Page 29 considering the very first command that God gave to man. This is the first time that God revealed His will to a human being. And I believe it is loaded with insight. A Visit to a Certain Garden Go with me to a certain garden. The Lord has just put His man into the beautiful garden of Eden. And He says the following to Adam: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17, NKJV) Now let’s look closely at this command. The Lord says, ,You may eat freely from every tree in the garden. The exception is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, ,Adam, you may freely choose to eat from every tree in this garden. Just keep away from this one particular tree. I see a parking lot here. To keep with the metaphor, I hear God saying, ,You may park your car in any space in this lot. Just stay within the boundaries of the parking lot. If you park outside the boundary, it will mean trouble for you. Every tree in the garden is within the parking lot. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is
Did God really forsake Jesus Christ upon the cross? Then from the desertion of Christ singular consolation springs up to the people of God… (1) Christ’s desertion is preventive of your final desertion. Because He was forsaken for a time you shall not be forsaken forever. For He was forsaken for you… (2)…Though God deserted Christ, yet at the same time He powerfully supported Him. His omnipotent arms were under Him, though His pleased face was hid from Him. He had not indeed His smiles, but He had His supportations. So Christian, just so shall it be with thee. Thy God may turn away His face, He will not pluck away His arm.
John Flavel