tree of knowledge of good and evil – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

Expulsion from the paradise garden

janvier 22, 2024janvier 20, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, History & news feed, Reflection - Meditation

The test commandment

The man was placed in a paradise garden (the Garden of Eden) in which he was allowed to name animals and plants. The Garden was located near the Euphrates estuary and east of the Tigris. Eden indicates « lovelessness » and it was among all living things. Jehovah, the God of order, had created order out of chaos. He revealed His Will that man should reproduce or multiply in that beautiful garden that man could manage.

God wants to be obeyed in freedom and has created man in such a way that he can make free choices. The Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life (see Revelation 2: 7; 22: 2, 14, 19; Proverbs 3:18; 11:30) The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil indicates that those who eat from it will get to know good and evil.

“8 And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed; 9 and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers]; 11 the name of the one [is] Pison, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of the Havilah where the gold [is], 12 and the gold of that land [is] good, there [is] the bdolach and the shoham stone; 13 and the name of the second river [is] Gibon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush; 14 and the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel, it [is] that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat. 15 And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it.” (Ge 2:8-15 YLT)

Adam first saw the tree. He could choose whether to eat from that tree or not. God had given him the freedom to choose. And so today we all have the freedom to choose what we want or will do and whether or not we will follow God’s commandments.

The two trees in the garden are, as it were, a challenge to the right choice. The choice for obedience included a reward: an eternal stay in the paradise garden. When choosing disobedience to God, the sad consequence was that one would have to work hard to survive and eventually die.

God had warned Adam and Eve what the consequences would be if they ate the fruits of those trees. But the forbidden fruit seemed too attractive to just hang it without eating it.

Degeneration of the covenant chief

Eve dared to doubt God’s sincerity. Man’s first lie makes her appearance when Eve in turn tries to seduce her partner. She makes him doubt.

Would God withhold anything from them?

God is also presented as a liar who tries to scare them by saying that they would die if they eat those fruits.

“1 And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, ‘Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?’ 2 And the woman saith unto the serpent, ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat, 3 and of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest ye die.’ 4 And the serpent saith unto the woman, ‘Dying, ye do not die, 5 for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it—your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.’” (Ge 3:1-5 YLT)

It was tempting to have such knowledge and to equate with God.

Adam followed his wife and ate the forbidden fruit.

As soon as they had eaten that fruit, their eyes opened and they felt shame towards each other and towards others. Their innocence was gone.

“6 And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat; 7 and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they [are] naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make to themselves girdles.” (Ge 3:6-7 YLT)

Removal from the paradise garden

God is a God of word. If He has said anything, He will stick to it. When He has promised something, He will always keep His promises. This holds true for promises that hold something good, but also for warnings of something bad that God has given.

The first people needed to know better. They couldn’t hide from God. God sees everything. He even knows our inner thinking. It is impossible to hide from Him.

But the knowledge that they had done something wrong made them hide in the bushes like little children, with the thought that God would not notice them there and overlook or forget their mistake.
That guilt is an alarm that God has given man so that he would know when he would do something wrong. If you go against or sin against God, that alarm will go off.

Eating the forbidden fruit against the will of God was an act of disobedience, but by hiding they indicated that their relationship to God had now been damaged and that they suspect that God would no longer trust and punish them.

The sentence did not last. The God of word, guard against His Word. He informed the woman that in order to give birth to new life, she would have labour pains. God also indicated that equality between men and women had come to an end. God also told them that from now on they will eat with toil from the face of the earth all the days of their lives. Thorns and thistles will also emerge that will not make it easy for humans.

God also condemned man to work the earth to eat the crops of the field. Through their act of disobedience, they were now told what the saying of God meant. Until the day of their death, they now had to sweat the land to live. And eventually after so much effort to live, that life would end, with their bodies decaying to the dust of the earth. For man is made of dust, and man will become dust again.

“16 Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband [is] thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’”

“17 And to the man He said, ‘Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed [is] the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life, 18 and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field; 19 by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou [art], and unto dust thou turnest back.’” (Ge 3:16-19 YLT)

The worst happened to them now that they were banished from that paradise garden, which they could never return to, and so that they could not eat from the Tree of eternal life to live forever again.

“22 And Jehovah God saith, ‘Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,’ — 23 Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken; 24 yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.” (Ge 3:22-24 YLT)

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Additional reading

Bible texts at: The going wrong of man and God His decision

janvier 18, 2024janvier 17, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Bible text quotes, History & news feed

Continuation of: The going wrong of man and God His decision

Quotes from God’s Word.

“29 Then God said, « Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, [I have given] every green plant for food »; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Ge 1:29-31 NAS95)

“8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:8-9 NAS95)

“15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”

“16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, « From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. »” (Ge 2:15-17 NAS95)

“24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Ge 2:24-25 NAS95)

“1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, « Indeed, has God said, ’You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’? » 2 The woman said to the serpent, « From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ’You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ » 4 The serpent said to the woman, « You surely will not die! 5 « For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. »”

“6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make [one] wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”

“9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, « Where are you? » 10 He said, « I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself. »”

“11 And He said, « Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? » 12 The man said, « The woman whom You gave [to be] with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. » 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, « What is this you have done? » And the woman said, « The serpent deceived me, and I ate. »”

“14 The LORD God said to the serpent, « Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel. »”

“16 To the woman He said, « I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you. » 17 ¶ Then to Adam He said, « Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ’You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.” (Ge 3:1-17 NAS95)

“20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all [the] living.”

“21 ¶ The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”

“22 Then the LORD God said, « Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever »— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Ge 3:20-24 NAS95)

The going wrong of man and God His decision

janvier 17, 2024janvier 17, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, History & news feed, Jesus Christ - son of God

Even though the first man had everything, he still longed for more. Adam and Eve longed to have as much knowledge as their Creator.

The first thoughts of seduction came to the mannin or woman (Eva/Eve), but she also managed to get her husband to disobey her and eat the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve thought the fruit would make her sensible, but when they had eaten it turned out to be very different. They felt uncomfortable and naked.

“6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure for the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to give intelligence; and she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (Ge 3:6-7 Darby)

The woman had not followed the will of God. Adam, who had been seduced by his partner to also participate in the act of disobedience, was able to recover, but did not. When they heard the Master approaching above all else in the garden when the afternoon wind came up, man and his wife hid from Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. When God called man and asked where they were, Adam replied that he had heard God but had become afraid because he was naked.

“8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim, walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah Elohim, in the midst of the trees of the garden.”

“9 And Jehovah Elohim called to Man, and said to him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I feared, because I am naked; and I hid myself.” (Ge 3:8-10 Darby)

God wanted to see how they would react further and asked Adam who told them they were naked. The first man blamed everything on the woman whom God had given him as a companion. However, Adam himself could have decided not to eat the fruit. Every person has been given free will by God to make his own decisions.
Each of us has the opportunity to know what is right and wrong and whether or not to follow God’s wishes.

Instead of blaming herself when God asked her how to do such a thing, Eve said it was the snake that had seduced her, on which she went to eat from the tree her fruit.

“9 And Jehovah Elohim called to Man, and said to him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I feared, because I am naked; and I hid myself.”

“11 And he said, Who told thee that thou art naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee not to eat? 12 And Man said, The woman, whom thou hast given [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. 13 And Jehovah Elohim said to the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Ge 3:9-13 Darby)

When Eve decided to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, their lives, as well as the fate of creation, were at stake. Adam also did not think about the consequences of what they decided there. They went against God’s will and at that moment became an opponents of God, or a satan.

However, in case man went wrong, what we call « sin« , God already had a plan ready to overcome the consequences of that rebellion.

Provided it was the woman who caused the beginning of a damaged relationship between God and man, God envisioned that a woman would come from someone who would prove that man would be able to fully follow God’s wishes. That offspring from a woman will come to crush evil.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall crush thy head, and thou shalt crush his heel.” (Ge 3:15 Darby)

Whoever will put an end to the curse that had now come upon man will be further explained in the Bible and those who will know the Words of God will therefore be able to recognize that sent from God (Jeshua ben Josef or Jesus Christ) the Saviour or Messiah and follow in his footsteps for salvation.

God now had no choice but to let Adam and Eve experience the consequences of their deed. The Tree of Knowledge did bring more knowledge or awareness, but that would also make them feel pain and eventually die, just as God had warned them.

Because of their imperfection, they could no longer stay in the perfect Garden of Eden. That is why God placed them out of the Garden and exiled them to a world where they would have to work to survive.

“22 And Jehovah Elohim said, Behold, Man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever … ! 23 Therefore Jehovah Elohim sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 And he drove out Man; and he set the Cherubim, and the flame of the flashing sword, toward the east of the garden of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Ge 3:22-24 Darby)

Thus the act of sinfulness as descendants of now imperfect people has come upon us as well. A flawless product cannot come from a damaged dough mold. We too are now faced with those difficulties that Adam, Eve and their descendants had to endure. In the meantime, we already know who the promised saviour is and we can try to get under his wing.

Continued:

Bible texts at: The wronging of man and God His decision

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Additional reading

The wrong decision

janvier 16, 2024janvier 16, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Faith, History & news feed, Questions & Answers

Preceding

Darkness, formlessness, chaos and order

The first assignment for man

Thought for today: A wonderful garden for mankind

A possession on earth in all bliss

Bible texts by: A possession on earth in all bliss

Genesis means « origin » or « starting » and that book brings us a record of the beginning of the world, of humanity, of families and civilization. It is the story of God’s Purpose and let us look into His Plan.

That first book from the Holy Scriptures teaches us that the earth of origin was well made and pure. In the beautiful Garden of Eden [Eden = ‘ beautiful ’] Jehovah placed man. This should not be short of anything. Man was, as it were, the crowning glory of God’s creative work.

In that beautiful garden in the East, God ensured that all kinds of beautiful trees grew there with delicious fruits. In the middle of the garden were the tree of eternal life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (or morals).

“And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:9 Darby)

It was there in the garden that man heard the first assignments; namely to take care of everything that God had made available to him. Man was allowed to eat freely from all trees in the garden. But now people also heard a first ban. Jehovah commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave the reason for this. Because if they did, they would die.

“16 And Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die.” (Ge 2:16-17 Darby)

With that in mind, the woman wondered if God would withhold anything from them. All kinds of thoughts came up in her head. It was even strange to her that God had told them not to even touch that tree, because then they would die too.

Her brain started working in her head to deceive her. Under the shape of a snake she was told a voice that made her believe that God was lying.

“1 And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, and ye shall not touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not certainly die; 5 but God knows that in the day ye eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and ye will be as God, knowing good and evil.” (Ge 3:1-5 Darby)

How tempting it was to open your eyes and have as much knowledge as God. The fruit was very attractive, so it didn’t take long for Eve to give in to her thoughts and eat the fruit of that tree of life.

“6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure for the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to give intelligence; and she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (Ge 3:5-7 Darby)

Adam and Eve had now become acquainted and aware of things, knowing what god and what was bad. Rules of morality had now come into their lives by eating that fruit. And we call their act against the ordinance of God « sin » or « sinness, » and made them a satan or adversary of God.

Evil had entered the first humans, but thereby all their descendants and thus all mankind.

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Thanksgiving for the beauty of God’s creation