The Garden of Second Chances
We continue our series on the Gardens of God with our final sermon from the Garden of Eden, “The Garden of Second Chances”, which is a wonderful biblical theme that starts at the beginning with Adam and Eve. They had made a huge mistake, and they disobeyed God and they ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that God had told them not to eat from. God could have wiped them out, but God doesn’t. God gives them a second chance. And what a gift and a blessing that is.
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The Garden of Second Chances
On March 21st, a man who was a great American success story in sports, business, and faith, died at the age of 76. What people know about George Foreman often depends on their age.
He was a teenager in 1968 when he won the Olympic Gold Medal for heavyweight boxing. In 1973 he faced the undefeated heavyweight champion “Smokin’” Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica and in just two rounds, Foreman knocked Frazier down six times, shocking the world and becoming the heavyweight champion.
A year later, he lost the title after Muhammad Ali knocked him out in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.” In 1977, after a loss to Jimmy Young and a near-death experience in the locker room, Foreman experienced what he described as an encounter with God. He left boxing behind and became an ordained Christian minister.
Foreman devoted his life to faith, preaching in Houston and working with troubled youth. Out of the public spotlight, Foreman’s demeanor changed from one of an intimidating figure to a man who smiled all the time.
Amazingly, he returned to the boxing ring in his late 30’s and in 1994, at the age of 45 years and 360 days, George Foreman shocked the world yet again by knocking out Michael Moorer to reclaim the heavyweight championship — 20 years after losing it.
The win made him the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history, a record that still stands. From a kid who grew up hard in Houston to a two-time heavyweight champion to a beloved pitchman of the grill that bears his name and made him about 200 million dollars, more money than he ever made in boxing, George Foreman made the most of his second chances.
In his book, “George Foreman’s Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down,” he wrote, “Who you take advice from says a lot about who you are. I have been a few different people in my life, but I now have a person who I respect and trust: me.”
An article in the Baptist News Global noted, “George Foreman’s official boxing record stands at 76 wins (68 by knockout) and only five losses. But beyond the numbers is a story of redemption, faith, second chances and business brilliance. From poverty to Olympic gold, from world champion to preacher, from comeback king to business mogul, George Foreman embodied perseverance, faith and the power of transformation.”
Today as we continue our series on The Gardens of God, we’re going to be thinking about The Garden of Second Chances. Because all of us make mistakes, experience failure, and have disappointments, receiving a second chance is something that has great appeal.
It’s also important for us to give other people a second chance as well. Before we examine God’s compassionate response, let’s briefly recap the events that led to this moment.
Over the last three weeks, we’ve heard how God created a beautiful garden for humanity to live in with God and we’ve witnessed betrayal and shame as the people God created in God’s own image failed to trust God’s goodness and to obey God’s instructions. This act of rebellion shattered the harmony of creation.
In the verses preceding our text for today, we see God confronting Adam and Eve, and the consequences of their actions being described. The ground is cursed, pain enters the world, the relationship between humanity and God is fractured, where there had been love and trust there’s anxiety.
It’s a bleak picture. What will happen next? Will God destroy the people God created? Will God help them, forgive them, or give them a second chance?
What will the future look like for Adam and Eve in relationship with God and one another? This is a profound moment in the story of creation – a moment that reveals the depth of God’s love, mercy, and nurturing care for humanity, even in the face of our disobedience. Listen to Genesis 3:20-24.
20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
23 therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
Earlier in Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve realized they were naked after eating from the forbidden tree and they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
I don’t know how long fig leaves stay green and comfortable to wear once they’ve been cut off the vine, but most leaves get brown, dry, and brittle before too long. But then, in verse 21, we encounter something unexpected and profoundly moving: “And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.”
This simple act of God making clothes for Adam and Eve is laden with significance.
First, we have a unique picture of God caring for Adam and Eve, despite their unfaithfulness, sin and disobedience. The Creator of the universe, is portrayed as a divine designer and tailor, carefully crafting garments for God’s wayward children.
This is not the act of an angry, vengeful God, but of a loving parent who sees children in need and responds with tender care. The Hebrew word used here for “made” (asah) implies careful craftsmanship.
God didn’t hastily throw together some leaves; God thoughtfully designed and created proper garments. This attention to detail speaks volumes about God’s character and ongoing care for humanity, even after we’ve sinned. What a nurturing and protective God we have.
While we all have different words or images we use most often for God in our prayers or conversations about faith, I suspect the image of God being like a caring tailor is not in your top five.
One of the ways we can enlarge our understanding of God’s character is to think about some of the less common or more unique aspects of God that we find in scripture, and this is one of them.
This is an act of kindness, tenderness, and sensitivity at a moment when we might have expected a different response. This act of kindness on God’s part is following an act of mistrust and betrayal on their part.
If someone demonstrated unfaithfulness, a lack of trust, or betrayed us, you and I are far less likely to respond with kindness and tenderness because we’re fallen people and not God. It says a lot about the Lord’s relationship with humanity that God responds this way.
Our attempts to cover our sin and shame inevitably are inadequate. God’s act of clothing them properly addresses their shame and vulnerability in a way their own efforts could not.
This mirrors how God deals with us. Our attempts to cover our sin and resulting anxiety and vulnerability are always insufficient, but God provides a covering that truly addresses our need.
Isaiah 61:10 describes it this way, “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.”
Sacrifice and Foreshadowing
When God provides garments of skins in verse 21, it implies a more durable and substantial covering than fig leaves. The act of God providing garments of skin is also symbolic of the first sacrifice in response to human sin in the Bible.
An animal God made had to die for Adam and Eve to be clothed. The shedding of blood and the use of animal skins foreshadow the sacrificial system later established in the law of Moses, where animal sacrifices were offered for the forgiveness of human sins.
Just as an innocent animal’s life was taken to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness, so would Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, give His life to cover our sin. This act of love and sacrifice in the Garden foreshadows the greater act of love and sacrifice that would come through Jesus Christ.
The Paradox of Judgment and Mercy
In Genesis 3 we see the truth revealed in Psalm 103, God doesn’t “keep his anger.” God gives them a second chance, but because our sins, mistakes, misbehavior, and failures have consequences, it means life for humanity will now be outside of the garden.
As we move to verses 22–24, we encounter what might seem like a contradiction. God expels Adam and Eve from the Garden, placing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
At first glance, this appears harsh, especially considering the tender care we just witnessed. But look closer: “Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever'”
God’s concern here is not punitive, but protective. In their fallen state, if Adam and Eve were to eat from the tree of life and live forever, they would be eternally trapped in their sinful condition.
God’s action in removing them from the Garden is an act of mercy, preventing a worse fate and setting the stage for redemption.
Life Outside the Garden: A Second Chance
The expulsion from Eden was undoubtedly painful, but it was not the end of God’s relationship with humanity. It marked the beginning of a new chapter—life outside the Garden.
This new life, while challenging, would also bring opportunities for growth, redemption, and a renewed relationship with God.
Consider these aspects of the “second chance” God provided:
1. Purposeful Work
God sent Adam “to till the ground from which he was taken.” Work, which was present even in Eden, now takes on new significance.
It becomes a means of sustenance, but also a way to participate in God’s ongoing creation and to find meaning and purpose.
2. The Gift of Family
In verse 20, Adam names his wife Eve, “because she was the mother of all living.” Despite the fall, God’s blessing of fruitfulness remains.
The gift of family and the continuation of human life is a sign of God’s enduring grace.
3. God’s Continuing Presence
While Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden, they were not removed from God’s presence.
Throughout Genesis, we see God continuing to interact with humanity, guiding, correcting, and blessing.
Lessons for Our Lives
As we reflect on this passage, what lessons can we draw for our own lives?
1. God’s Love Persists Despite Our Failures
Just as God clothed Adam and Eve even after their disobedience, God’s love for us is not dependent on our perfect behavior.
Romans 5:8 reminds us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2. Our Shame is Covered by God’s Grace
We all, like Adam and Eve, have moments of shame and vulnerability.
But God provides a covering far superior to our own efforts. In Christ, we are clothed in righteousness and our shame is removed.
In what ways have you experienced God’s nurturing love and care, even after moments of failure or disobedience in your life?
3. God’s Judgment Often Contains Mercy
What may seem like punishment from God often contains elements of protection and opportunity for growth.
When we face consequences for our actions, we should look for the ways God is working to redeem the situation.
What may seem like an ending and a source of loss can also lead to new opportunities for beginning again.
4. Second Chances are Part of God’s Nature
Our God is a God of second chances.
We see this in so many significant characters in the Bible who experience failure or a lack of faith including Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, and Saul of Tarsus to name just six.
One of my dad’s sermons was called, “The Land of Beginning Again,” and it was about how that is an essential promise of the Christian life.
That God is always providing second chances for us to learn, grow, and serve, if we’re open to perceiving them, receiving them, and in some cases, granting them to others.
No matter how far we’ve fallen, God offers us the opportunity to start over in the land of beginning again.
As Lamentations 3:22–23 states, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
5. We’re Called to Reflect God’s Nurturing Love
Just as God tenderly cared for Adam and Eve, we’re called to show that same nurturing love to others.
In a world quick to condemn, we can be agents of God’s grace, providing loving accountability and offering second chances and practical help to those who have fallen.
Closing Prayer
Loving Creator, we thank you for your unfailing love and grace, even when we fall short.
Just as you gave Adam and Eve a second chance after their disobedience, we’re grateful for your mercy and forgiveness.
Thank you for not abandoning us but for offering us the opportunity to turn back to you, no matter how far we may stray.
Help us to embrace your grace and extend that same forgiveness to others.
May we always seek your guidance and live in the hope of the second chances you so freely give.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Blessing
Let us go from this time of worship as people of second chances—quick to extend to others the same grace and nurturing love that God has shown to us.
In doing so, we participate in God’s ongoing work of redemption, turning this fallen world into a garden of second chances.
May the God who clothed Adam and Eve, and who sent His Son to provide the ultimate covering for our sin, and who offers us new life each day, bless you and keep you. Amen.
Questions for Discussion or Reflection
- How does the image of God as a caring tailor enlarge your understanding of God’s character and the Lord’s relationship with humanity?
- In what ways have you experienced God’s nurturing love and care, even after moments of failure or disobedience in your life?
- God’s act of clothing Adam and Eve addresses their shame and vulnerability. How does God help us with our shame and vulnerability today?
- Discuss the paradox of judgment and mercy in God’s decision to expel Adam and Eve from the Garden. How do you see this balance of justice and grace in your own life or in the world around you?
- Life outside the Garden represents a “second chance” for Adam and Eve. How can we embrace the concept of second chances in our own lives and in our relationships with others?
- In what ways can you reflect God’s nurturing love and offer “second chances” to those around you who have fallen, made mistakes, or grieved you?
- How does understanding the events in Genesis 3:20–24 deepen your appreciation for Christ’s sacrifice and the concept of redemption in the Gospel?