By: Elizabeth Haarberg

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You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link. 

The Garden of Eden is one of the most recognizable scenes in the Bible. Because it’s the one place in the Bible that no one has seen except Adam and Eve, it’s a mysterious destination such that even the name “Eden” brings my imagination to life. The tree of knowledge, aka good and evil, is also mysterious. Was it an apple, or some exotic fruit that we have never seen on Earth?

One thing we do know is God was very clear on the instructions about the tree: do not eat from this tree or you will die.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:17 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

After God gave directions, life went on as usual for a while but then Satan begins to suggest that the couple might want to look at the tree again.

“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.'”
Genesis 3:4-5, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Strangely, after eating the fruit they didn’t die right away, they lived for quite a while. Due to God’s mercy, they were removed from the Garden so they would not stay in that state of knowing good vs. evil and blessing vs. calamity infinitely by eating from the other tree, the Tree of Life. Time began to tick on their lives at some point after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge and they eventually died many years later.

Interestingly, Satan had some of the story correct; Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and, in some ways, they did see more, but I’m not sure it is exactly like God. Where Satan lied is they did die, which makes me wonder if that was Satan’s goal in having them eat the fruit in the first place. As long as Adam and Eve were in Eden, they were protected from not only experiencing sin but also seeing sin and evil. The very act of disobedience caused Adam and Eve to open a door that didn’t exist for them until that moment, and there was no return.

^“Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;”
Genesis 3:7, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

I have so many questions about all the wheels that were put in motion that day but one thing is indisputable, they realized their nakedness was now something to hide.

Good and Evil existed from the beginning of creation, otherwise Lucifer would not have fallen along with a third of the angels. The tree of knowledge was placed in the garden as a crossroads for humans to be able to choose their path. God gave all humans free will to choose and this decision was very important from the beginning with the tree. In some strange way I’m happy there was a tree, there is a choice in this life, we’re not puppets on strings that dance for the maker. Freedom is an intricate part of the way we were created.

 Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado