Expert: Rev. Frank Ricketts - 9/21/2005

Question
Thank you! Can you tell me your view as to why God was unwilling for them to eat of the tree of life, now that they had eaten of the tree of good and evil?

Webb Mealy

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Followup To
Question -
In a paragraph or so, can you tell me why Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden?
Answer -
the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and while in an unconscious state took one of his ribs, and closed up his flesh again; and of this rib he made a woman, whom he presented to him when he awoke. Adam received her as his wife, and said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." He called her Eve (Hebrew: Chava "life"), because she was the mother of all living. Being induced by the serpent (whom later tradition made into Satan) to eat the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, for "the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die.'" (Genesis 3:4), Eve persuaded Adam, and he also did eat. Until then they were nude, but now "the eyes of them both were opened" and they made aprons of fig leaves to cover themselves. Adam was expelled from Eden to prevent him gaining access to the tree of life (Genesis 3), which if he ate from it would have given eternal life. At the east of the garden God placed Cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way.

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Answer
   To understand the idea behind “Behold, the man has become like on of us, to know good and evil” is tough. Perhaps God has said this in sarcasm regarding Satan's empty promise to them. Or perhaps the idea focuses on man's greater knowledge now that he has the experiential knowledge of evil (though in a bad way).

   God used His mercy to protect Adam and Eve from the horrible fate of having to live forever as sinners by prohibiting them from eating from the tree of life.

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