam from eating from this Tree, after already giving it freely to him along with all the other trees. So God drove him from this paradise, stationing His guards to make sure Mankind would never be able to upset the apple cart of God's Plan for us all; plans to save us from the power of the sin that would now plague us, and finally redeem us out of the very presence of sin.

O my Father, You are so smart to devise a plan wherewith Mankind could live forever if he obeyed You, but would also be subject to death and able to be redeemed if he disobeyed, which he did. 

Father, please forgive our rebellions and selfishness in wanting to be our own god, making our own decisions for ourselves instead of depending on You to lead us. Forgive us for considering the intelligence and the abilities and skills You have given us to be our license to make our own choices without considering You, Lord. 

Forgive us for putting our faith and trust in our own wisdom and ways, instead of seeking You and Your wisdom and ways. Since Your ways are not our ways, and our thoughts are not Your thoughts, Father, teach us Your ways and thoughts, because they are so far above our own that we would never attain to them without You teaching us, my Lord.

O Father, our enemy deceived our original mother into thinking that she could be her own god. And he has whispered that same temptation to every one of her children through the ages. Most of us have swallowed this idea whole, without even chewing on it to examine it in the light of Your Revelation to us in Your Word. Please forgive us for even considering this rebellion against You, to count You irrelevant, You Who are our Life!

Show me, my Father, whenever I begin to entertain the thought of making my own choices in life, bring me to the realization of how foolish I am to neglect to consult You and Your Word to learn Your ways for me. Help me to remember to seek Your direction, even if this situation is so similar to the other one You already helped me through. May I ask You every time. Don't let me go on automatic, doing what you showed me before. 

Strengthen me, O Lord, in my dependence on You for my every step. And may I be molded and formed in Your gentle, loving hands, into a vessel fit for the Master's royal table.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!