Genesis 2:8-17

still struggling with pre-destination...

Genesis 2:8-17

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life* and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin+ and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.+ 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;* it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."*

*2:9 = Ge 3:22,24 - And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

*2:9 = 1Co 15:45 - So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.

+2:12 Or good; pearls

+2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia

*2:14 = Da 10:4 - On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,

*2:17 = Ro 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--

*2:17 = Ro 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

stand-out point for me: verse 17, specifically the word "when"...it leads me to ask, was this usage of "when" a simple statement of fact, i.e. "WHEN you run your car into a tree, you will surely total it"?...or was it a hint that God knew ahead of the choices Adam and Eve would make?...of course He KNEW, but did we truly have a choice in the matter?...

things that make you go: "hmm"...

i think i'll ask my pastor about that...