God as food to man indicates that man is dependent upon God. We cannot eat one meal and live forever. I have often thought that it would be wonderful if God had created us so that we needed to eat only one time for our entire life. If this were the case, it would spare us a great deal of trouble, because much time is spent on food. The food we eat must be purchased from the grocery store, stored, cleaned, cut or sliced, and cooked. Sometimes my wife becomes tired of cooking for me, and I sometimes become tired of eating. To sit and eat for thirty-five minutes sometimes becomes a difficult task for me. On one hand, eating is an enjoyment, but on the other hand, eating is a difficult job. God is gracious to make eating an enjoyment to us, because if it were not an enjoyment, many of us would not eat. Eating makes us very dependent. Because we must eat many times a day, and not merely one time for our entire life, we are very dependent. Eating indicates dependence. That God is our food, signified by the tree of life, means that we must depend on God continually. We must come to Him in order to feed on Him again and again. However, the tree of knowledge indicates independence. Once we learn how to use a computer in school, we do not need to go back to school to learn the same thing again. The knowledge we gain makes us independent.
In Genesis 2 the tree of life and the tree of knowledge were set up as two principles by which man could live. If we take the tree of life, we depend on God. If we take the tree of knowledge, we do not depend on God. Rather, taking the tree of knowledge makes us independent of God. In the eyes of God, the greatest sin is independence. We must learn to depend on God continually. To exercise our independence is sinful. In family life and in the church life, dependence is beautiful, but independence is ugly. To exercise independence is the principle of death. To take the tree of life is life, but to take the tree of knowledge is death.
When Adam and Eve took of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they chose the principle of independence. Their choice cut them off from the tree of life (Gen. 3:22-24). Through eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they were corrupted. They were no longer pure, because another source entered into them. This source was the nature and principle of Satan. This nature and principle is rebellion. Such a nature entered into man in Genesis 3. As a result, man's life was corrupted. Because of this corrupting element, God is prohibited by His glory (signified by the cherubim), holiness (signified by the flame), and righteousness (signified by the sword) from contacting fallen man. However, when the requirement of God's glory, holiness, and righteousness is fulfilled, His glory, holiness, and righteousness are satisfied. Thus, having been redeemed back to his original state before the fall, man can once again exercise his right to contact God. The tree of life, signifying God as life, was temporarily kept away from fallen man (Gen. 3:22-24) until Christ came to accomplish redemption. His redemption satisfied God's glory, holiness, and righteousness. Therefore, through Christ's redemption the way was opened for fallen man to contact God.