Board index ‹ The Problem of Evil and Suffering

[Olivia]

If the tree Adam and Eve ate from was called the tree of knowledge of good and evil, does that suggest that if they had not eaten from it that we would not be aware of good and evil?

[jimwalton]

These trees first make their appearance in Gn. 2.9. First, you should know that trees were considered sacred in the ancient Near East. In a desert wilderness, trees were considered valuable gifts from God. You'll often find references to trees in connection with holy places in the Old Testament (OT). The trees could be meant as metaphors for either life or forbidden knowledge, but there is much to commend understanding them to be literal trees. They weren't magical. For instance, the fact that v. 9 emphasizes not the tree of life, but the tree's planter, reinforces the idea that life is from God, not from the tree. This isn't "the food of immortals"—that's just fairy tale stuff. But I want to talk about the other tree. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil corresponds to the ability to decide. As I said when I talked about evil, humans without choice aren't human. Love that is not founded on choice isn't love. The main point is responsible choice. Look at Isa. 7.15, where the same phrase occurs. There it is translated: "...when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right." Interesting. Moral discrimination. Moral autonomy.
1. In many passages in the OT, "good and evil" is a legal idiom meaning to formulate and articulate a judicial decision. Gn. 24.50; 31.24, 29; Dt. 1.39; 1 KI. 3.9; 22.18. What is forbidden to man is the power to decide for himself what is in his best interests and what is not. This is a decision God has not delegated to the earthling. Humans don't get to choose what is wrong and what is right—those things are based in the character of God.
2. In 2 Sam. 14.17, the phrase is used meaning to listen to discernment to the details of the case so as to judge the legitimacy of a claim.
3. The phrase refers to the human capability to be discriminating (2 Sam. 19.35; 1 Ki. 3.9; Isa. 7.15-16)
4. Knowing good and evil is a characteristic of God (Gn. 3.22, but not of children (Dt. 1.39; Isa. 7.15-16), the infirm elderly (2 Sam. 19.35), or the inexperienced (1 Ki. 3.9).

So the tree corresponds to the ability to decide. It was a Godlike trait that God alone is able to do flawlessly. But choice is necessary, and obedience to and dependence on God would be the correct choice. Humans had a choice: to be self-made, acquiring knowledge, satisfaction (purpose), and values from the created world in defiance of God, or to be an obedient disciple. The tree is important for the opportunity it offers rather than the qualities it possesses. Animals were subject to their surroundings, with behavior inborn. Man is called to set a course and hold it.

Remember, the cosmos was built (created) to house the presence of God, and the Garden in Eden was to be the focal point of that presence. Just as later int he temple the holy of holies was sacred space where purity had to be maintained, here also Eden represented the holy place with a standard of purity. That purity was represented by this tree. Would man choose to love and obey for the sake of God and God alone?

Now, to your specific question. The "what if" question is almost always impossible to answer. What if you were somewhere else the day you met your husband? Would you have met him elsewhere, or would you be married to someone else? Who could ever know the answer to that! Generally I would say this, though: It was inevitable that sooner or later, most likely sooner, someone would have eaten from it. As it turns out, they crashed and burned on their first outing, as far as we can tell. It really wasn't very possible that they could be perfect. That's why, in Eph. 1.4, we were chosen before the creation of the world. The Fall was inevitable, and the plan of Christ coming to die was set before the creation of the world. So the "what if" really isn't an option. God knew it from the get-go, and the plan was in place before he breathed a word of creation.