History’s Most Misunderstood Tree
What is the most beautiful tree in creation? From the beginning, one tree stood out. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Surprisingly, few people gravitate to this tree. Rather, they view it as an unwelcome interloper in an otherwise pristine garden of Eden, a sinister weed with the power to rain doom on humanity. “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” declares the Lord God (Genesis 2:17).
And yet, on closer inspection, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil inspires awe. What makes it special is the divine prohibition against its fruit: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Genesis 2:16–17). Alone among the trees of the first orchard, it presents humans with an option: either they can refuse its fruit, or they can eat its fruit. By refusing, they obey God. By eating, they disobey….
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