Wednesday: Expelled From the Garden
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 30th of September 2026
One of the most devastating consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin was separation from God. They were expelled from the Garden and could no longer speak with God face-to-face. The prophet Isaiah memorably wrote about this challenging human condition: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:2, NKJV).
In truth, Adam and Eve were still God’s children. However, the result of sin could not be avoided, and they had to leave Eden. Nothing was the same after their disobedience.
Sin has changed humanity in many ways (see Genesis 3:14-24). But how has sin specifically changed our communication with God? (See also Exodus 19:16-22.)
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Sin entirely changed human life in ways we cannot imagine, and that is because all we know is a world of sin. Because of sin, the land was “cursed” and was to produce “thorns and thistles.” Humans would now experience pain, and they would have to “sweat” in order to provide food for themselves, only finally to die and return to the ground. Of all the reminders of sin, death remains the most powerful. At the same time, too, we lost our face-to-face communication with God because of sin.
However, Adam and Eve were promised a solution to counteract the ravages of sin. Although our first parents were not to see and talk to God directly, they left Eden with hope for the present and future. God took the initiative and explained to them His rescue plan.
Genesis 3:15, what has been called “the first gospel promise,” was filled with hope for them (and us), despite what had happened. The promise of a coming Redeemer would provide present enmity against sin and hope for the future salvation of humanity. In fact, God’s provision of clothing for Adam and Eve before they left the Garden was a symbolic act depicting their future redemption. Through the future death and resurrection of Jesus, communion with God was to be restored (John 14:1-3).
That is, right there in Eden, right after the entrance of sin, humanity was given the hope and promise that the sin problem ultimately would be solved. As soon as there was sin, there was the promise of a Savior.
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How have you felt after doing something that was not right? Guilt? Shame? Self-loathing? What were the consequences? How did your faith in God, and the promise of the gospel, keep you from giving up on faith entirely? |
I had a great conversation with one of my birding friends. We had known one another for years. He had just been on a birding trip around Australia and this was the first time we had had a face to face conversation in about 6 months, It was a great conversation, We had a lot to catch up on and it was filled with laughter, old jokes, earnest discussions about still unidentified birds in photographs and so on. We looked forward to continuing the conversation. Less than a week later, he was dead. I could not believe it. The sense of loss was palpable. Even now, two years later, I go out on the bush tracks and take another photo of a bird, I think of how much my friend would have loved being there, sharing it with me,
The loss of direct communication with God as the result of sin must have been devastating. However, it’s restoration is promised. I recently watched some YouTube clips of people, some of them, babies, who had their hearing restored through surgical procedures. To see the joy on their faces when the sound was switched on, brought tears of joy to my own eyes. This is something we can look forward to in our spiritual restoration.
God’s expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden can be understood not only as an act of judgment but also as an expression of divine mercy. After their disobedience, God declared, “lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). By preventing them from remaining forever in their fallen condition, God limited the consequences of sin. Their exile separated them from Eden and the Tree of Life, but it also prevented eternal existence under the corruption of sin. Thus, exile became both a consequence of disobedience and a merciful act that left room for God’s greater plan of redemption.
God’s mercy becomes clearer in the light of Christ. Although humanity was expelled and separated from God because of sin, God did not abandon His creation. Instead, He promised redemption and ultimately fulfilled that promise through Jesus Christ. Scripture declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The exile, therefore, should not be viewed as God’s rejection of humanity, but as a moment within the larger story of restoration. The guarded Tree of Life in Genesis points forward to the restored access to life with God in Revelation, where the Tree of Life appears again (Revelation 22:2–4). In this sense, God’s mercy in expelling Adam and Eve reveals that even divine judgment can serve His redemptive purpose: He removes humanity from Eden, but He never removes His desire to bring humanity back into eternal communion with Him.
Sometimes as parents we have to make decisions for our children that they don’t understand at the time. My son always stood up for the children that were troubled in his class, the problem with that was that he wasn’t strong enough and would succumb to their vises. So in Grade 12 he was grounded 3 times one after the other, which meant 3 months. When their final results were published he was the only one who had passed. Sadly, one of these friends died at the age of 21.
Parents pray for their children, whether they are small or grown-ups, to remain or come back to the Lord’s embrace.
Just imagine how God felt when these two perfect human beings sinned, it must have been devastating, but even at that moment our Heavenly Father had a way to save them and us. No matter how hard we try, we can never understand, God’s love for His children.
The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death.
To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God…. And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty. A star of hope illumined the dark and terrible future and relieved it of its utter desolation….
The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the universe it would justify God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan (Patriarchs and Prophets, 57-69).
The lesson today points out that, “Of all the reminders of sin, death remains the most powerful”, and ohh have we been given reminders time and time again.
One of the things to look forward to in the second return of Christ is the fact that death will die!!!
“Beyond the sunset. Oh, glad reunion
With our dear loved ones who’ve gone before
In that fair homeland we’ll know no parting
Beyond the sunset forever more”
We live in earnest anticipating of that blissful morn!!!!
Its really confusing trying to talk with God knowing that he can answer your questions but to my amazement no direct command. with time I have leaned that God speaks to us through his word [Bible] and in this contest in Isaiah 59:2 the word of God says clearly than our sins and iniquity have separated his face from us. Come to think of it it`s not God who separated himself from us but our own decision not to listen to his voice. I can not blame Adam and Eve entirely since up to today we are tempted and we fall flat. Thank God for Christ Jesus who conquered sin and Satan through his death and resurrection I have immense hope that if I choose him all the times the devil will not overcome me eventually.
Indeed, the guilt of sin makes us want to hide from God. Yet wanting to get back into communication with God is what gets us to seek forgiveness. As for forgiveness, immediately I am forgiven. I get out of the of the row boat and leave my coat riddled with guilt of sin to drift out of the harboring and into the middle of the sea. The boat capsized and the heavy coat sinks to the bottom of the sea. I have left the harboring; I am safe in the arms of Christ. What has happened to me, a miracle, I have sought, asked, chosen, am forgiven, cleansed, repented, been baptized, and rejoice in the Lord. Oh yes, the harboring of guilt is gone. 2 Corinthians 3:3.
“I’m free from the fear of tomorrow,
I’m free from the guilt of the past,
For I’ve traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I’m Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!” Romans
That is what God gave Adam and Eve after they sinned and accepted His salvation for 930 years. Genesis 5:5. And this plan of salvation is there for us to accept and let us be set free from sin and guilt of the past. Romans 6:17-23.
Look at what happened after Adam and Eve sinned.
https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p145.161&index=0.
When I think about the consequences of sin entering the world, I usually focus on death, suffering, pain, and the brokenness we see all around us. But this lesson study has made me more acutely aware that the loss of face-to-face communication with God is just as significant to me.
Death and suffering are devastating consequences of sin, but so is the separation from God that ended that direct, face-to-face fellowship on a regular basis. The loss of that intimate communication helps us understand why God’s plan of redemption is so much bigger than simply rescuing us from death. God is restoring a relationship. He wants to bring us back into His presence.
The story of Scripture is ultimately the story of God taking the initiative to restore what sin destroyed. And what a glorious day it will be when that separation is completely gone and, once again we shall see Him face to face.
In a sense the story of the Fall is reproduced constantly in our lives – the bad decisions we make; the temptations to do wrong to which we yield; and the ultimate precursor to almost all the wrong things we do – our lack of faith in God.
As I look back over my life in “the backdrop” of the story of the Fall; certain things clearly emerge. Firstly{ given the limitations of space, I will deal only with this one} the instruction to Adam and Eve concerning the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil was crystal clear. As one who grew up in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church it was clear that God’s Ten Commandments were binding on Believers and should be kept.
However there was an extremely significant difference between ourselves and Adam and Eve prior to the Fall. I can honestly say I cannot recall hearing about this major difference between myself and Adam and Eve prior to the Fall from the Brethren as I grew up in the church.
The difference is this: Adam and Eve could have chosen not to eat the fruit and walk away. However this is my condition , so ably captured in the words of the Apostle Paul – “…For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” Romans 7:15 NIV. I need not only to choose to obey; I also need POWER to obey, and this power is accessed through faith in Jesus. This faith in Jesus must constantly be nourished by daily spending time in God’s Word ; seeking to know Him and as we grow to know Him , we also grow to love and trust Him and we are enabled to obey. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said – “The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17 KJV
It is extremely important to state that severe psychological, emotional , social and even physical damage to a person’s health can occur where the philosophy exists that one’s walk with Christ is simply a matter of Choice.
Thank God if sin brings guilt and shame. If it didn’t then you would be a sociopath. However, because we feel guilt and shame that tells us that our conscience is still functioning. Think of it as a functioning smoke detector. It informs us early that something is wrong, that we are out of harmony with God’s will and way, before things escalate out of control. The Holy Spirit speaks to our conscience to convict us of sin, but not to condemn us. It is Satan’s unholy spirit that brings condemnation and self-loathing, and self-destruction from that condemnation. We ultimately have the final choice which we will listen to, the Holy Spirit, or the unholy one. If we would heed the warnings of the Holy Spirit we could avoid a lot of pain and suffering. Faith reaches up, and gets up, even when we fall. Proverbs 24:16
I’ve heard people say that guilt and shame are different – guilt comes from the action and shame is related to our own self. Maybe we are splitting hairs, but if this is the case, God does not bring shame. Guilt is productive as we see what we’ve done and realize we need to repent of it. Shame says that we are bad people and I think it actually draws us away from God.
Christina, I believe that both are natural consequences of doing what we know is wrong. I believe that the devil especially uses shame to condemn us when we succumb to his temptations. Shame makes us want to hide from others and from God. I don’t believe that God uses shame. I believe that the Holy Spirit convicts us of right and wrong which usually, if we haven’t hardened our conscience, will cause us to feel guilty which should alert us that we have moved out of God’s will.
I don’t think that humans should shame others because shame is a negative, destructive emotion. Think of the difference between Peter and Judas. They both betrayed Jesus. Judas directly, and Peter indirectly by denying him. Satan probably hoped to cause both to let the shame of their sins destroy themselves.
Let’s think about the way we talked about shame before the “newspeak” we hear nowadays.
When we said, “S/he has no shame?” was that a compliment? (Not in my memory.)
People were expected to feel ashamed of their bad behavior. Shame serves a useful purpose of making us want to behave better, and, hopefully, it makes us turn to God to ask for forgiveness AND to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
So, I believe there is “good shame.” That’s shame for having behaved badly.
There is also “false shame.” That’s shame for something about us that we cannot change, something somebody doesn’t like about us, or whatever. In today’s parlance, when we allow ourselves to be “shamed,” that’s “false shame.”
I could agree that “God doesn’t use shame.” He wants us to come to Him for forgiveness and a new start. But He has made us in such a way that, unless our conscience is warped by constant sinning, we do feel ashamed for bad behavior, and I think that’s a good thing.
As for the example Tim mentioned, I’m sure that Peter felt very ashamed of himself, and that was a good thing. It destroyed his sense of self-importance, so he was ready to accept Christ’s forgiveness AND Christ’s commission to “Feed my sheep,” and “Feed my lambs.”
I guess we may be splitting hairs over the definitions of shame and guilt. Not being an expert on Biblical languages, I cannot comment on what the words translated really mean. In English though, they are different words and I don’t think we use them interchangably.
To me what you call good shame is no different than guilt. You say Peter felt shame, but I see it more as guilt. Jesus certainly didn’t shame him when He looked at Him. In fact, Jesus way of relating to the disciples’ mess ups was very compassionate. He recognized their human frailties.
Probably many of us have had moments where our parents said “I am so ashamed of you”. I don’t think that ever made us motivated to change for the right reasons. Being told that a parent was disappointed is very different. It communicates an action was wrong but we are still loved and valued.
I have my days where I make a lot of mistakes and can see I am far from the person God wants me to be. The voice in my head says “You are such a mess”. I don’t think that voice comes from God. I think it comes from Satan, with of course the influence of hurts in the past (which also come from Satan).
Guilt and conviction are good but to me they are different.
Now that you made me think a little more about shame and guilt, here’s how I see it. .
Guilt is a legal term: We are either guilty of something or we are not. We may sometimes “feel guilty” when we are not or not feel guilty when we are. But the word “guilt” refers to something real apart from feeling.
Shame is a “feeling” word. We “feel” ashamed. It says nothing about our actual moral state.
So when we say someone “has no shame,” we are implying that the person should feel shame for bad behavior, but does not. It’s a derogatory judgment.
I see “I am so ashamed of you” as a self-focused statement that shouldn’t come out of a parent’s mouth. I think you are right in your evaluation of “I am disappointed” (also a feeling word) is a better choice.
Shame does have several meanings:
*A painful emotion caused by the awareness of having done something wrong or foolish. “felt shame for cheating on the exam.”
*Respect for propriety or morality. “Have you no shame?”
*(Psychiatry ) A pervasive, negative emotional state, usually originating in childhood, marked by chronic self-reproach and a sense of personal failure
When it comes down to it, shame seems self-focused, and God wants to short-circuit the path from guilt to shame and instead have us come to Him with our guilt, so He can forgive us and give us a new start. When we feel shame for things we can’t control (false shame), He wants us to look to Him for our value.
Thank you for nudging me to think a bit more. 😊
It does seem to me that shame is almost always outward focused. We feel shame because of how our actions cause someone to perceive us or how we imagine they perceive us. Your example of someone “having no shame” is perhaps different, though I always kind of saw that as someone not caring what someone thinks and not necessarily related to morals. I can’t really say – it’s not an expression that has been commonly used in my life time.
Certain cultures also really operate on the shame principle, and while it has some basis in feeling bad for doing something wrong, it goes far beyond that. People can shame their family for things that are not moral issues (for example, not getting high enough grades). The worst example is probably cultures that kill a woman for being raped because she’s shamed her family.
That being said, you are right that doing wrong produces shame in and of itself. That’s not surprising as sin separates us from God and that opens the door to feelings of shame. Satan is quick to exploit that feeling for his benefit.
Maybe we ought to allow God to turn our shame into a contrite spirit. I would much better have sorrowful spirit then shame then either shame or guilt. A contrite spirit the Lord will turn into victory in Christ per my choice, leading to rejoicing in the Lord always. Psalm 51:17. Isaiah 57:14, 15. Philippians 4:4.
Dr. Lee Warren, M.D. neurosurgeon said: “that our brains are constantly being involved in neuroplasticity, even as we age, which is a constant regeneration of the brain. I admonish you to feed your brain with positively, setting aside the past, letting this neuroplasticity lay down good thoughts. Philippians 3:13.” Check it out ladies and Tim on YouTube. Just type in Dr. Lee Warren, neuroplasticity. I vetted him for you. Pastor Mark Finley has sermons on rewiring our brains.
Yes, John, thank you for this! God created us with the marvelous ability to change our brains by choosing to align ourselves with God’s will through the power of the Holy Spirit. The more we choose, the easier it is to make similar choices, and that works both ways – making wrong choices builds pathways in our brains that will eventually make the choices for us. In the same way, making godly choices builds pathways in our brains will eventually make God’s way feel like our way.
Thank you for suggesting Dr. Lee Warren’s YouTube channel! The first video that comes up today is,”10 Ways Neuroscience and Scripture Align to Help You Flourish.” (Youtube is now filled with AI clickbait, which can be a seductive time waster and turn your brain to mush. But it also has some really good content. We need to choose what we watch, rather than clicking on whatever an AI bot lists on our Youtube profile!) And I see that, unlike most Youtube channels, there’s actual content in the “Community” Section.
For those not into videos for one reason or another, there’s a Substack subscription: https://drleewarren.substack.com/. I’ve signed up for the weekly free post. 😊
When I read the passage for today from Exodus, it does seem to indicate that God could not communicate directly with anyone after the fall, but this puzzles me because we know He communicated directly with many of the patriarchs – Enoch,Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses. In fact in Numbers 12:8, God actually says He speaks face to face to Moses. For a prophet to communicate God’s word, he or she must have a direct encounter with God. And there isn’t one person, prophet or not, who is not a sinner.
That leaves me to wonder if the issue is really not us. Did God force Adam and Eve out of the garden or was it an act of mercy knowing that they would no longer be able to stand being around Him given their rebellion and lack of trust in Him? The Israelites similarly had a very limited and weak concept of God. We know from Exodus 20:19 that they did not want to hear God’s voice.
Obviously even for people with Moses who had fairly direct communication with God, it was different than what Adam and Eve had before they fell, the possibility for direct connection still existed.
God said of Moses that He spoke to him face-to-face, but we also have the account of Moses asking God to show Himself to him, when he said, “Show me your glory.” God said that He couldn’t do that and Moses live. But He would hide him in a crack in a rock, and Moses could get a glimpse of Him after He passed by.
Putting the two passages together makes me think that Jehovah veiled His glory to speak to Moses, but Adam and Eve were able to stand in the full glory of God and live before they sinned.
When Jesus went back to heaven, He promised that the Holy Spirit would be with us and talk to us. That’s enough for now, and I am so thankful!!
I remember sometime back i was wrestling with an addiction, one day I got ashamed of myself, I hated myself and mostly disgusted by myself. It was that time that I said enough is enough. I cried to God I couldn’t pray but I confessed out loud and told JESUS this time round come and fight for me am done. I thank GOD I haven’t gone back to this day. I feel good. But I remember the cost of that sin, I hid from God 😢
I had to go far away from God to learn that the closer I am to Him, the better off I am. I have learned not to hide from my Mentor and to accept that I need to change every day. So I start my day praying with a few friends, those who also feel the same need for a fresh start every morning.