Genesis 3:1-24, 4:1-7. continuation
What happened to the Garden of Eden? The Bible does not tell us, God did not consider it important. It probably perished in the Flood.
Now, man is left outside till the time God opens the door for him to enter Paradise and find fellowship with God. This was achieved on the resurrection day when victory over the devil and death was gained.
Not only is man expelled from the Garden but he is also not to go near the Tree of Life. Why? In our sinful state we cannot approach a holy God. Only when sin is dealt with in our lives can we do so. However, the day is coming when man will again be able to partake of the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God-Rev.22:2.
Chapter 3 closes with the information that God put a guard at the entrance of the Garden to stop anybody going in, a Cherubim. We only know what a Cherubim looks like from the description of those placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Cherubim are guardians of God's holiness. Apart
from the Cherubim, God also placed the flaming sword that turned. Again, we are not told what a flaming sword was like or why God placed it there but we can gather its symbolism from somewhere else-Eph.6:17, 'The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God' .
The flaming fire of the Word brings judgment upon the sinner who tries to enter Heaven or God's presence without the Blood.
'Adam knew his wife....' . The first mention in the Bible of a physical relationship between a man and a woman. God's words to Eve were, 'her desire would be for her husband' . What kind of desire? The kind of desire that leads a woman to depend upon a man. More than a desire for companionship but one of lust. A desire that leads to an abnormal relationship, different from what God intended or had in mind.
What was God's intention at creation? When God had finished His creation He looked at everything and found it to be 'good and perfect'. The man and the woman were also perfect. They had God's character, the ability to think and decide, to love and be loved but not to harbor evil and commit evil in their lives. That came afterwards. Their relationship was based on God's moral character, even for procuring offspring. How was that to be accomplished? A relationship based on childbearing and not based on lust. We only know of their kind of relationship after the fall.
There is no doubt that at Creation the man and the woman were given the sex drive in their being
but not in the form we witness today.
The Bible points to the fact of their physical relation after the fall, implying something different from what God intended. They would now have sex and be fruitful but not without pain, lust and passion. Is sex then something ugly and dirty? Not necessarily, a God given desire is abused by man.
What is the answer? In 2 Cor.5:17, the Apostle gives us the answer. In Christ, Creation's purpose is restored in man, even sex finds its original purpose and place in our lives. Passions and desires can be curbed and find a new direction. No more slaves to sin but newness of life in Christ.
To be continued
What happened to the Garden of Eden? The Bible does not tell us, God did not consider it important. It probably perished in the Flood.
Now, man is left outside till the time God opens the door for him to enter Paradise and find fellowship with God. This was achieved on the resurrection day when victory over the devil and death was gained.
Not only is man expelled from the Garden but he is also not to go near the Tree of Life. Why? In our sinful state we cannot approach a holy God. Only when sin is dealt with in our lives can we do so. However, the day is coming when man will again be able to partake of the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God-Rev.22:2.
Chapter 3 closes with the information that God put a guard at the entrance of the Garden to stop anybody going in, a Cherubim. We only know what a Cherubim looks like from the description of those placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Cherubim are guardians of God's holiness. Apart
from the Cherubim, God also placed the flaming sword that turned. Again, we are not told what a flaming sword was like or why God placed it there but we can gather its symbolism from somewhere else-Eph.6:17, 'The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God' .
The flaming fire of the Word brings judgment upon the sinner who tries to enter Heaven or God's presence without the Blood.
'Adam knew his wife....' . The first mention in the Bible of a physical relationship between a man and a woman. God's words to Eve were, 'her desire would be for her husband' . What kind of desire? The kind of desire that leads a woman to depend upon a man. More than a desire for companionship but one of lust. A desire that leads to an abnormal relationship, different from what God intended or had in mind.
What was God's intention at creation? When God had finished His creation He looked at everything and found it to be 'good and perfect'. The man and the woman were also perfect. They had God's character, the ability to think and decide, to love and be loved but not to harbor evil and commit evil in their lives. That came afterwards. Their relationship was based on God's moral character, even for procuring offspring. How was that to be accomplished? A relationship based on childbearing and not based on lust. We only know of their kind of relationship after the fall.
There is no doubt that at Creation the man and the woman were given the sex drive in their being
but not in the form we witness today.
The Bible points to the fact of their physical relation after the fall, implying something different from what God intended. They would now have sex and be fruitful but not without pain, lust and passion. Is sex then something ugly and dirty? Not necessarily, a God given desire is abused by man.
What is the answer? In 2 Cor.5:17, the Apostle gives us the answer. In Christ, Creation's purpose is restored in man, even sex finds its original purpose and place in our lives. Passions and desires can be curbed and find a new direction. No more slaves to sin but newness of life in Christ.
To be continued