I think that a reasonable case can be made that when God told Adam that he would die on the day he ate, it meant that Adam would come under the sentence of death on the day he ate.
The wording in Genesis is almost exactly the same as the Hebrew wording that occurs in 1 kings 2:37
37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head."
Yet Shimei did not die on that day but rather was sentenced to death on that day.
Could it possibly be that the same Hebrew words in Genesis have the same meaning?
An excellent article outlining this view can be found here.
www.custance.org/old/seed/ch7s.htmlYes, Adam was told on the day that he ate he would surely die. He would be sentenced to death that day, and was,
It was similar for Shimei. He was told that when
he left he would
HAVE KNOWLEDGE of his sentence of death.
He was not sentenced to death at that time (and nor am I saying that you said he was).
He didn't leave until three years later. And because of that he would be sentenced to death. He was sentenced to death because he left.
1 Kings 2:37-4637 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt
know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. A
nd Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
(no sentence of death yet)39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
(Uh, oh!!!)41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath,
and was come again.
(he had returned to Jerusalem)42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head;
45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
The sentence was effective as soon as it could be carried out. Shimei didn't
begin to die when Solomon warned him not to leave. Shimei was fully and completely alive - maybe even virus free :-)
Regarding Adam, the usual story is that he
began to die immediately and this process would eventually end in his physical death at the age of 930...To me, this is a far cry from Shimei's situation. I think also that the beginning nature of sin cannot be compared to the judgment upon one's act of sin...
To me, this is like the many explaining-aways of the generation of Matthew 24:34...
Like I said before, I am fully redeemed RIGHT NOW; I don't need to die in order for my redemption to become complete. Salvation is not a process.
