What role did the first major choice in our ancestors’ lives point to in our lives? When we look we see the first major choice was in Eden.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9 (NKJV)
This event set up a pattern in the scriptures in relation to choice. We all know what happened, Adam and Eve both ate of the wrong tree. They chose knowledge over trust. More fundamentally they chose the knowledge of good and evil over receiving life.
In Hebrew the word translated as ‘midst’ in Genesis 2:9 doesn’t just mean the tree of life was somewhere in the middle of the garden, it bisected the garden. The implication is that it was the centrepiece. The idea presented here is that both trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were there together. Clearly this was the point of choice. This implication is clearer in the NLT.
9 The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9 (NLT2)
Our Father continually gives us choice. We may wonder why but really it is because He wants us to choose Him because to choose Him is to choose life. The first choice was the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is still the choice we each must make many times each day. Those who have not been born again live from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their choices are living from the good or evil side of the tree. Many seek salvation by climbing the good side of the tree. However, no matter how high we climb, climbing the wrong tree will not lead us to Jesus.
Once we have partaken of the tree of life in conversion, which is Jesus, we still must choose whether to keep partaking of His life in our spirits or lean on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. More to come on this.
“Climbing the good side of the tree” – I like that expression!
What do you think is meant by a knowledge of good?
Wondering out loud:
Only God is good, and they knew God. Yet eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil meant knowing (being changed by) evil.
I feel like there is some hidden message there. That maybe we would know and be changed by evil, but also – that we would know God and be changed by him. That we would know evil, but not despair. We also would know God, who alone is good. We would be sent out of his presence, but He would go with us in Christ. We had the tree of life. We had life. We had God. But we choose the knowledge of good and evil over this. Yet God would not be denied a people unto himself. Knowing evil, we would know the difference between evil and God. Before, we knew nothing but him. How much that must have grieved God.
Mandy, I think the knowledge of good ties to then believing we can earn our salvation. Look at all other religious belief systems outside of Jesus. It always comes back to earn our salvation by doing good and denying our inherent inability to be good enough. Paul said the law was ‘our tutor to bring us to Christ.’ The law provides the knowledge of good and evil without providing the ability to fulfill the inward requirements. Hope I understood your question/comment correctly.
“Their choices are living from the good or evil side of the tree. Many seek salvation by climbing the good side of the tree. However, no matter how high we climb, climbing the wrong tree will not lead us to Jesus”
This was eye opening and is so true. Good or evil but NOT life.
So many times it’s said “but they are such good people” but that is not the same as believing in Jesus and following His truth.
Exactly.
“Choosing knowledge over trust”–that is a profound insight. “Having” to know something can lead to believing a lie or acting foolishly.
Thanks Mark. Yes, I think when our hearts are at rest in Him it is easy to follow. The enemy seeks to stir up things. A comment I have in my prayer outline/list is. “Over saturating our soul with activity dulls our spirit.”