The Tree of Life
Did you ever realize that Adonai's prohibition against eating the fruit in the garden, was not just a prohibition from one tree, but from two? First there was Gen 2:16 ADONAI, God, gave the person this order: "You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die." and then there was the other, from Gen 3:22 ADONAI, God, said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, to prevent his putting out his hand and taking also from the tree of life, eating, and living forever -" 23 therefore ADONAI, God, sent him out of the garden of 'Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove the man out, and he placed at the east of the garden of 'Eden the k'ruvim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
So what is the knowledge of good and evil? Righteousness and sin. So, now Adam knows what righteousness is and he knows what sin is. So Adam knows Torah. So why keep him from the Tree of Life? Well the Tree of Life is Yeshua, it's Salvation. If Adam and Havah have Torah and Salvation.. hmmm.. isn't that what I have? I have Salvation and Torah. Hmm, makes me wonder a little what that's about. Maybe it was so that history would play out as it did.
So, If Adam has Torah, then he knows about the sacrificial offerings, he must have taught it to his sons. Now you see, I still don't have a full grasp of what the sacrifices are all about, but something about Kayin's grain offering was not pleasing to Adonai, for Adonai rejected his offering.
Gen 4:3 In the course of time Kayin brought an offering to ADONAI from the produce of the soil; 4 and Hevel too brought from the firstborn of his sheep, including their fat. ADONAI accepted Hevel and his offering 5 but did not accept Kayin and his offering. Kayin was very angry, and his face fell.
So I looked up about what the grain offering was and what was the offering that Hevel brought. Hevel brought a lamb and the fat of the lamb. This could have been offered as the burnt offering - the sin offering - or the atonement offering. I'm still not quiet clear on all of this, but it seems that all the lamb is burnt up in the sin offering, after the sinner, places his hand on the head of the animal, sort of tainting or transferring his sin to the animal, and then the person who sinned slits the throat of the animal, spilling it's blood. It's then burnt up completely. OK, so from this we can see the parallels between what Yeshua did for us, he took on our sins upon himself, his blood was shed, he was our Sin Offering.
So what about the grain offering? Well, I'm not sure why a person would offer a grain offering, but I do know that part was to be burnt up, a fragrant offering to the Lord, but another portion was to be eaten by the Cohanim - the priests. But what spoke out to me, was that the grain offering was not to be offered with any leaven in it. Leaven represents sin, as we've just seen from the Passover festival. So this grain offering wasn't to have any leaven associated with it... no sin associated with it. But let's go back to Kayin. Why was Kayin's grain offering rejected? Let's look at Gen 4:6 ADONAI said to Kayin, "Why are you angry? Why so downcast? 7 If you are doing what is good, shouldn't you hold your head high? And if you don't do what is good, sin is crouching at the door - it wants you, but you can rule over it." Sin was already present in Kayin and his offering when he took it to Adonai.
Now if Kayin knew to take offerings to Adonai in the first place, it was because his father Adam had taught him Torah - that righteousness - the good - that he got from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So Kayin knew that leaven was not to be part of his grain offering, but Adonai could see that Kayin already had sin in him, and the sin was not removed, like during the Passover feast, we remove the leaven from our homes, and while we're doing this physical thing, we're supposed to be reflecting on our own lives and removing the sin from our spiritual lives. Clearly Kayin didn't do this before offering his grain offering. He didn't do a self check. He didn't repent of what was sin in his life, and then that sin takes over and it rules over him.
It's a good thing that Adonai barred Adam from eating from that Tree of Life. Had Adam had access, he'd surely have brought his son Kayin to it to eat from as well, and Kayin would have had Salvation, and been able to continue living in his Sin - and that's not what Adonai has planned for us. His plan is that once we are saved, that we turn from our sins and live in righteousness.
Joh 8:11 She said, "No one, sir." Yeshua said, "Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don't sin any more."" - What is sin? 1John 3:4 Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah - indeed, sin is violation of Torah. . Adonai can not be in the presence of Sin, and so he had to send Kayin out as a fugitive. I think Kayin was the first guy to go to Hell.
It's a good think Hevel offered his atonement offering before he was killed. It wasn't his salvation, but his offering was righteousness, and he did it in obedience. His Salvation was in his Belief in Adonai/Yeshua. I guess Hevel will be in Heaven.
So what is the knowledge of good and evil? Righteousness and sin. So, now Adam knows what righteousness is and he knows what sin is. So Adam knows Torah. So why keep him from the Tree of Life? Well the Tree of Life is Yeshua, it's Salvation. If Adam and Havah have Torah and Salvation.. hmmm.. isn't that what I have? I have Salvation and Torah. Hmm, makes me wonder a little what that's about. Maybe it was so that history would play out as it did.
So, If Adam has Torah, then he knows about the sacrificial offerings, he must have taught it to his sons. Now you see, I still don't have a full grasp of what the sacrifices are all about, but something about Kayin's grain offering was not pleasing to Adonai, for Adonai rejected his offering.
Gen 4:3 In the course of time Kayin brought an offering to ADONAI from the produce of the soil; 4 and Hevel too brought from the firstborn of his sheep, including their fat. ADONAI accepted Hevel and his offering 5 but did not accept Kayin and his offering. Kayin was very angry, and his face fell.
So I looked up about what the grain offering was and what was the offering that Hevel brought. Hevel brought a lamb and the fat of the lamb. This could have been offered as the burnt offering - the sin offering - or the atonement offering. I'm still not quiet clear on all of this, but it seems that all the lamb is burnt up in the sin offering, after the sinner, places his hand on the head of the animal, sort of tainting or transferring his sin to the animal, and then the person who sinned slits the throat of the animal, spilling it's blood. It's then burnt up completely. OK, so from this we can see the parallels between what Yeshua did for us, he took on our sins upon himself, his blood was shed, he was our Sin Offering.
So what about the grain offering? Well, I'm not sure why a person would offer a grain offering, but I do know that part was to be burnt up, a fragrant offering to the Lord, but another portion was to be eaten by the Cohanim - the priests. But what spoke out to me, was that the grain offering was not to be offered with any leaven in it. Leaven represents sin, as we've just seen from the Passover festival. So this grain offering wasn't to have any leaven associated with it... no sin associated with it. But let's go back to Kayin. Why was Kayin's grain offering rejected? Let's look at Gen 4:6 ADONAI said to Kayin, "Why are you angry? Why so downcast? 7 If you are doing what is good, shouldn't you hold your head high? And if you don't do what is good, sin is crouching at the door - it wants you, but you can rule over it." Sin was already present in Kayin and his offering when he took it to Adonai.
Now if Kayin knew to take offerings to Adonai in the first place, it was because his father Adam had taught him Torah - that righteousness - the good - that he got from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So Kayin knew that leaven was not to be part of his grain offering, but Adonai could see that Kayin already had sin in him, and the sin was not removed, like during the Passover feast, we remove the leaven from our homes, and while we're doing this physical thing, we're supposed to be reflecting on our own lives and removing the sin from our spiritual lives. Clearly Kayin didn't do this before offering his grain offering. He didn't do a self check. He didn't repent of what was sin in his life, and then that sin takes over and it rules over him.
It's a good thing that Adonai barred Adam from eating from that Tree of Life. Had Adam had access, he'd surely have brought his son Kayin to it to eat from as well, and Kayin would have had Salvation, and been able to continue living in his Sin - and that's not what Adonai has planned for us. His plan is that once we are saved, that we turn from our sins and live in righteousness.
Joh 8:11 She said, "No one, sir." Yeshua said, "Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don't sin any more."" - What is sin? 1John 3:4 Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah - indeed, sin is violation of Torah. . Adonai can not be in the presence of Sin, and so he had to send Kayin out as a fugitive. I think Kayin was the first guy to go to Hell.
It's a good think Hevel offered his atonement offering before he was killed. It wasn't his salvation, but his offering was righteousness, and he did it in obedience. His Salvation was in his Belief in Adonai/Yeshua. I guess Hevel will be in Heaven.
posted by Sombra | 10:03 PM
1 Comments:
Hi, Sombra! (Off topic: did you know that sombra means "shade" in Spanish. Pretty name!)
Anyway, my belief about the two trees in the midst of the garden is this: Adam was commanded to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but not from the tree of life until he had already taken from the tree of knowledge. Taking from the tree of knowledge was disobedience and in that way, Adam became sinful. If at that point Adam had taken from the tree of life, he would have lived forever BUT because God hates sin and cannot have sin in his presence, Adam would have lived forever separated from God. So God drove Adam and Eve from the garden to keep them safe. If they had taken from the tree of life while they were sinful, they would have essentially been sentenced to eternal life separated from God --hell.
Now, if you want to take this study a little further, you might consider reading the last 3 chapters of Revelation. Once again, you'll find the tree of life mentioned.
I'm really enjoying reading through your posts! You have great insight (and reading the Bible names as they are Hebrew is really neat!). ;^)
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