Genesis 2:17 says:
17…but of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat of it you shall surely die.”[1]
Why was man not allowed to eat from
this one tree? What is so significant
about the knowledge of good and evil? What
does the knowledge of good and evil
even mean? To start, let us unpack what
it does not mean.
1.
Experiential
Knowledge (Gen. 3:22)
Scripture is certain that this knowledge cannot mean
experiential knowledge in that they would gain evil by way of experience. If this were the case, then Genesis 3:22 would
indicate that God has experiential knowledge of both good and evil when He says, “Behold,
the man has become like one of Us in knowing good and evil…”[2]
2.
Lack
of Knowledge (Gen. 3:3)
While there existed at that time a lack of personal
experience through sin and death on the part of the man and woman, they were
most certainly aware of the fact that disobeying God was an outright act of
defiance. They may not have had time to
think through all of the ramifications of their disobedience, but they knew
that to go against God’s law was evil and would result in a terrible
consequence.
One of the many great things about God is that He is the
most effective communicator. If Adam and
Eve lacked any understanding then God would have been aware of that and cleared
up any confusion. Ultimately, He would
not have even mentioned death if they were at a complete loss as to what that
meant.
Likewise, if they did not understand what evil was, then
this would not be a proper test. Suppose, for example, that a math teacher gave his students a test over material which
they had never before been exposed. The
test would be invalid and, although by grade the students would have failed, in
reality it would be the teacher at fault for not clearly communicating
the subject matter. Obviously, God was
not to blame.
So what is the knowledge of good and
evil? What was gained in partaking of
the forbidden fruit?
The answer to the latter question is
nothing. Nothing was gained through
their disobedience to God’s command. On
the contrary, everything was lost at that very moment. They were walking purely with God and had
been morally good when they gave up their freedom and sacrificed their lives
for a single bite of a fruit.
The tree of the knowledge of good and
evil did not give anything to the couple that they did not already possess. The tree was established for the man and
woman to make a conscious decision as to whether or not they will follow God. It presented a choice: Will Adam and Eve
trust in God’s definition of good and evil or will they forsake God’s direction
and choose to define morality for themselves?
God offered them both life or death through this form of testing.
Concluding Thoughts
As a young man I would read the
Psalms and be left confused as to why the writers were all too often praising
God for His laws. I used to think of
rules as more of a burden until I began to realize that laws are actually
created for my benefit and safety. God
knew that eating from this tree would cause Adam to die and destroy their perfect fellowship, so He lovingly
warned him not to eat from it because He knew the man would suffer from much regret. God was not holding anything back from
Adam. Rather, He was protecting him and
looking out for his well-being.
God is the reference point. He is our
reference when it comes to good and evil. What was Satan saying to Eve? That she could know
all about good and evil on her own. The temptation was to become independent
of God and to seek knowledge and wisdom about these things from another source. James 3:15 tells us that when we seek out our own wisdom apart from the Lord in an attempt to justify our sinful actions that this quest is unrighteous and evil. Satan
seeks to destroy the image of God wherever it is found on the earth by tempting us to define our own identity and morality yet God is the ultimate authority and the source of Truth and it is to Him that we must turn.
Good article
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