There were two trees mentioned in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). The first tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was forbidden. Disobedience would bring death, and Adam and Eve disobeyed. While death did not come instantly or perhaps in the way anticipated, their relationship with God was broken and Adam and Eve fell into a state of sin and misery. God was merciful, and although death did come as he had said, it was the death of the substitute animal whose skin covered their nakedness.

The second tree remained untouched. It was the tree of life. Adam was warned not to eat from this tree, “lest…he eat, and live forever.” If Adam had eaten of the tree of life he would have lived forever, sealed in his fallen state. But God graciously forced Adam out of the garden so that he could not eat of it. God was telling Adam that he must wait, salvation is by faith in the promised Messiah. 

Adam was sent out into the unknown because he would have to learn to live out his life by faith through the thorns and thistles of life. All of Adam’s posterity would suffer the same fate. They would walk through what has been called a valley of tears (Psalm 84:6). Life would be short and full of trouble (Job 14:1), subjected to frustration and failure (Romans 8:20). 

As Adam went out of the garden then, to make his way through life, all he had was this promise that someday, someone will come and destroy the destroyer, recover the life that he forfeited and restore the paradise he had lost in the fall. He trusted the promise and rested by faith in the word of God. 

Adam also witnessed victory over Satan in the garden when God silenced the serpent. The promise to crush the head of the serpent would be fulfilled at Calvary, and Adam believed that. The point is, and this is what Adam learned—and what we must learn—the promised Messiah is the Victor and all who trust in him can live victoriously in him and overcome through him. Then, as overcomers, we will one day be granted to eat from the tree of life (Revelation 2:7).

This is the story of every believer, who like Adam, passes between two trees in a journey along the valley of tears, but living in the promises of God and in hope that one day we will eat of the joys of the tree of life—Christ himself.