【双语灵修】被隔绝LOCKED OUT

创世记 3:22-24

耶和华神说：「那人已经与我们相似，能知道善恶。现在恐怕他伸手又摘生命树的果子吃，就永远活着。」耶和华神便打发他出伊甸园去，耕种他所自出之土。于是把他赶出去了，又在伊甸园的东边安设基路伯和四面转动发火焰的剑，要把守生命树的道路。

「耶和华神便打发他出伊甸园去……又在伊甸园的东边安设基路伯和四面转动发火焰的剑，要把守生命树的道路。」 -创 3:23-24

神把我们的始祖——亚当和夏娃安置在一个美丽的园子里，园子里到处都是奇妙的植物、野生动物和丰富的食物（创 2:8-25）。神祂自己也在那里，并在「凉快」的日子与他们一起在园子里行走。但亚当和夏娃却违背了神给他们的命令，堕落犯罪（创 3:1-11）。正如我们在《创世记》第 3 章末段所读到的，他们被逐出园子，被隔绝。

这似乎是对单单吃了禁果的极端惩罚（见创 2:16-17；3:1-7）。但实际上，这其中还牵涉到很多事情。神托付了亚当和夏娃代表祂去管理这个美丽的园子，去开发和护理它。但他们却从效忠造物主，转而听从仇敌——撒但（见启 12:9）。这样做他们破坏了与神、彼此、以及与受造物之间的关系。因此，神驱逐了他们，并封锁了通往伊甸园的路。

也许你也曾被拒诸门外——被解雇，被家人或邻居避见，或因曾入狱而被社会隔绝。也许你有部份或全部过错，也许你是无辜的。无论如何，这些经历都会让你感觉很糟糕。

感恩的是神提供了一条重新与祂和好的路。神差派了祂的儿子耶稣去打败魔鬼，消除隔阂，致使我们可以再一次与神连结（创 3:15；来 2:14-18）。

祷告

主耶稣，感谢祢为我们重新开辟了一条通往与神同在的道路。阿们。

LOCKED OUT

The Lord God banished him from the Garden . . . [and] placed . . . cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. —Genesis 3:23-24

God placed our first parents, Adam and Eve, in a beautiful garden filled with wonderful plants, wildlife, and abundant food (Genesis 2:8-25). God himself was present there and took walks with them in “the cool of the day”; but Adam and Eve fell into sin, disobeying God’s command to them (Gen. 3:1-11). And as we read at the end of Genesis 3, they were banished from the garden and locked out.

This can seem like pretty extreme punishment for just eating some forbidden fruit (see Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-7). Actually, though, a lot more was involved. God had entrusted Adam and Eve with representing him by managing this beautiful garden—to develop and care for it. But they shifted their allegiance from the Creator to following the way of the enemy—Satan (see Revelation 12:9). In doing this, they ruined their relationships with God, with each other, and with the creation. So God banished them and blocked the way to the garden.

Maybe you’ve been shut out—fired from a job, shunned by family members or neighbors, barred from society by imprisonment. Maybe you have been at fault, either partly or fully; or maybe you are innocent. Either way, it feels awful.

Thankfully, God provided a way to be reconciled with him. God sent his Son, Jesus, to defeat the devil and remove the barrier so that we can have fellowship with God again (Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 2:14-18).

Thank you, Jesus, for reopening the way into God’s presence. Amen.