What Really Happened in Eden

Most people know the story of creation; it starts with … "In the beginning God."

When God decided to make man, (if He decides anything, or does He just know what He is going to do?) Well, anyway … God made a beautiful garden, an orchard of fruit trees which He called "Eden." Next, He makes man after His own image out of dirt and places him in this garden of fruit trees.

The first commandment the Creator gives to Adam was that he could eat from all of the fruit trees of this garden except for one certain tree. It was called the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." Now, why did God give it that name? Sounds inviting, doesn't it … a tree of knowledge. What could be wrong with that? But the consequence for eating the fruit of this tree would bring about "death," something which Adam knew nothing about, for as of yet death had not become a reality.

Also in this garden stood another very important tree called "the Tree of Life." Unlike all the other trees they could eat from, the fruit from this tree would give them "eternal life" physically as long as they ate from it.

Because both of these trees were located "in the midst" of the garden; in order for Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Life, they would have to come near to the Tree of Knowledge, close to the forbidden fruit … the only tree they were commanded not to eat from. They would have to … confront it … each time they went to the Tree of Life.

What really happened in Eden? Man failed his first test … obedience.

In other words, to receive eternal life from one tree required obedience to God's revealed will not to eat from the other tree. Why was this test of obedience given?

The test centered on the free will of Adam and Eve. Free will is always a choice.

God knew Adam and Eve would fail the test. He foresaw the disastrous outcome and understood all the implications if they failed the test and yet still allowed the "snake in the grass" (Satan) access to tempt Eve.

Should we learn the lesson presented here? That God will even use Satan as a tool to leverage us into making a choice … obedience or disobedience? But disobedience was something they knew nothing about … until they failed the test.

Oh, I have questions … like why did God allow this monster Satan access to the garden in the first place? Also, it looks as if God gave permission to sin when He gave man a free will to choose, knowing he would fail. Yes, I know God had to allow the possibility for sin to enter into the heart of man; otherwise it really wouldn't be free will.

Now here is where it gets interesting for me …

Ancient Hebrew writings teach that the Tree of Life stood directly beside the Tree of Knowledge in the midst of the garden. In fact, some of these writings suggest that these two trees grew from the same root. This of course cannot be proven. But, since all life comes from God, could not this common root represent the fact that all life … whether it produces good or evil … has its life source rooted in God?

Because Adam and Eve had to face both trees, the test of their free will was whether they would obey God or turn to evil.

We find Eve one day, standing by the Tree of Life ready to pick some more of the life giving fruit when Satan enters and appeals to Eve saying that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge would give her wisdom and make her "like God" … knowing both good and evil. By not knowing evil, Satan implied that this represented a lack of wisdom.

Eve "saw" that the fruit of this tree looked good, and her desire to acquire this wisdom overwhelmed her. The fruit represented her chance to be like God … exactly the same desire that caused Satan to fall from Heaven.

As Eve spoke with the serpent, she added to God's commandment by saying that she was forbidden to even "touch" the Tree of Knowledge. Satan found what he was looking for … a misunderstanding of God's word, teaching us the importance of not only knowing God's word but also understanding it. As she also found out, it never pays to listen to the devil.

Once again, Ancient Hebrew teaches that while the serpent was speaking with Eve, he actually pushed her against the forbidden tree and said, "See, you did not die by touching it, and neither will you die from eating it." Because she had a misunderstanding of God's word she began perhaps to doubt everything else that God had said, and this led to her decision to eat the forbidden fruit. When Eve … "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."

Many things that we see with our eyes may cause us to desire them … but the real problem is when we partake of the forbidden fruit and eat. Eve's sin was ultimately that of unbelief … she believed a lie rather than the truth.

Nothing has changed over the last 6,000 years or so; the battle is always the same, it's over the truth, and what you believe in your heart and mind. Your judgments invariably determine what you will choose. It begins with how we choose to see. Eve "saw that it was good," which in her opinion overruled God's commandment.

Nothing has changed today … has it?

The Tree of Knowledge proved to be a test of the creature's obedience (Adam and Eve) to the creator's authority (God) over their lives. After they failed the test, they were forced to face the consequences of their decision. They were suddenly fallen creatures, and for the first time in their lives they had to deal with a sin nature in their souls.

So now, prevented from eating fruit from the Tree of Life, their bodies began the slow process of aging and eventual physical death. Just as God said, they started the death process … spiritual and physical … the very same day they ate from the Tree of Knowledge.

But this was not the end of the story … God sent His Son to "reverse the curse" placed on Adam. The disobedience of the first Adam was overcome by the obedience of the second Adam … Jesus … who redeemed mankind from the penalty of sin. Jesus is described as "the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world."

One could say that God created the cure for sin before the sin was ever committed … "the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world" … meaning that God's love … was the cure.

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Jesus shall all be made alive."

The cross of Jesus became the new Tree of Life; and those who eat from it receive … the bread of life. The Tree of Knowledge is still in the world; and it's still full of tempting looking fruit. Which tree are you eating from today?

The world's Tree of Knowledge or the new Tree of Life …

The Cross of Jesus Christ.



Comments welcome.