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The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
What was the mysterious Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Why did God put it in the middle of the garden? How does a tree represent free will?
To understand what “good” and “evil” are contextually, we need to go back to the beginning.
Chapters 1-2 are about creation being built to function as God designed, as “good”. Therefore, what if “good” and “evil” are not defined mainly as moral, but as functional. See Isaiah 45:7 for this use of “evil” (KJV). There it is translated variously, such as “evil” (KJV), “disaster” (CSB), and “calamity” (ESV). When there is disaster and calamity, there is chaos and disorder.
Caveat – Morality itself is functional when viewed as being how God created us to find fulfillment (Ecclesiastes 7:29; 12:13-14).
GOOD – All through Genesis 1, creation is “good” because it functions according to God’s declaration. Then in Genesis 2, something is “not good” – man being alone.
1. Question #1 ‐ Was Adam designed to function alone? No.
2. Question #2 ‐ What function of Genesis 1 could the man not fulfill alone? Being fruitful and multiplying.
3. Question #3 ‐ Can you see how Adam not being able to fully function yet as God had already planned was “not good”?
EVIL – Even if we understand “evil” morally, it still has a functional or dysfunctional element. However, “evil” can refer to disorder.
Before God made everything good, at the beginning of Genesis 1 there is chaos because nothing has been made functional yet. If “not good” (Genesis 2) is the opposite of “good” (Genesis 1); then I suggest “not good” is “evil” – not morally, but not fully functional according to God’s intended order.
How does this work with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
As long as Adam and Eve obey God, they are learning how to function properly – learning what “good” is. Therefore, freely choosing not to eat still fulfilled the function of the tree.
However, when they freely ate of the forbidden fruit, their lives become dysfunctional and therefore they learn what “evil” is. And again, the tree is functioning as designed.
Look at them afterwards:
1. They hide from God. That is spiritual dysfunction.
2. Adam blames Eve (and God). That is marital dysfunction.
3. Eve admits being deceived. This is mental dysfunction.
Together they experience shame. The man then makes excuses. Finally the woman is honest about her being deceived. All of these are dysfunctions. All learned “Evil”.
Now in disobeying God, it is also true they learned moral evil. But remember the tree itself is good because it was part of creation and because the tree functioned as designed.
The tree does represent choice, but much more. The tree taught how to function and not function. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a choice to live as God originally designed mankind to be – in spiritual harmony with the divine and one another. Or, to choose separation, shame, excuses, and deception – which is dysfunction and chaos.
Does this answer all the mysteries of the tree? No, such as why did they suddenly experience eye-opening shame over their nakedness. But what it does do is help explain why the tree was there. And it functioned properly.
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