East of Eden—Exile, Cherubim, and the Human Pursuit of Moral Autonomy
Genesis 3:22–24 (NASB95)
22Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Both sorrow and profound theological significance mark the closing moments of the Eden narrative. After Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God responds not with arbitrary anger, but with a reasoned and compassionate decision. The couple, having seized the privilege of “knowing good and evil,” have crossed a boundary reserved for God alone. This knowledge is not simply about awareness, but about claiming the authority to determine what is right and wrong for themselves. In doing so, Adam and Eve set themselves up as their own moral arbiters, a pattern that has echoed through history and is especially visible in the modern world’s embrace of moral autonomy. This act of self-determination—humans deciding for themselves what is good and evil—has become a defining feature of contemporary philosophy, where people try to displace God as the ultimate source of moral authority and become “gods in their own eyes.”
God’s response is to remove Adam and Eve from the garden, cutting off their access to the tree of life and thus to immortality. This expulsion is not only a just consequence of their actions, but also an act of mercy, ensuring that their fallen state does not become eternal. The direction of their exile is significant: they are sent east, a movement that in Genesis consistently symbolizes separation from God’s presence and blessing. This eastward journey is repeated in the stories of Cain and others, each time marking a further step away from intimacy with God and into spiritual exile.
At the entrance to Eden, God places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. These cherubim are not merely fearsome sentinels; they are powerful symbols of the boundary between the holy and the profane. Their presence at the east entrance of Eden is echoed later in the tabernacle and temple, where cherubim are woven into the fabric of the sanctuary and stand over the Ark of the Covenant. In both settings, cherubim mark the place where God’s presence dwells and where access is restricted due to sin. The guarded entrance to Eden thus foreshadows the veiled Holy of Holies, reminding us that the way back to God’s presence is now closed—except by His own provision.
The story’s final note is a sobering commentary on the human condition. By choosing to “know good and evil” on their own terms, Adam and Eve—and all who follow in their path—embark on a journey of self-rule that leads away from God. This is the very spirit of modern moral philosophy, which often celebrates autonomy and subjective standards over divine authority. The result is a world where each person becomes a law unto themselves, repeating the ancient error of Eden.
As we close this section of Genesis, here is the question I would ask you:
Who has the right to determine what is good and what is bad? The world says we do. The Bible tells us God does. The world today is facing the same decision Adam and Eve had, and making the same mistake. The consequences of that mistake will be the same as it was for Adam and Eve.
The church today stands at the crossroads of this ancient and ongoing struggle. As society increasingly embraces the idea that individuals can define good and evil for themselves, believers are called to resist the pull of moral relativism and self-reliance. The eastward exile from Eden warns of the dangers of drifting from God’s presence, while the cherubim at the gate remind us that true life and fellowship with God are found not in self-made wisdom, but in humble submission to His authority. Let us hold fast to God’s standards, seek His guidance in all things, and point a wandering world back to the hope of restored access to God through Jesus Christ, who alone can open the way to the tree of life.