As Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were then to depart from the Garden of Eden. They left their Edenic state and had to learn to live in the lone and dreary wilderness. This was the consequence of their transgression. The majority of the Judeo Christian world perceives this act as the great sin that punished all of mankind and we are forever trying to get back to Eden. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I view this very differently. I view this departure from Eden as a step forward in the progression of the whole of humankind.

When Alma was expounding doctrine to his wayward son, Corianton, he used an interesting phrase, “He drew out the man” referring to Adam and Eve’s departure from Eden. As I have pondered over this phrasing it has caused me to think what it might mean and if there is anything significant in the phraseology.

When I think of Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden, I often think of the idea of being cast out. I have searched the scriptures and cannot find the term “cast out” in relation to Adam and Even leaving the Garden. There is a phrase where one says to the other that they would be cast out but I do not see where God uses this language.

As I think of the idea of being drawn out it has a much more rescuing connotation to it. There are a couple of references in the scriptures to others being drawn out. They are quoted below:

“And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:10)

“And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.” (Esther 5:2-3)

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” (Acts 14:19-20)

“He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:16-17)

Each of these verses signify a form of saving, a form of redemption and grace. The individual is delivered from something.
As we see in the first reference, Moses is drawn out of the water and delivered by Pharaoh’s daughter and is subsequently raised in Pharaoh’s house to later be able to deliver Israel from Egypt. Moses was the one who drew out Israel from Egypt.

As we see with Esther, she “drew near” to the king, her husband, to seek freedom and safety for her people. She came to him willingly even though the outcome was uncertain and it brought about deliverance for her people.

Paul, having been stoned, was drawn out to safety. By being drawn out he was able to be preserved and then healed. He avoided death because of this act.

And further, David cries out to the Lord after having been delivered from Saul and his other enemies. He sings praises to God for drawing him “out of many waters” or all kinds of dangers.

If we start to view the Fall as something that brings us from one state to another and is necessary in our progression then we can more fully understand the power and grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We stop seeing the Fall as an event that punished us and start seeing it as the necessary act to bring about the generations of the earth and give us these opportunities to learn to act for ourselves. Lehi taught us all about the importance of opposition in our agency. We must learn to act for ourselves. Moses did not save himself but was saved by a savior in Pharaoh’s daughter. But when it was time for him to draw out the people from Egypt, he lead them and they needed to choose to follow. They had to choose to act but they also needed divine guidance and deliverance.

Adam and Eve made the choice to partake of the fruit. They knew that there would be consequences. However, as Alma teaches, they were not simply cast out and left to their own devices. They were drawn out of the Garden.

“he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life…And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God. For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance;…therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” (Alma 42:2,4-5,15)

As Alma lays out, there was a way prepared but it required a need for repentance. Without time to repent Adam would have lived forever in his sins. God gave them a way. He then sent angels to teach them. He gave them commandments. He counseled them in a variety of ways. They were drawn out of the stagnation of the Garden of Eden and brought into a probationary state where they could be as God, knowing good and evil, and be able to act for themselves, and be able to repent and redeemed.

All of this becomes possible because of the grace of Jesus Christ. It is His divine mercy that allows us to become partakers of the fruit of the Tree of Life, eventually. We will all be resurrected, and as we choose to exercise faith and repent, He will draw us out of our suffering and sorrow and into something Celestial and eternal. Let us know that He desires to draw us out of our failures but we need to let him. We need to choose to be delivered through our continual faith and diligence in keeping His commandments.