The Tree Of Knowledge And The Tree Of Life

THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE TREE OF LIFE

(by brother Tarran Dookie)

THE COMMAND AND THE CONSEQUENCES

Gen 2:8-9 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God gave Adam freedom to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told him that if he broke the command and ate of this tree, he would surely die in the day that he ate of it.

Gen 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

God told Adam that in the day that he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would surely die. Satan told Eve that they would not surely die. He further said that their eyes would be opened, they would be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Satan told a half-truth, which proved to be very deceptive and effective for his purpose. Adam and Eve did not die physically on the same day that they ate of the forbidden fruit but died hundreds of years after eating it. However, Adam and Eve did die spiritually on the day that they ate the fruit. Spiritual death is separation from God and is born of sin and disobedience to God. Sins do separate us from God (Isa 59:1-2). Physical death is also one of the consequences of sin.

Their eyes were opened and they became aware of their nakedness. Nakedness is often associated with sin in the scriptures (Exod 32:25; 2Chr 28:19; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:22, 36; 2Cor 5:3; Rev 16:15). Man often seeks to cover his sin and shame by his own works. So they sewed fig leaves as a covering but God made them coats of skin. The coats of skin required the shedding of blood and foreshadowed the death of Christ. Only the covering of the Lamb of God can cover the nakedness of sin.

When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they did enter into a realm of knowledge. This kind of knowledge is aptly described in James 3:15 'This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.' The tree of knowledge represents the self life, a life of independence from God. This knowledge puffs up and men see themselves as gods and this is exactly what Satan wants.

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

Matt 4:1-10 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.