Genesis 2:9. 9 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 (2:9 In this lush natural reserve were found the two trees that are key to everything that follows in all of human history. They were the physical means God used to transact spiritual realities. The tree of life is the tree associated with experiencing the life of God, including immorality. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents human autonomy, that is, self-rule and an assumed independence from God in all areas of life.) 2;15-17. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 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. (2:17 the tragedy of human autonomy is seen in Gods warning, you shall surely die. In that man’s self-rule is all-inclusive, so death is inclusive of man’s spiritual, moral, social, relational, and ultimately, his physical being.) Gen 3:1-7. 1 Now the serpent was more subtle 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? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 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. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 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. 6 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. 7 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. (3:1 The serpent is identified in Rev. 12:9 as Satan himself, here in corporeal form. It is not clear why he chose to indwell this particular beast… which the Lord has made. Later OT history lists the snake among the unclean animals (Lev.11) He is cunning, crafty, and shrewd. Has God indeed said: “All this is not enough,” suggested the tempter? “You could have more!” The question was shrewdly overstated: Every tree?) (3:2,3 The woman’s response shows initial innocence, but the serpent caused her to begin pondering the matter.) (3:4 This bold lie could be translated, “Die? You will not die!” in other words, “God has falsely threatened you wit death.”) (3:5 You will be like God: The tempting thirst for power can be unquenchable, even when people have all of their needs met. Knowing carries the sense of “experiencing”; thus the new challenge grew yet greater: God is withholding a good thing from you (self-rule) in order to keep you dependent on Him.”) (3:6 The desire to become wise was quite reasonable to the woman. Unfortunately, her definition of wise was human self-rule, not God- dependency as taught in Prov. 1:7- The fear in the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.) (3:7 They were naked: Adam and Eve’s newly gained awareness brought them not the promised knowledge of good and evil, but embarrassment over their nakedness.) Gen 3:22. 22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubim’s at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (3:22-24 The curse is reinforced by expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden, the place of their unique communion with the Lord God. Cherubim, wielding a zigzagging sword, sure to hit and bring to death, prevented their return. The lesson is clear: there will be no communion with God without His initiative.) We have kicked ourselves out of the Garden of Eden.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:13:06 +0000
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