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Daily Devotion: Genesis 3:22-24

Genesis 3:22-24    "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:  (23)  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  (24)  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 107:1) 

We can surely know that God's mercy is seen in our text verses for today. It was God's mercy that drove Adam and Eve from the Garden. If He had allowed them to remain in that place, their curiosity would have taken them to the "tree of life". You might ask, "What would have been so bad about that?"  I'm glad you asked that question. If God had allowed them to eat of the tree of life after they had fallen into the state of being dead in trespasses and sins, they would have never died. You and I would never die a physical death.  

Would that be so bad? Well, let's think about that. Have you been to a nursing home or hospital lately? Have you seen individuals who have had strokes, have cancer, or some other terrible and deadly disease? I don't mean to be morbid about this, but if Adam had eaten of the tree of life after the fact, people with those diseases would never die. People who are in such miserable pain would never be able to find relief. I quote a dear old saint who said, "Thank God for the flaming sword."  It was God's mercy that prevented Adam and Eve from re-entering the Garden of Eden to eat of that tree of life. The following statement might sound morbid, but it is absolutely true: "There are things much worse than death." And those things would be a common occurrence if they had been allowed to remain and eat of the tree of life.

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 107:1)

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