Most of my thoughts on today's reading was deeper and more theological than this one 🤣 but as I was reading it reminded me again that they ate a vegetarian diet. But for us now, it's usually very difficult to be healthy without eating meat due to our need for protein and the other nutrients in meat that you either can't get or can't get easily from other sources. It made me wonder, did they need less protein, etc pre fall 🤔
I also wondered why God removed access to the tree of life. The passage referring to it, at least in the nkjv, feels like a oh no they might become immortal, guard the tree. But that seems a wrong interpretation but the study Bible notes weren't very helpful. I'd welcome people's thoughts. Especially if you know the original language.
Hi April, I love this point! And also what you said about the reference to the Tree of Life. I'm certainly not well-versed in the original language, but I've been intrigued by that passage for awhile. I think that this can actually be read as another example of God's mercy and protection.
If Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life, they would be condemned to live forever in their broken state. Compared to this, I think death is actually a more merciful fate. And, of course, God already had a plan to bring us back to Him and give us eternal life in a perfected state, so He had to protect us from ourselves in this way. Not sure if this makes sense, sorry;)
It's interesting that God says the Tree of Life must be guarded "lest he (man) put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever:" ~Genesis 3:22. I'm curious about how this language relates to other language in Scripture referencing eternal life, since God clearly did have a plan for man to live forever.