Friday, May 19, 2017

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil


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.




[1] Gen. 2:17; ESV, 2
[2] Gen. 3:22; ESV, 3

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