Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17 NIV
[8] “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [9] The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…
[16] And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
What was this “tree” from which God forbade His first son to eat? For what purpose was this tree “created”? Was it a literal tree or is it the symbol of a principle that reappears in Scripture?
I lean towards the idea that this “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” represents a kingdom, headed by God’s sworn enemy, the devil, in which God’s authority is replaced by self-rule. Adam rejected God’s instructions for life, the “eating” of which guaranteed the good fruit of lives of peace and harmony, in favour of Satan’s challenge that self-determination and self-rule would make them like God.
The man and the woman bought the lie, stepped over the line, and found themselves trapped on the wrong side. Satan had excluded the “small print”. They were in enemy territory in which they now lived under the “forced labour” of their chosen master.
This new life of slavery to the god of this world was not what they thought it would be. They had freedom, so they thought, but it was the “freedom” to live in the kingdom of “the knowledge of good and evil”, to make their own rules which enslaved them to selfishness and would inevitably lead to death.
Ezekiel 31 is a graphic description of the “tree” of Egypt which was destined to fall, like the tree of Assyria, because of its wickedness.
Egypt would also lie fallen among the “trees” of the nations. God would hand Egypt over to His arch rival to be destroyed as He did the great “cedar” of Assyria.
Ezekiel 31:2-3, 8-11, 16-18 NIV
[2] “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: “ ‘Who can be compared with you in majesty? [3] Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage…
[8] The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor could the junipers equal its boughs, nor could the plane trees compare with its branches— no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty. [9] I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God… [10] “ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, [11] I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside…
[16] I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. [17] They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword, along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations. [18] “ ‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword. “ ‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”
God’s plan of redemption begins with a transfer out of this kingdom of darkness ruled by “the god of this world”. This god holds people in his iron grip through deception and enslaves them to sin through their own fallen nature.
John 8:34 NIV
[34] “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV
[4] “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
By grace, through faith in Jesus, God transfers us out of the kingdom of darkness, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” influenced by Satan but ruled by self. He reinstates us into the kingdom of light, the “tree of life”, ruled by Jesus and governed by love.
Colossians 1:13-14 NIV
[13] “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Back in the kingdom of “the tree of life”, God’s children are once again under God’s authority and live by His standards through His grace. Jesus said that this life is the only way of real freedom.
John 8:31-36 NLT
[31] “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” [34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”
In debate with His opponents, Jesus made it clear that those who are in God’s kingdom are not citizens by natural birth but only by the new birth.
John 3:5-7 NLT
[5]”Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. [6] Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. [7] So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ “
This transfer from the kingdom of “the knowledge of good and evil” to the kingdom of “life” involves and incudes a spiritual transformation. The old nature controlled by self remains but it is overridden by God’s nature of love.
The old nature still demands attention but the new nature reciprocates by choosing submission to God’s authority in the kingdom of “life”. Although this competition continues throughout our lives, the new nature gradually grows stronger and overrides the old when we confirm our citizenship by living within its constitution.
This spiritual growth, though initiated and sustained by grace, still demands choices. We cannot live with one foot in each kingdom.
Although we might still trespass into the rival kingdom, our new life is essentially firmly planted in God’s kingdom of light. It is up to us to choose life through our obedience to Jesus, our chosen king.
Love is the principle by which God governs in His territory. We find our cue in the way Jesus does things. Jesus showed us both the Father and His ways, during His earthly life. He gave us the blueprint and the power to live by the kingdom’s constitution…
… but the choice us still ours. Choose life and the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow through with our choice. Choose self and we’re on our own.
Galatians 5:16, 22-23 NLT
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves….
[22] But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
To be continued…