Lost in the abundance of good news in the Bible is one least mentioned yet significant detail – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the forbidden tree).
This is a familiar narrative. God commanded Adam and Eve to not eat from this tree. But they succumbed to the temptation of the devil, disobeyed God, and ate from the forbidden tree.
The Cross & the Forbidden Tree
Interestingly, there are at least a couple of similarities between the forbidden tree and the Cross of Calvary.
First, death was a common element in both the forbidden tree and the Cross of Calvary. The forbidden tree was a means to bring about death upon mankind. The Cross was a means to defeat death.
Second, Satan was made to be a fool through the forbidden tree and the Cross of Calvary. Satan thought that by killing Jesus on the cross, he could defeat God. But we know that that was not the case. God reigned victorious over Satan through the resurrection and ascension of Christ, thereby defeating death once and for all.
God displayed the foolishness of Satan through the forbidden tree as well.
This tree is largely considered to be the precursor of the curse upon mankind. But by placing this tree, God, had in fact, blessed mankind. Although the forbidden tree ensured the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God in HIS infinite wisdom defeated Satan’s plan to pave way for the man to respond to God’s love and goodness.
The Necessity of the Forbidden Tree (An Intricate Part of God’s Plan of Redemption)
God knew that Satan would assault Adam & Eve through temptation. God also knew that Adam & Eve would succumb to Satan’s temptation. So God, through the forbidden tree, paved way for the man to respond to HIM.
Just a simple thought should suffice.
If the cross was a means to defeat death, then death should have a point of entry into the realm of mankind. The forbidden tree provided death that point of entry into man’s domain. In other words, if the cross was a means of death’s exit (read defeat), then the forbidden tree was a means of death’s entry into man’s domain.
Why the Forbidden Tree?
Evidently, the angelic rebellion occurred in the heavenly realms before the fall of man (disobedience of Adam and Eve). God knew that Satan would orchestrate the rebellion of mankind.
The purpose behind the orchestration of mankind’s rebellion against God was to bring about a spiritual separation between God and man. However, the separation was not the intent behind the creation of man. God did not create man, for the man to be independent of God. God created man so that man could glorify God by being in HIS presence.
Why did God place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Had this tree not existed, we could assume that Adam and Eve may not have rebelled.
But that need not be the case.
If Adam and Eve did not rebel or if they did not possess a chance to rebel, they may not have been able to display their obedience to God. But obedience to God can only be accentuated if there is a possibility to disobey God. Obedience would not carry much value if disobedience were impossible.
Then again, if God had removed every possibility of mankind’s rebellion, then man could only be an automaton. This was and is not a viable environment for love to exist (love between God and man).
On the other hand, had the tree of the knowledge of good and evil not existed, Adam and Eve may have been tempted to rebel in other ways. As long as Satan existed there was always a possibility of him tempting man to rebel against God.
But God, it seems, made Satan’s life easy through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The presence of this tree entailed a possibility to disobey God. Satan recognized this and promptly ushered Adam and Eve into disobedience.
However, ultimately, God’s wisdom prevailed. Satan was made to be a fool. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil ensured this eventuality.
The Blessing of the Forbidden Tree
God, in HIS infinite wisdom, ensured that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a blessing to mankind.
The wisdom of God prevailed. In and through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God ensured that man had a clear path to respond to HIM (thankfully, through the redemptive sacrifice of our Lord Jesus). This was the blessing behind the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Man’s disobedience ensured that he had a clear sight of the good and the evil. In other words, through their disobedience, Adam and Eve learned three important lessons:
1. They knew that God is good, Satan is evil, and that God would judge and punish their disobedience.
2. They also knew that God had power over Satan and them.
3. They knew that Satan had power over them.
So by virtue of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God, Adam and Eve had a clear sight of (A) The good (and the most powerful) God and (B) An evil (and the less powerful) Satan.
This clear sight allows man to respond to God’s goodness and love by being obedient to HIM through a conscious disregard of every possibility to disobey God.
By possessing the knowledge and discernment between good and evil, Adam and Eve (read mankind) could know the difference (if only they made an effort to respond to God) between God and Satan. This knowledge is vital for man to respond to God’s love.
This is indeed a blessing of God.
Conclusion
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil reveals God’s infinite wisdom.
Albeit its very brief appearance in the creation narrative, the forbidden tree was a significant element in God’s plan of redemption. It was also a blessing to mankind because its presence offered the man a clear sight of God thereby enabling his proper and adequate response to God’s love and goodness.
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