Disobedience Leads to Exile

The story of Adam's disobedience in the garden resulting in his and Eve's exile sets a pattern seen in the story of Israel. Israel's national story starts with being liberated from Egyptian slavery and brought into the promised land. Just like Adam, Israel is given commands and a covenant to follow. Obedience means staying in the land, while disobedience leads to exile. In the Old Testament, exile is symbolically a place of death, contrasting with being in the land, which symbolizes life.