Against Us In Our Favor

Gen 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. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 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 guard to the way to the tree of life.


This is the first time we read of a weapon in the Bible – a sword, indicating that Adam and Eve’s transgression had brought conflict between them and God. They had proven that they could not be trusted to obey His word. Therefore, God had to appeal to force - if necessary, in order to protect the tree of life (their natural inclination could have been the desire to have/keep life at any cost)

In chapter 3 of Spiritual Gifts, Ellen White says: “The angels feared that they [Adam and Eve] would put forth the hand and eat of the tree of life, and be immortal sinners. It had been Satan's studied plan that Adam and Eve should disobey God, receive His frown, and then partake of the tree of life, that they might live forever in sin and disobedience, and thus sin be immortalized.”

Immortalized sin? Immortal sinners? Eternal sorrow and misery? What is such immortality worth? Who would want this? We often desire death because we feel we can no longer bear the pain. How would suffering be for a constant companion of eternity?

Thank God, He did not allow it. And whether there really was a literal tree symbolizing life, or not, is not so significant here. The idea is that God protected what the tree of life stood for: immortality. In a more abstract way, I would say that He preserved immortality untouched by sin. And He did this for us. What looked like an action taken against us, was really for us.

He momentarily forbade the gift of immortality to the human race, because He wanted to preserve it for us, and offer it to us in the best time (when sin would have been done away with). The action God took in the beginning of our race’s existence was, in the long run (and I mean, thousands of years long) in our favor; it was for our best, and not only. Giving us a chance for the future meant fighting against us for the moment. He took “life” away from us precisely so that we can have life.


Sometimes, when God denies us something, or takes away something we had, it is because He wants to give it to us in a better time, and in a better character than we can even imagine. At times He needs to fight against us for the moment, because He wants the best for us in the long run. But one thing is true, and essential: His actions are in our favor; His purpose is our best. What is left for us to do is to trust Him.