Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:8-24 (day one)
“So He drove the man out. . .east of the garden of Eden.–v 24
East of Eden is the title of a John’s Steinbeck novel written in 1952. It tells the stories of two families in Salinas Valley, California in the years after WWI. It is a tale of depravity, love, courage and self-destruction. The title (and story) are references to Genesis 3 and 4.
In Scripture, east of Eden is God’s poetic (literal and symbolic) description of life after the Fall. As Adam and Eve leave the garden they travel East (the direction of the rising sun) into a new day dawning with difficulty and danger. (The world we now live in).
It is NO part of God’s mercy to guarantee a consequence-free existence. ” Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”–Hebrews 12:17. Lord help us obey before consequences come. Help us trust your mercy when they do.
