Why were there two
trees in the Garden of Eden?
In order to give man true free will, wherein he would walk
with God because he wanted to (and not because he was made to), God created our
universe of time and space and thus gave man the
power of
choice, that is the two trees in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil and the Tree of Life. Eating
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would bring death (spiritual
death) the end of their relationship with God, because they would think (reason)
that they don’t need God anymore to know how to utilize the gifts that they
were given. Eating of the Tree of
Life would bring life (spiritual life) a relationship with God, wherein God’s
life would flow through them in perfect wisdom of how to utilize the gifts that
they were given in order to experience life fully.
God commanded Adam and Eve to not partake of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil. He
wanted them to choose to only know (experience) how to use the gifts that He had given to them in the
proper ways in which they were created to be used (that is, in a relationship
with Him). God knew that having the knowledge of how to misuse these
precious gifts would result in their destruction, both spiritually and
physically. He wanted them to
choose to trust
Him (being in total reliance upon Him) wherein the knowledge of His ways, that He
would give them in their relationship with Him, was the best and only
way to live life to its fullest created and designed potential.
“And the Lord God
commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you
must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat
of it you will surely die.’ ”
Genesis 2:16-17
(Moses expresses that God specifically commanded them not to eat of the tree and
He explained the consequences, that they would die, be separated from Him
spiritually, emotionally and physically.)
“The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
Genesis 2:25 (Moses expresses
that they had no knowledge of how they could misuse their gift of intimacy,
authority or resources.
They only understood that they were beautiful gifts from their loving
Creator and nothing shielded them from His love. In fact, there was
nothing in their lives that they were ashamed of before a holy and perfect God.)
Then because of man’s rebellion against God and His word,
Adam and Eve experienced the knowledge of good and evil as they desired, and thus
He explained the conflicts (curses) they would experience within the gifts that He had
given to them.
He gave them the freedom to properly use or misuse these gifts and thus
to choose between good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, love and hate,
God and Satan.
“So the Lord God
banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had
been taken. After he drove the man
out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming
sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Genesis 3:23-24 (Moses expresses
that man's rebellion established a conflict of eternal life between man and God.
God ceased to fellowship with them, as He had done in the past.
They were banished from His presence, provision, and protection.
Man and his children were doomed to live eternally without God, a living
hell.)
“So the Lord God
said to the serpent,...and I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will
strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15 (Moses expresses
that man's rebellion established a conflict of authority between man and Satan.
Who would really rule over this planet and who would really rule their
own personal lives? From that point forward, man and Satan would be in a
war over who was the authority over the earth and in each and every life on
the earth. Man was given the authority, be whenever he could, Satan would
deceive man into yielding his authority to Satan, so that his evil plans and
purposes would prevail over man's and God's.)
“To the woman he
said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you
will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will
rule over you.’ ”
Genesis 3:16 (Moses expresses
that man's rebellion established a conflict of intimacy between man and woman.
The process of relating to the opposite sex would now involve pain,
mistrust, and a misunderstanding of their proper roles within the relationship.
They would also experience a complete misunderstanding of relating to the same
sex and such would also involve even more pain, distrust and barrenness.)
“To Adam he said,... ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’ ” Genesis 3:17-19 (Moses expresses that man's rebellion established a conflict of resources between man and the earth. Now the earth would not only yield things to sustain man’s life, but also things to bring pain and eventually the destruction of man’s life. Man's work, that was established before his rebellion, would now be a very difficult thing to accomplish, wherein he would have to deal the weeds that would grow in any good soil. No matter what kind of work man created for himself, it would always yield unwanted things and the wanted things, that would sustain him and his family.)