Sunday: The Very First Commandment
Daily Lesson for Sunday 27th of April 2025
The Garden of Eden was a classroom for God’s first people, a place where their interaction with the creation would endlessly teach them and their offspring more about the Creator. “The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God,” Ellen G. White pointed out, “but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. . . . The mysteries of the visible universe—‘the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge’ (Job 37:16)—afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 50, 51.
Read Genesis 2:9-17. What was the first command, a prohibition, that God gave to humanity, and why was it so important?
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
The first use of the root verb tswh, “to command,” that God gave to humans was in Genesis 2:16-17, the command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. How can some knowledge be forbidden? Isn’t it always useful to experience and to know more?
Not according to Scripture: God was intent on educating His people thoroughly while sparing them from the long-term suffering that some knowledge would cause, such as what would later happen when people chose to rule themselves rather than to be ruled by the Lord Himself.
Millennia later, when Israel asked for a king, the Lord laid out the consequences (as we discovered last week), and He informed His people that the decision to step away from His direct rule would last until the end of time.
As the kings of Israel became progressively more wicked, God’s covenant people became so worldly and so removed from their purpose that He gave them even more of what they wanted: human government.
Approaching the book of Daniel with this background in mind can be enlightening. Not only is the march of empires depicted in the book’s visions an indictment of “the nations”—the Gentiles—it is also an indictment of Israel’s failures, their refusal to follow His _mitswot _(commandments). Centuries of subjection, instead of the freedom first given in Eden, would become a new classroom in which willing hearts could witness the striking contrast between the kingdoms of this world and God’s kingdom.
|
Think about the kinds of knowledge, even now, that many of us would be better off not knowing. How does this help us understand what was forbidden in Eden? |
(15)
We sometimes trivialise the temptation by describing it as curiosity. I went to Thailand and it wasn't long before I was tempted to try Durian. I was curious. I wanted to know its taste because I had heard so much about it. But, the temptation in the fall was driven by something other than simple curiosity. The Bible describes it thus:
She sought wisdom and was deceived into thinking that acquiring knowledge was wisdom.
Selfish acquisition to achieve power or dominance over others has been a driving force for kingdom building ever since. It is in opposition to the great principle of God's Kingdom, to love and serve others.
Incidentally, my decision to taste Durian had its own consequences. Six hours later, Carmel arrived in Thailand and as soon as she kissed me, she asked, "What on earth have you been eating?" (I will leave it to the reader to figure out if there is a lesson in that!)
The author asks the question:
I would like to consider a variation of that question: What knowledge do we have already that, in wisdom, we should not use? The problem that we face today is when we use knowledge to demonstrate superiority or exercise control over others for personal or institutional advantage. Are we guilty of deceiving ourselves?
Thank you for continuing to provide insight into the daily lessons by your personal experiences. I tend to learn much better that way. I also appreciate the privilege of being allowed to learn of your life story.
I pass along some of your experiences, especially in science and nature to my daughter who is a student in the engineering field, to help her along her life's journey. So, thank you for that.
Thank you Susan for your kind words.
So from the above, what knowledge exactly can we say has not been good for us
Any knowlege I use to deflect others from looking to Jesus.
God’s command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil was not to keep Adam and Eve in ignorance, but to keep them in innocence. This was not a command for control but for protection. It was not God’s intention to restrict their freedom, but He was inviting them into a relationship based on trust and love. The fruit of the tree did not bring enlightenment but death. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12, KJV). Sadly, Adam and Eve wanted to have the knowledge of good and evil independently of God. The desire to know what is good and evil on their own terms brought sin, shame, and death. This profoundly reminds us that outside Christ, there is no life but death.
God did not want Adam and Eve to know evil through experience. Once they disobeyed (sinned) against God, the reality of evil became evident to them. The Bible warns against knowledge that destroys. "...I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil." (Romans 16:19). Paul is simply telling us to mature in goodness but to be innocent (simple) about evil. Some knowledge (evil) brings sadness, fear, brokenness, guilt, and bitterness. Some knowledge is better left out (Genesis 3:7, Ecclesiastes 1:18). God intended mankind only to have knowledge that brings joy, peace, wisdom, and happiness through a relationship with Him.
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” – 2 Peter 1:2-3, NIV.
I have a question. So why did God put the tree in the garden in the first place? He could just leave it out.
In Eden, God’s prohibition against eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil wasn’t about denying Adam and Eve information — it was about protecting them. Some knowledge, like firsthand experience of sin, leads to pain, guilt, separation from God, and death. It’s a reminder that not all knowledge is beneficial; some experiences fundamentally damage our innocence and trust in God. Even today, exposure to certain evils — violence, addiction, corruption — scars us. God’s original command was an act of love, to shield humanity from destructive knowledge that would burden them forever.
As curious and naive creatures, we flirt with the prohibited. Then, we wind up paying the price and regard this as an "experience of knowledge." I'm sure we all have plenty of things we regret having knowledge of. Thank God we have a hope. Our hope is in the name of the Son Who never regretted dying
for His creatures.
In the 1960’s there was a famous worldly guitar player who produced a song entitled “Are you experienced?” The words of this song echoed Satan’s invitation to experience the benefits of forbidden knowledge. These included drugs, sex, and other sensual pleasures. One problem with sin is that there can be perceived immediate benefits that mask the eventual consequences. Even stealing can fit into this category. Sad to say this musician died of a drug overdose at the age of 27.
As Christians today, there are certain kinds of knowledge that, while they exist, can harm us rather than help us. Examples include:
*Knowledge of evil practices (such as deep involvement with occultism, witchcraft, or perverse lifestyles) that can spiritually damage us.
*Knowledge that feeds pride (like obsessing over power, wealth, or manipulation techniques) that leads us away from humility and dependence on God.
*Knowledge that encourages mistrust of God (like philosophies or ideologies that deny His goodness or existence).
*Knowledge that tempts us into sin (such as entertainment or media filled with violence, immorality, or cynicism).
While not all knowledge is bad, some types are corrupting — they burden the soul, confuse the mind, and weaken faith. Having “forbidden” knowledge can create inner conflict, guilt, and separation from God — just as eating from the tree did for Adam and Eve.
In Eden, the “knowledge of good and evil” was not just information; it was the experience of evil—something God never intended humanity to know firsthand. They would learn the difference between good and evil by living through its pain and consequences rather than through trusting God’s wisdom.
God’s command wasn’t about keeping something good away; it was about protecting humanity from knowing evil by experience. Today, too, God calls us to trust that some knowledge is best left to Him, because He knows what will truly protect our hearts.
Supporting scripture (NIV): 1 Corinthians 10:23; 2 Romans 16:19; Proverbs 3:5–7; Ecclesiastes 1:18; Philippians 4:8
In today's knowledge driven world this lesson provides a stark reminder that not all knowledge is good knowledge.
May we like Paul determine to know nothing except Jesus and Him crucified...This is the knowledge that leads to eternal life!!!!
From my study, I firmly believe that Adam and Eve had ample education to avoid temptation. We can too, yet we make these fatal mistakes. Thank God that He provided a way out then and now, a way of redemption. He saw in us before we were born a potential for salvation. If we turn to God He forgives, and then gives us the power and constitution to avoid continual intentional sin. And if we do fall again, He is there to intercede, if we let Him. It is called being born again, or if you prefer coming out of Babylon. Impossible to do without God. Of course you have to cooperate, or surrender if you prefer, with and to the One who draws you to the foot of the Cross after finding His unconditional love for you. Let us be vigilant more in our own salvation than for those who have it.(Yes, restful calm and pliant, from bend and bias free. Awaiting Thy decision when Thou hast need of me. Live out Thy life within me, oh Jesus King of kings. Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings.)
Job 14:4
Isaiah 64:6
Psalms 51:10
Ezekiel 36:26-27
John 3:3
Philippians 2:13.
1 John 1:9
1 John 2:1-2
Hebrews 7:25.
There is a connection to all of these texts. See if you can find it. 😊
Could one not say that a student receiving instructions from the all-wise Creator experiences something quite different than simply being commanded not to do something? When considering these two modes of communication, I find the distinction deeply revealing regarding our relationship with God. One portrays God as the authority figure who punishes disobedience; the other presents Him as a friend and teacher, establishing the student’s autonomy within an environment of careful trust.
I do not wish to quibble over the use of the word tswh — "to command" — when describing God's address to Adam and Eve. Yet, if this command is perceived as coming from an authoritarian God rather than a loving heavenly Father/Teacher, it risks implying distrust and introducing anguish over the threat of punishment should one fail; seeing our first parents as 'children' being taught wisdom and truth is important to consider when assessing their 'guilt'.
In John 15:14–16, Jesus calls His disciples “friends,” not servants, if they do what He 'commands': "For a servant does not understand what his master is doing." Our first parents, likewise, did not fully understand what their Master was doing when He instructed them. Does this same principle then not also apply to them?
Beyond doubt, God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are first and foremost caring, involved educators; both found their "students" difficult to teach — not because of who They are, but because of who we are: hard-headed and self-willed from the very beginning.
And this is the heart of the matter — God seeks to impart His wisdom through Jesus Christ to an open and willing heart that loves Him. As His wisdom is willingly and gratefully received, His 'child' is elevated to the status of a 'friend of God', drawn ever closer to Him in Spirit and in Truth - 1 Cor.1:25–31).
You have stated it so correctly, Brigitte. Our wonderful Father in Heaven would have had an amazing conversation with Adam and Eve about that tree, in an idyllic setting of beauty, peace and love.
The Serpent had to have her think she would get more wisdom, but instead she found not just knowledge, but the experience of sin.
The name is “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”, yet we limit what Adam experienced in eating the fruit to acquisition of the knowledge of evil, only. But God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil”…(Gen 3:22). Were they then halfway to becoming like God before they ate the fruit in supposedly possessing the knowledge of good?
I think that it was more the ability, power, and authority to determine good and evil or what is good and what is evil. Of course only God is so qualified. The tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes like all the other trees (Gen 2:9). Yet God sovereignly forbad eating of it as a test of obedience.
When Eve “learned” from the serpent that “the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and was desirable to make one wise”, she reasoned and determined, contrary to God, that she could eat of the fruit and live. What God had determined to be evil she determined to be good, vice versa. That is what, I think, God described as having “become like one of Us” - not as possessing knowledge equal to God, but assuming what is God’s prerogative only in determining good and evil, especially contrary to God’s assessment.
Kenny and William - may I suggest the following thoughts to consider when contemplating the matter of the knowledge of 'good and evil'.
When we strip Scripture down to its truest essence, does it not reveal a simple, enduring truth — that God’s deepest intention is to form a relationship of love and trust with man, His creation?
Perhaps we have approached the matter of the 'Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil' too narrowly, concentrating on the aspect of knowledge without reflecting on the significance of the tree’s very presence.
Certainly, God intended for man to grow in knowledge. Yet the ability to discern good and evil is not merely an intellectual achievement; it requires a mature moral awareness, something only formed through relationship and trust between the Creator and His creature.
Adam and Eve, like children eager to explore a world they barely understood, were meant first to build a foundation of love and trust in their Creator before stepping fully into independence.
But the knowledge of 'good and evil' arrived too early. Before love had matured, before trust had anchored their hearts, the burden of moral choice was placed upon them. In reaching too soon for what they were not yet ready to bear, the very relationship meant to sustain them was fractured.
Learning to love their heavenly Father was to be their beginning. Trust was to be their strength. From these, the fullness of life would have naturally flowed.
This is a great lesson but I feel the author is missing a vital point. The serpent was not so much suggesting she would know evil as in experiencing evil, but would decide for herself what was evil. The serpent was suggesting to Eve that she would know right and wrong for herself, without God telling her.
“ She revealed a distrust of God and His goodness, and a desire to be independent and do as she thought best. Eve offered the fruit to Adam and became his tempter. She would be a god. She would be a law unto herself. She would acknowledge no restraint. But that apparently smallest of sins constituted her a transgressor of the law of God....” -Ellen White, Christ Triumphant Page 22.
This idea is not unique to Adventists. I have a friend from another denomination, who told me he understood that the serpent was saying by Ye shall know good and evil” that she would know and decide for herself what was good and evil.
The Warning Counsel of God was given to Adam before Eve was created. She received it from Adam. Everything she was learning from her creation was from her husband. She decided to leave his side and go to the forbidden tree out of curiosity, and something she believed she could handle on her own. That did not work out well!
Did Eve lose her robe of light when she sinned?
Can someone say if the original language prohibits the understanding that the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL means the knowledge/wisdom/ability to decide What is RIGHT(GOOD) and what is WRONG(EVIL). You see that is what it it is all about. The pair were essentially doing just that. They were going to decide for themselves the criteria of what they would/should/could or should not do.
Hello Luther. Yes, that's exactly what happened. Satan's mentality towards self determinism was presented to Eve and she took the bait. Mankind has been on the hook ever since.