We know that there was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil but also there was a tree of life in Genesis 2:9. Was it just one and the same or there were actually two trees? If so, did the devil have any knowledge of this tree and if he did, why didn’t he take it to eat? Also did Adam and Eve have knowledge of the tree of life?
Let’s begin by reading Genesis 2:8-9, “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” All the trees the Lord “made to grow” were beautiful trees that were fit to eat. We can only imagine the wonderful fruits that came off these trees…tasty fruit that had not been touched with sin in the world. I think we can see these fruits were full of flavor with an appearance that would cause man to desire to eat of it. We then read in verses 16-17, “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.” At this point, the Lord had not created Eve, so man was in this beautiful garden all alone. Verses 21-25 tell us about God’s creation of Eve.
The tree of life is said to be “in the midst” of the garden. Let’s read Genesis 3:1-3, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is IN THE MIDST of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Because Eve was so enamored by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she considered it to be in the midst of the garden. Indeed, this indicates that it was, at least, in the midst of her mind and heart. There were certainly two different trees, and this tree was forbidden for Adam and Eve to eat.
It sure seems that Satan was aware of the consequences of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the tree that he tempted Eve with. Notice what the Lord said about this forbidden tree in verse17, “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.” Let’s compare that with what Eve said about that tree in Genesis 3:3, “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, YE SHALL NOT EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, LEST YE DIE.” Do you see the difference in what the Lord said and what Eve said? The Lord said they were not to eat of the fruit, and if they did, they would die. Eve said they were not to eat the fruit, OR TOUCH IT, and if they did, they MIGHT die.
Through indifference or laxity, Eve did not maintain the exact words of the Lord, therefore she added to it and changed it. Satan realized that and knew that Eve was ripe for tempting. Oh, may we all take notice of the danger of taking God’s Word carelessly. Proverbs 4:13 warns and encourages us by telling us, “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.” How important it is for us to spend serious time in God’s Word, learning its precepts…and keeping His Word. The power of God’s Word in our lives comes from us learning it, accepting it, and keeping it. We read in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
As believers, we have a powerful enemy in Satan. He is subtle, he is a liar, and he does not spare anyone that he can influence. We read in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” It is through constant prayer and time spent in God’s Word that we are able to prevent Satan from taking advantage of us. Indeed, we are not ignorant of his devices, so let’s be careful that we do not give him room to influence or lead us astray. (CC) (643.6)