After he [the LORD] drove the man out, he placed on the eastside of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
God said after the fall, man should “…not be allowed to reach out his hand and take
also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” He placed cherubim at
the east of the Garden of Eden to stop mankind from ever eating of that fruit. Cherubim
are often depicted, wrongly so, as chubby little toddlers with wings, but are far
different. They are powerful and complex beings. Some attend the Throne of God. The prophet Ezekiel describes them in
detail (Ezekiel Chapters 1 & 10).
But why deny
Adam and Eve eternal life? And why put cherubim there? Wouldn’t any angel have been enough? After all, one angel went through the camp of
the Assyrians besieging Jerusalem, and in one night killed 185,000 soldiers (2nd
Kings 19:35).
Satan was one
of the highest created beings of God. Scripture teaches he was the anointed
guardian cherub that perhaps even led heaven in music praising God (Ezekiel
28:13,14). He was created with free choice and was perfect until, being lifted up
with his own beauty and pride, wanted to be God! (Isaiah 14:13,14).
That he tempted
Adam and Eve into sin wasn’t enough. He not only wanted to cause man and woman to
fall out of relationship with God, but to make them irredeemable, completely ruining the Creator's plan.
Over my
lifetime I’ve read today’s verse many times and have never given much thought
as to why God placed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life.
God knew if Adam
and Eve were able to eat of the tree, they would become eternal flesh and blood
beings, trapped in their sin forever, unable ever to be redeemed.
As Satan was
of the highest order of God’s angelic beings, He was, and is, a very cunning and powerful adversary. His hatred of God was so vicious that it was a very real possibility
he might have attempted to go into the Garden and bring fruit from the tree of
life back to Adam and Eve, making sure they would forever be trapped in their
sin with no possibility of redemption. It would have taken angels of the same
order and magnitude to ensure it didn’t happen.
Notice God sent ‘cherubim’ (plural).
There being more than one, it seems, would have given the supremacy to stop the enemy of mankind, should he
try it.
Driving our
first parents out of the Garden would at first glance would seem cruel, but allowing
them to live forever in sin, without any chance of redemption, would have been
crueler.
When God allows us to be pushed into uncomfortable situations it is always for our greatest
good. God placed the Cherubim at the entrance of the garden to protect the man
and woman that was ultimately worse than death.
The Psalmist
writes that God will send His angels to protect us and guard us in all our ways
(Psalm 91:11-12). He will do that indeed,
with whatever it takes. Even if it means
sending Cherubim Plural into our battle, to guard us from every direction, with flaming
swords that light the darkness.
Ken
