Mercy in the Garden

I remember hearing Old Testament stories throughout my childhood and often being struck by how harsh God’s punishments can be. It seems commonplace today to think of the Old Testament as revealing a harsh and exacting God. But God’s justice is not separate from His mercy. 

God’s very first punishment for mankind’s transgression occurred when He expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. I’ve heard numerous sermons preached on how this was justified because Adam and Eve had introduced sin into the world. Many pastors have suggested that God turned our original sin to good as humanity now would multiply and fill the earth. And a new way was open for God to express His love because our sinful nature required the sacrifice of His perfect son. 

But when I listened to Dr. Justin Jackson’s argument in “The Genesis Story” for the first time, I was surprised by the idea that God’s punishment of Adam and Eve was an act of mercy. What condition were Adam and Eve in after they had eaten the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Dr. Jackson explains,

They stand in front of Him naked and ashamed, whereas, before, they were naked and did not know it. Because they’ve had this double knowledge—they’ve transgressed and are conscious of their transgression—now their state is one of shame. And now you can really start thinking about justice and mercy. Would not justice be God saying, “I told you not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? And yet you’ve done so. And so now, you shall just have the fruit of your transgression. You shall now live in this shame which you’ve brought upon yourself.” 

Instead, God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden. He prevented them eating from the tree of life, so that they would not live forever in their shame. He gave them escape and a chance for redemption.