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Man's Shelf-life

I often receive puzzled looks when I assert that Adam died of malnutrition; but when you think about it; that's exactly what happened. In the locale where he and his wife first resided was a special tree that God said if humans were to include in their diets, they would never die; at least not of natural causes.

§. Gen 3:22-23 . . Yhvh God said: The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. So Yhvh God banished him from the garden of Eden

So then, God effected Adam's death by simply denying him the essential nutrients his body needed to sustain its youth— anon; nature took its course and Adam eventually expired.

Unfortunately, Adam ruined it for everybody. Because of his disobedience in the matter of the forbidden fruit; his posterity is denied access to those essential nutrients too; ergo: the human body begins aging sometime in its early to mid thirties. The aging process is slow, but it's also persistent. Debilitation is like Arnold Swarzenegger's relentless movie character; the Terminator: it feels neither pain nor pity, nor remorse nor fear; it cannot be reasoned with nor can it be bargained with, and it absolutely will not stop— ever —until you are dead.

A question sometimes arises as to the wording of God's warning.

§. Gen 2:16-17 . . Yhvh God instructed the man: You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.

Adam's body didn't expire the instant he ate the forbidden fruit, but rather; quite a few decades later (Gen 5:5). However, Adam's body actually really did die the instant he ate the fruit. How so? Answer: That’s when his body lost its youth and began to age; so that death consists of not only one’s passing; but also one’s expiration date. I have a can of Campbell’s spaghetti in the pantry whose expiration date is July 17, 2011. It’ll no doubt be safe to eat for a good while beyond that date, but will no longer be considered fresh. And that’s how it is for man. He’s fresh only up to a point, then he begins to spoil.

One morning as I was looking in the mirror shaving getting ready for work, I noticed that my once-thick hair was thinning; and upon closer examination, I also noticed that my face was beginning to sag a bit and there was the slightest hint of bags under my eyes. And then it hit me like a freight train that my youth was over and the aging process had kicked in. I was 32.

Death then, encompasses more than one's expiration date; it also includes one's gradual debilitation. Man enjoys a very brief period of freshness before he begins to fall apart; and from then on his remaining time on this globe can be defined as the throes of a living death for which there is no treatment.

§. Ecc 12:1-7 . . Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. It will be too late then to remember Him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds.

. . .Your limbs will tremble with age, and your strong legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to do their work, and you will not see too well either. And when your teeth are gone, keep your lips tightly closed when you eat! Even the chirping of birds will wake you up. But you yourself will be hard of hearing and speak with a quavering voice. You will be afraid of heights and of falling, white-haired and withered, dragging along without any sexual desire. You will be standing at death's door. And as you near your everlasting home, the mourners will walk along the streets.

. . .Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

  Nearer My God To Thee