#9 "Significant Trees"

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east and there he put the man whom he had formed. And of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2: 8&9 ESV

Eden is best described as lush or an oasis. God has given his creatures everything they need in the garden. There are also two trees that are singled out, and I have heard some theologians describe as figurative and symbolic to the story. This does not seem to flow with the literal impressions of trees in the same verses. Does this mean that the trees that were pleasant to the sight are symbolically producing a figurative food. Is the whole story just a parable because God felt that it would be more fun to tell it this way. I don't think so. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are two actual trees. They do carry huge symbolic importance, but here in Eden they are real trees that Adam and Eve could see and eat from.

The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil seems very much like a test for man. When humans are involved in intimacy, in Biblical terms it is said, "and he knew his wife." To eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would give Adam an intimate knowledge of sin, from the act of disobeying God's command.

The tree of life, in the midst of the garden, was also visible to them but not forbidden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a visible representation of man's free will. You could not eat of this tree and then the tree of life; disobedience would result in bondage to the one and being cut off from the other. You and all of creation were now dying, and the tree of life is now forbidden.