Genesis 2:16-17 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
This first commandment God gave to man is a single prohibition prefaced by a few thousand yeses.1 While the command requires a restraint on appetite, it addresses so much more than that. Out of all the super-abundance of the new beautiful world, God reserved one tree. Would mankind love and respect God enough to trust and obey this one simple limitation? Would they believe His word enough to obey even when God's command contradicted their senses and their logic? The same test comes to us today. Often what God prohibits or enjoins makes no sense to us. Sometimes it seems unreasonable, or even impossible. How will you respond? Will you trust God and take Him at His word?
The text specifies that “God commanded the man,” and coming as it does before the account of Eve’s creation this strongly suggests that God gave these instructions to the male half of humanity, along with the weighty responsibility of conveying the message to his wife. In this sense, God made Adam the first preacher and a spiritual administrator. Sharing God’s Word with his spouse would further cement it in his own mind. The same is true today. What are you doing to share God’s Word with your family and social circle?
One more thought. God gave clear warning that disobedience to His command inevitably results in death (Romans 6:23). Do not eat of the forbidden tree or you will surely die. This command presents the same truth echoed centuries later by Moses and again by Christ: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4). How seriously do you take the Word of God? Your very life depends on how you answer.
1 A study from Purdue University estimates the total number of tree species in the world today at 73,300, so I think several thousand varieties of fruit trees is a safe guess. Taking into account a perfect world and our generous God, a few thousand varieties is actually quite conservative.↩ >
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