Genesis 2:9 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.
Genesis 2:16–17 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 from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:1–5 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You certainly will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Reflection and Commentary
I question why eating from this tree was such a big deal. Having had a fascination with wisdom all my life, I have wondered why knowledge was evil. I have come to some conclusions, and I ask that you bear with me on my journey of thinking.
Before Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, she had only experienced good. The garden was amazing; food was provided, and there was no labor to be done, for the plants were sustained by streams that came up from the earth (Genesis 2:5–6).
So, why would Eve want to eat from the tree of good and evil when she had only experienced good? Could it be that she wanted to self-rule rather than trust God? Is that at the heart of every sin, or just some of them?
In my life, I chose self-rule in relationships for many years. I sinned against God and my own body with the decisions I made during that time. I wrote a devotional on this called “The Mess of Me” and included it in my first book on single-parent dating (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTXLJX4B).
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not dangerous because of its fruit, but because of what it represented. It stood as a choice between trust and self-rule. When humanity reached for that tree, it was choosing to define good and evil apart from God, stepping outside the relationship where life is found. Death entered not as an arbitrary punishment, but as the natural result of separation from the source of life. Yet even then, God did not abandon humanity. He warned, He pursued, and He began the work of restoration, reminding us that life is always found not in independence from God, but in trusting Him.
So, how important is it to trust and submit to God on a daily basis, and how did He respond when Adam and Eve disobeyed?
Reflect: Is there an area in your life today where you are choosing “self-rule” over trusting God’s heart? Take a moment to ask Him for the courage to surrender that area back to Him.
Dig Deeper: If you resonated with my journey from “self-rule” to surrender, I invite you to read more of my story. You can find my devotional, “The Mess of Me,” in my book on single-parent dating, available now on Amazon: Get Your Copy Here.
Share Your Thoughts: I’d love to hear from you! How has God shown His faithfulness to you in seasons of disobedience? Leave a comment below and let’s encourage one another.