THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL (PART 2)
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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." - Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV)
When you study Gen 3:22, it seems that the ability to discern good from evil was God's original prerogative.
"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:" - Genesis 3:22 (KJV). From God's discourse with Adam it becomes clear that at that point, it was not God's will for man to be endued with that ability and that at best, God would want man to exercise such knowledge at full spiritual maturity and not otherwise (Heb 5:13-14).
Why, because the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, contrary to God's desire, serves to uplift the human soul and suppresses the spirit. It's not correct to say as many have held that God forbade man to eat of this tree merely to test him. Actually, God’s forbiddance shows His love for man. He forbade it because He knew that by eating this fruit man’s soul life will become so animated that his spirit life will be completely suppressed, so much so that he will lose the true knowledge of God, resulting in his death. So, it's clear that God's forbiddance is because of His love for man. The knowledge of good and evil in this world is itself evil. This is so because such knowledge springs from the intellect of man’s soul. It esteems the soul life over and above the spirit life to the point of man losing the knowledge of God, resulting in his death (separation from God).
When God said to Adam "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat ... " (Genesis 2:16 ,KJV), God was placing before him the choice of "dependence" (secured through eating of the Tree of Life) or "independence" (secured through eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Adam's choice of the latter, secured through the complicity of the devil, signified a desire for a life independent of God, sensual in nature but death rewarding! It was a tacit rejection of God and the life of the Spirit. God allowing him to take the Tree of Life and eat in that condition would have sealed his fate, rendering him permanently unredeemable, abiding forever in eternal death (Gen 2:16-17, Gen 3:22). The best option for God at that point in time was to make it impossible for man to access the Tree of Life (Gen 3:24) until his deliverance and redemption by Christ Jesus.
The result of Adam's choice was that his knowledge of good and evil would not be governed by God's Word and Spirit as Heb 5:14 envisages, but by his senses and under the influence of satan, the god of this world. This brought death because it stemmed from disobedience! It was a rebellion against God! It also spelt independence from God! Thenceforth, the ways of man ran counter with those of God!
This is true because in Deut 1:39, we have it succinctly demonstrated before us the danger of functioning in the knowledge of good and evil. There, Moses gave us the understanding that the knowledge of good and evil played a significant role in the disobedience of the children of Israel in the matter of their unbelief in the taking of the promised land. The children of Israel had relied on their senses (the giants they saw, the grasshopper mentality of themselves, the cities they saw that were great and walled up to heaven) instead of relying on God’s Word to form their opinion about the promised land. As a result, God’s judgment on Israel was: “ ... your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.” (Deut 1:39). Here, we are made to understand that the little children who were among the whole lot "had no knowledge between good and evil," and for this, God said, "they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.” Israel was simply to believe God’s Word and proceed to take the promised land irrespective of what their senses ministered to them about it.
God knows that the possession and exercise of the knowledge of good and evil by man in his non regenerate state would pose a huge problem in His relationship with man, leading to wrong choices. The desire of God is that man is simply to trust Him irrespective of his sensual perceptions.
Can you trust God's Word about your situation in life, irrespective of the glaring opposing circumstances that stare at you? It's a choice between the spiritual and the sensual, with the former tending to life and the latter resulting in death. Further, it's a choice between depending on God for guidance on the one hand and relying on your own sense of Judgment on the other hand. The choice is yours!
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ to redeem me from death. I'm grateful for recreating me in Him with a fervent desire to live for your pleasure. I chose to rely on you for guidance, in Jesus name.