Though not mentioned in scripture, I’m very sure Adam and Eve mourned their severance from the beautiful Garden of Eden and their separation from God. I’m sure they probably kicked themselves for their actions. Although it wasn’t completely their fault as far as having pre-conceived knowledge of the consequences is concerned; their job was simply to obey God’s command: “Thou shalt not eat of the tree of good and Evil, for in the day you do, you shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
They didn’t know what sin was. They didn’t know what separation from God meant. And they had never seen death. Not only did they regret their choice, they also mourned the death of one of their little ones. See, however many years transpired before the fall, Adam & Eve enjoyed the company of God’s creatures. After the fall, God sacrificed a lamb to clothe their shame (Genesis 3:21). Their sin, disobedience, produced “spiritual” death: separation from God. There was now discord between them. That’s where humanity stands today: dead spiritually. The naysayers claim contradictions in scripture because our first parents didn’t experience physical death. But they died spiritually, and were as dead as those writing those things, are.
From having it all, they went to being homeless with a broken relationship with God. The pure, unrivaled fellowship they had, was gone. His angels and creatures, were in a different realm now. They now experienced hunger, fear, sadness, loneliness, and remorse. The very animals they petted, would soon attack them. And farming would never be the same (Romans 8:22; Genesis 3:17-21). Sin seeped into every facet of life.
Today, thousands of people have broken fellowship with God. In that sense, their homeless. They don’t tabernacle with Him anymore. What things were blessings, are now curses. Many mourn the death of that relationship as well as that of dearly departed ones. Mourning is real. It hurts deeply. God wants us to have periods of mourning, but life must go on. I’ve known people who have mourned for more than a decade or two. After its season, it’s time to move on with God’s help.
Life’s changing seasons help us adjust and go on living. We can’t take back our sins, but fortunately, Jesus took them all to the cross for us! Where man disobeyed God in the garden, Jesus, in a garden nailed them there on a tree and redeemed us to Himself.
What’s that? If you were Adam or Eve, Jesus is saying, “Yo, come back! I’ve made it all right with the Father.” “I’m the perfect Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and I love you so much, I’ve laid down my life for you.” “Yeah, yeah, I’ve reestablished the broken lines of communication.” “Come on, let’s fellowship with a clean conscience, as if nothing ever happened between us.” That’s the Good News!
It’s time to change that mourning into…
Sam