Monday: The Test at the Tree
God created everything by a series of separations with clearly defined boundaries: light and darkness, waters above and waters below, land and sea, night and day, creatures according to their kind, a day separated from the others, a woman separated from a man, and a tree set apart from the others.
Read Genesis 1:4-6, Genesis 1:7, Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:18, Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:24, Genesis 1:25. Why is it important that clearly defined boundaries are outlined even before the creation of human beings?
Image © Kevin Carden from GoodSalt.com
As well as God forming man, beast, and bird from the ground (Gen. 2:7-19) , He also caused beautiful trees with delicious fruit to “spring up” from the ground (Gen. 8:17 ESV) . God also chose a special piece of land in which He planted a garden. We can only try to imagine its beauty; the wonderful gardens we see today surely are a bare reflection of what Eden must have been like. In the middle of this specially planted garden in Eden (separated out from the rest of the world) there were two unique trees-the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Fruit from the second tree was not to be eaten, or there would be severe consequences (Gen. 2:17.
Read Genesis 2:15-17. How is the idea of separation revealed here, in this test of their obedience to God?
The division is clear and concrete: eat from all the other trees, but not from this distinct one, which was separate from the others. There was nothing ambiguous about God’s words. Adam and Eve were created as moral beings, and morality cannot exist without freedom. Here was a test to see what they would do with that freedom. “The tree of knowledge had been made a test of their obedience and their love to God. The Lord had seen fit to lay upon them but one prohibition as to the use of all that was in the garden; but if they should disregard His will in this particular, they would incur the guilt of transgression.”-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 53.
What are some things in your life that you definitely need to separate yourself from?
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Freedom is a sacred gift. It is sacred because it came from God the Creator as a trust to humanity. And not until humans realize this fact, freedom will continue to be abused and misused in the name of right. It is therefore necessary for human beings living in this world filled with deceptions to always consult the Manufacturer and the Giver of freedom before making any choice. It must be understood that sacred things are divinely managed. Herein lies the secret of true living--surrendering one's will to God.
We ought to put God first in all things then we can see us separate from worldly distractions. We are not an empty vessel but one that is either filled with the Holy Spirit or the carnal nature that listens to the influences of satan. May we Seek God first and all things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33)
The tree of knowledge of good and evil was a part of God’s very good creation (Genesis 1:31), not the serpent’s creation. It was forbidden simply because the Creator plainly said so (Genesis 2:16-17). Of course it was not the only possible food source forbidden. Flesh food was barred too. The revealed purpose of the tree was a test. God can do that, and will do so again. Those who do not believe this set themselves up for failure.
Eve knew clearly what her Maker had said, but her motive, the induced desire for a higher sphere of existence and status ( Genesis 3:5-6), on the suggestion of the unwelcome visitor, moved her to rationalize. She sinned in doubting the plain statement of the Lord (Romans 14:23).
Often it is said that the Bible or God really does not mean what is said, likely because it does not fit what is hoped for. Rationalizing away truth is always connected to some motive, hidden or revealed. God’s revealed word, the Bible should be taken as it reads, allowing the context to help with understanding, and the weight of evidence to inform conclusion.
The skeptic questions whether plain statements of scripture are true and come away with alternative speculations, or outright opposition (2 Peter 1:20). The diligent Bible student seeks to understand how the plain statements are true, and accept the straight testimony while they study and grow in knowledge.
There are a few challenging portions, but generally the Bible is not complicated except to those who wish it to say something different and so create intellectual mazes. There is growth towards unity of doctrine when there is acceptance of all scripture and a willingness to let the Holy Spirit lead (Ephesians 4:13; John 16:13). The final test will be aligned with the straight testimony.
why should God test the way Adam and Eve will use their freedom? was the tree of knowledge of good and evil also very good as God described all creatures? if yes, how can a very good tree be a curse unto humanity?
Adam and Eve were to obey without questioning why, just as the same way we are to obey the word of God without questioning. We are created creatures and we are not to question are creator. The word of God is is to be obey because "it is written" not because "it makes sense" acording to our human definition.
A curse comes in not obeying the word of the CREATOR. GOD made and every thing was good including the tree of good and evil.
I think it's not the tree itself that brought curse to humanity....it's disobedience....the transgression of God's law.
For the tree itself no matter what kind of tree it was but the things that God wants to see is how His beloved created man can use the free will and Free choice in the right way
How the human that He created can use their Brain in the right way,,,,,,
In fact now days many people are using their brain in the wrong way
THE RIGHT WAY IS ,,, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION FROM THE CREATOR
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1.
In the beginning God placed man under law as an indispensable condition of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law....
God is omnipotent, omniscient, immutable. He always pursues a straightforward course. His law is truth—immutable, eternal truth. His precepts are consistent with His attributes. But Satan makes them appear in a false light. By perverting them, he seeks to give human beings an unfavorable impression of the Lawgiver. Throughout his rebellion he has sought to represent God as an unjust, tyrannical being....
As a result of Adam's disobedience every human being is a transgressor of the law, sold under sin. Unless he repents and is converted, he is under bondage to the law, serving Satan, falling into the deceptions of the enemy, and bearing witness against the precepts of Jehovah.
The remarkable thing here is that though man sinned and chose what we should not have chosen, and then were separated from the beautiful garden; God's love still lingers and this is what humanity needs to grab onto... His love. For us today it is that same test of love that separates us, we separate ourselves by failing to accept His love. Have mercy on me Lord!
Was God testing Adam and Eve or they themselves allowed the tree to act as a test to them?
Why was there a test?
Because they had intelligence. I think that an essential part of learning, growing and maturing is asking why!
Children normally take the parents/teachers word at the beginning and then they learn to think for themselves.
I believe that once Eve started wondering why Jehovah had said don't eat of the tree, if she had gone to Him (instead of the serpent), He would have explained why He was giving them a choice - to trust Him that the boundaries were for their own good and not to deprive them - or to decide to experiment for themselves.
We have to have God with us and knowing His words in order to conquer things that we encounter everyday and to be strong with God armour. God Bless and let's continue study God words.
The "separations" in creation referred to in the lesson are boundaries that allow diversity in one world. We have creatures that fly in the air, swim in the waters and walk on the land. In the perfect world, each found it's food in plenty and none were harmed by others. Today the vast oceans provide both oxygen and water for the use of land and it's creatures, and the distilling process removes the minerals not required in their use. It's a marvelous balance we find in creation of a very diverse world that excites our wonder and should teach us so much about our Creator.
The separation of one tree from the rest was a simple yet very revealing "test" of either faith or unbelief in God's authority which was in the midst of being challenged by one of God's creatures who had led others in his revolt against the soundness of God's government. Similar to our current political race in the USA, God allowed this challenge to persist so it would finally reveal it's true nature, since deception and lies were used in it's presentation to those who had never seen such a thing before. In nature we are taught the principle of light and dark not being able to dwell together in one place, and the kingdom of darkness(lies and deceptions which hide truth) cannot exist in harmony with the kingdom of light (truth and open honesty at all times). In it's current manifestation, the kingdom of darkness has one agenda: destroy souls. This because it's original agenda of taking over is out of reach(and always was). Satan has lost and only exists to separate us from the Source of Life through sinning against God.
For the final thought question: God's word points out the only two paths we may take, showing we cannot take both at the same time.
Thanks for your comments. The principle of separation in life is very unique and practical, normally without separation we can know nothing accomplish nothing, separation makes us to think and choose what we think is right.
There is no test or even temptation without separation, how can you call something is wrong without the right one which is separate from the wrong one. May God help us to choose the right one in this separation principle. Thanks
Why God put the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil? God warned Adam not to touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God gave us freedom of choice and with the words God we can decide which way we should go. When the time comes when we feel confuse and not sure of what we should choose, let's open God words and seek for guidance. Mathew 6:33 "May we seek God first and all things will added unto us"
If your biological father tell you not to touch fire because it burns and then a stranger comes and tell you \'touch this fire you will not burn\'then you should question yourself before touching the fire.
As human beings unlike other creatures,we were created with the power of freedom...freedom to choose bad from evil..the more we choose to draw wisdom from God the creator,the more we choose wisely.
I have been wonder, Why God gives human free will..? To the extend they destroyed everything.after all..just bcuz of that free will.. Which cost his own Son's Life..
Dising, would you prefer not to have a choice? What would be the alternative, especially from God's perspective?
I will ask a simple question again: " Why has every single being born of Adam "chosen" to sin, although they were "born with free will to choose" not to sin?
Because we are selfish. God cares more for others
Kenny, may I remind you that Jesus was born of Adam? Also, consider that many have no idea they "sin" until confronted with the Truth at some point later in their lives, when they decide to accept the conviction, confess/repent and follow the Lord. Some have gone on to live holy lives, while others struggled daily with deep-seated habits, overcoming daily though at times stumbling, yet, the Bible says of the righteous; "though he fall seven times, he rises again".
Jesus came to save a sinful world, not a righteous world. Sin contaminates, but once we understand the situation, we can experience the victory that overcomes the world, through faith. I believe this should be the focus in our lives and in our message to others, not the failures.
In this world, sinning is as easy as falling down, yet through faith, the victory is promised through grace, and God is able to "keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory...".
Robert, I purposely left out Christ thinking that, at least, “theologians” would “understand”. This forum, I think, is about making sure of our doctrines and teachings, I hope. Adam was a type of the One to come - the representative “Man” of his species. Christ is the representative “Man” of His species. Christ was CLOTHED in “sinful flesh”, but “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and for that reason the HOLY thing begotten shall be called the SON OF GOD”(Luk 1:35) Christ could not be representative Man and Savior and be born a sinner exactly like us born of Adam.
The grace and mercy of God, and the free gift of righteousness and salvation through Christ, as man, has brought the multitude of believers into a more highly exalted state than that from which man fell in Adam. Christ has fixed believers in a state of Justification as Adam would have been placed, had he stood the test. Believers are not in a state of trial like Adam was; they are beyond that, praise God.
Kenny, I purposefully included Jesus as a son of Adam (according to prophecy, Matthew and Luke) because He is our Example, as one of us.
Adam was of "higher" advantage than Jesus wasn't he? There was no sinful atmosphere to contend with, no tempter (until Eve came with her freshly picked fruit) and no knowledge of weariness, hunger, thirst, pain, etc. Lucifer was "perfect" and of an even higher order, and dwelt in the most absolute "perfect" environment within the light of infinite righteousness.
Now how did Jesus live? Can we accomplish the same as He or are we at some disadvantage? If Jesus didn't demonstrate what Robert and Kenny can achieve "in this present world", He came in vain. His temptations exceeded ours and Adam's beyond our understanding, yet He maintained perfect obedience through faith, as we can. There will be a generation that will "not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:..." as they live by "the faith of Jesus".
Please realize we are in a constant state of trial until we are changed "in the twinkling of an eye". Our fight of faith will not cease until that eternal Rest comes at last.
The fall lead humans into blaming others without seeing their own mistakes and errors.Adam blames God to giver him Eve and Eve blamed the God for creating it. From this scene we can see how the fall can blind the person not to see his or her own sins, the fall leads human to see the sins of others easily, this is real dangerous for our spiritual life. Think about your life, are you real recognizing your faults as the result of your selfishness or you see your faults being caused by someone else? Take care!
Robert, do you really think that Adam and especially Lucifer were of HIGHER ORDER than Christ?? What kind of response can be made to this!
Adam was a “TYPE” of Christ. And you are putting the TYPE in a higher order than the TRUE, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD?? Adam, a being created from dust?? Lucifer another created being?? My friend they are compared - 1 Cor 15:45-50
Yes Christ was dressed in sinful flesh but internally, in Spirit, He is the only begotten Son of God. His people are transformed into His Sonship. They are New Creatures elevated above Adam and angels through birth from Christ. They are true co-heirs with Christ period.
Kenny, if we are going to stick with the Bible, perhaps you could tell us where in the Bible you find that Adam was a "type of Christ."
If you cannot demonstrate that, the rest of your argument is beside the point.
I believe that Robert intended to point out that both Adam in Eden and Lucifer in heaven had an advantage over Jesus the human Son of God. Certainly Lucifer was of a "higher order" than humanity, and Adam, in his sinless state, had an advantage over Christ. Furthermore, we believe that Jesus Christ was both fully man and fully God. Thus He would have had the power of omnipotence at His disposal but He was not to use that for His own benefit. To use His omnipotence must have been a far greater temptation than any of us will ever face.
That said, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the way Robert's statement is worded, "If Jesus didn't demonstrate what Robert and Kenny can achieve "in this present world", He came in vain." I don't believe that any human being can achieve what Christ achieved in this present world, or we would not need Christ. However, Christ can live out the law of love in the believer, OR, as Paul put it, "in Christ" the believer can overcome. The key here is the "in Christ" and "Christ in us." It is only through complete identification with Christ - a complete surrendering of self to His Lordship - that we can live the life of Christ.
Rom 5:14
It is as the Son of God he "lived" and as Son of Man. Satan acknowledged him as the Son of God and he declared himself the Son of God and they killed him for blasphemy.
Kenny, you, Inge and I also can become the sons/daughters of God. (John 1:12, 13) If we do His will, we are His family. (Matt 12:50)
Inge, it would *seem* like Adam and Lucifer would have advantages over Christ. Physical advantages, yes. But each was properly and appropriately equipped for their test. Neither Adam nor Lucifer was bearing any infirmity. Both were created upright and perfect in form. Christ on the other hand was * bearing* the sins of the world. So Christ would be tried almost constantly. He would, therefore, be more highly equipped spiritually for His test. As the Son of God He knew and understood the Father infinitely better than Adam and Lucifer and He wisely submitted to the Father to do His will. He said the Son can only do what He sees the Father doing. So I would say Christ had a spiritual advantage.
With this logic, we are even better equipped than Jesus.(?) How did Jesus come to know about the Father? From the study of scriptures and observing nature, just as we can. Jesus was born as we are, without knowledge and needing to learn as He grew. It is said that Jesus "increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). He grew up as we must, having no advantage over anyone born in this world. His knowledge and wisdom can become ours, which He is willing to impart liberally.(James 1:5, Ps 119:97-104, etc)
Jesus did not come to this world with His infinite knowledge and wisdom available to exercise as a man, but He came fully as one of us, a child who needed to learn everything from the start. He learned as we must learn and grew and we grow, one day at a time. His equipping to meet His test was the same as that of Enoch, Joseph, Daniel, Job...etc.
Inge, as I shared with Kenny, Jesus invites us to follow Him. This means to live as He lived. We are told that when He appears, we will be like Him. Jesus' prayer was that we would be one with Him and the Father, whom He said we were to be as "perfect" as. Obviously this means in our sphere of influence and responsibility, not as God in keeping all creation in perfect motion. We are given the power to be "merciful, gracious, longsuffering, forgiving, and to live "soberly, righteously and Godly in this present world". Through His "exceeding precious promises" we are to become "partakers of the Divine Nature"!
How can this be?!! "With God all things are possible". 🙂
Robert, I don't disagree with the concept of being like Christ. Quite the contrary. I just thought your wording gave humanity more responsibility than we can handle. It is only "in Christ" that we can be perfect, as we allow Him to be Lord in our hearts. We do not do it with the Lord's "help." In fact, we cannot do it at all. Only Christ can. All we can do is to *choose* to give our will to Him day by day and moment by moment. "13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil 2:13)
This is the way Ellen White put it:
Exactly! By grace through faith! 🙂
Kenny, read again what I wrote, and realize what I am saying and NOT saying. Jesus lived in Nazareth. Adam lived in sinless, perfect Eden. So who had the "higher" advantage due to their surrounding environment? Was Adam being tempted to fight back with those who were taunting his illegitimate birth? Did the local leaders accuse Adam of rejecting their theories and shunning their teachings? Were others trying to get him to join in wrong activities(before Eve did)? The things Jesus faced as a child Adam never had to deal with during that sinless state before Eve wandered away.
And yes, Jesus was a man, Lucifer was the highest angel in all creation, and lived in the glorious presence of God, while Jesus lived in a poor home with a meager existence, while surrounded by the wicked environment of one of the most ill-reputed cities of His day.
Jesus was/is God, but that was all laid aside at His incarnation, and as one of us He faced the enemy of souls with all his evil angels along with all the human agents under his control. He simply lived by every Word that has proceeded from God.
What is the sum of this brief explanation? No one will have a more difficult life than the Son of God/man did for our sake, and yet He never sinned. He did this not by His own power(which was laid aside), but did it as we can, by faith in God through the power of the Holy Spirit. When He invites us to follow Him, He means live as He lived. This is a promise!