The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
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June 11, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die'" (Genesis 2:15-17).
In Genesis 2, when God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, the man became a living being. And God planted a garden in Eden and led the man there and let him rule over everything.
God put the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Why did the God of love place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden?
1. God's Providence of Human Cultivation for Gaining True Children
On the third day of Creation, God made the waters covering the earth be gathered into one place, and called them "the seas", and let the dry land appear and called it "the earth". With His word, He also created vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them after their kind. At that time as well, every kind of plant also brought forth in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:9-13).
On the sixth day of Creation, God formed man and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils and he became a living being. God guided him into the Garden of Eden. In the Garden out of the ground God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).
The fruit in the Garden of Eden were incomparably more delicious, fragrant, and beautiful than those in the earth. Adam, the first man who was created as a living being, could eat all fruits in the Garden of Eden with but one exception. It was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden. God sternly warned him not to eat from it, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).
However, as a very long time passed, Adam failed to bear the Word of God in mind and he ended up eating from the tree. Consequently, he was sent out from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). God stationed the cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden so that no one can enter. Here, in this part, some people may wonder why God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden making it possible for Adam to commit the sin. They do not know the great love of God and the providence of human cultivation.
Do you really think the God of love could place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil on purpose to make Adam commit a sin? Some misunderstand God and say God tested Adam with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now let's delve into the reason why God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden of Eden and forbade him to eat from it.
Before eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam enjoyed authority and blessings as God's child in the Garden of Eden which is so beautiful, peaceful, and where he lived in abundance. However, he did not feel true happiness because he had never experienced relativity. Since there is no disease, accidents and death in the Garden of Eden, he never experienced pain, sorrow, and unhappiness.
In order to feel true value of something, you would have to have experienced something opposite before. If someone suffered from hunger, he knows very well of the value of food. If you never experienced poverty, you cannot truly feel thankful for your wealth. If you have never hated someone, you may not know the value of love. It is very important to feel the relativity.
After Adam ate from the forbidden tree and was driven out to the earth, the earth was cursed. Only in toil all the days of his life did he come to be able to eat (Genesis 3:17). He suffered from cold, heat, hunger, tiredness, and pain on the earth. He felt anxious and worried because his communication with God was severed. He even experienced a miserable incident of one of his sons killing his another son (Genesis 4).
Now Adam finally realized how happy his life in the Garden of Eden had been. Only after he experienced unhappiness could he feel truly grateful for everything. It was also because of what he did that all mankind, that is all of Adam's descendants, have to undergo the process of experiencing relativity and realizing 'truth' on the earth due to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, they came to be able to realize true happiness and true love through human cultivation and in that way they can make choices that will lead to sharing eternal love with God in the beauty of Heaven.
2. Love Embedded in Human Cultivation
Parents want to make their children outstanding. So, they send them to school and lead them to study more although some of them hate to study and have difficult times in studying. It may not be easy for them to learn something and be trained. However, those who endured the time and succeeded must feel thankful to their parents who had supported them with devotion and teachers who guided them.
The same applies to human cultivation of the God of love. God knew Adam's descendants would suffer from the pain, sorrow and hardships of trials. Nevertheless, He allowed for this because through human cultivation, although it may be hard for them, they can become God's true children. Thus, human cultivation is necessary course to follow to enter the eternal Heaven. You can come forth as glorious fruit by believing God and overcoming everything with goodness and truth.
After God formed man and started human cultivation, He did not just watch us, He participated in human cultivation. He did not leave mankind in sorrow and tears, but He felt our pain together with us. He sent His loving Son Jesus to the earth to save mankind who had become sinners, and felt all the pain watching Jesus being mocked and agonizingly crucified.
The God of love foreknew everything when He planned human cultivation, and God has been still enduring all the pain and sorrow with love throughout human cultivation. God knows our weakness very well and unceasingly provides us with power and love.
God promised to be with us when we cry out in prayer to Him, and to do whatever we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Even when we do not know what to ask, the Holy Spirit in our hearts helps our weakness by interceding for us (Isaiah 58:9; John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden so that the first man Adam and all people born as Adam's descendants are able to enjoy true happiness. I urge you to realize this reason why He put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and the providence in human cultivation. I hope that by doing so you will try harder to become God's true children and enter the most beautiful heavenly dwelling place, New Jerusalem.
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