Curses: Evicted

via TJC

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—  therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” - Genesis 3:22-24

As we’ve journeyed through Genesis 3 this week, we now inevitably reach the conclusion of the punishment afforded to Adam and Eve for their sin: Eviction. Have you ever been expelled from a place where you experienced growth, and then grown quite comfortable being? I remember when I was fired from my first job in Washington, DC. I was surprised by the company’s decision and was not even allowed to go back to my desk to retrieve my things. I was escorted out of the building that I had, a year earlier, been so excited to begin working within. 

In this story in Genesis, we see another consequence of sin: the death of our position. Adam and Eve are removed from the position of their authority after their disobedience to God. In God’s mercy of removing them from the Garden, He allows His and their seed, Jesus Christ, the last Adam, to regain the ground which Christ’s forefathers had forfeited. Whenever we experience a sudden loss in position, we need to remember who the Author of our story is and how much He loves writing Himself into our ultimate redemption! 

Daily Battle Order: Before He suffers the cross, Christ tells His disciples that He “is going to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2-3) Are you confident in God’s ability to prepare a place for you in heaven? Do you have the same faith in His sovereign ability to do so in your time here on Earth? Our prosperity is grounded in His sovereign ability to make us a place where we can abide with Him.  

Father, we live in a world that was broken because of Man’s sin. We inherited their sinful nature and we toil harder and wrestle between what is and what should be. That sin has caused us to be ugly to one another and ever prideful towards You. Lord renew our minds. Let us know you have saved us for something more holy and better than the things that we sometimes think you are keeping from us. Remind us of the victory that You have delivered from the curses we put on each other and the trappings of the enemy. Give us wisdom and increase our fruit. For we know that all things come together for good for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.