21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He 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. (Gen 3:21-24 NKJV)
Did you ever stop and ponder why God had to drive Adam out of the garden of Eden? Read the verses closely. God first sent him out to till the ground outside of Eden. It seems that this command was not obeyed by Adam. Because in the next verse God drives out the man. Why was Adam reluctant to leave? You may think the answer is obvious. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in paradise? Who wouldn’t choose the garden instead of tilling the ground east of Eden? But I don’t think the perfection of the garden was what Adam feared losing. Eden was no longer the garden that Adam once knew. Sin had entered in because of his disobedience and with sin death. The garden was no longer paradise. It had been spoiled by sin. Adam knew and saw this to be true. He saw death when God made tunics for them of skin. Paradise was lost but still he had wanted to stay. What was Adam holding onto? The text gives us a clue.
"Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"
Adam wanted the tree of life. After seeing death Adam was afraid. He didn’t want to die. He wanted to live. He was so desperate for life that he would chance disobeying God again and take from the tree of life. He longed for the immortality that he once knew and a tree that promised everlasting life was too great a temptation. So, God drove him away and placed cherubim, armed with a flaming sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Now millennia has past, and the sons of Adam are still searching for a way to cheat death. Billions each year are spent on the search for immortality. It is a growing scientific field. In 2013, Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brim announced their intention to cure death and created Calico a foundation to carry out research to this end. There has been little to show from the work thus far. It seems the cherubim still vigilantly guard to way to the tree of life.
God kept Adam from the tree of life not to punish him. God had something better in mind. He didn’t want Adam to live forever in a fallen state. God wanted to restore Adam completely. God’s plan was not that Adam would just live forever but that he would do so in fellowship with him. Therefore, the second Adam came. Jesus Christ who being God and man paid the price for Adam’s and all our sins. His death satisfied God’s righteous judgment. His resurrection won for us eternal life. We are now not only free from death but we are free to live the abundant life God intended. That’s a life of love and fellowship with God.
Are you searching for immortality or for a growing, dynamic, unfettered relationship with God? When you seek for the latter you will also find the former.