The trees in the Garden

Genesis 3:1 to 15 Ezekiel 28:11 to 19
This is a foundational chapter - chapter 3, it is linked to Chapter 2 verse 9, God had planted the trees and in verse 16 Man was forbidden to eat from it on pain of dying. The Bible makes no sense unless we understand Genesis and where we came from. The world was created in pristine beauty but it is no longer like that - there are disasters, disease, death and suffering - crime, broken homes and so on. What has gone wrong with the Paradise God created? The only reasonable explanation is Genesis 3. Sin came into the world and ruined everything. We can understand why the world is as it is. It is not myth or poetry, it is recorded fact.
A. The trees
1. It is about 2 particular trees. Man is the pinnacle of God's creation. He is in a garden full of nourishment, indescribably beautiful, it is perfect. God gas given the man and woman everything they need - an ideal climate, plenty of food, everything was perfect. Adam was busy keeping the garden. There were no tears, envy, disease or death. There in the middle of the garden were 2 particular trees. The tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Prominent. They were there to keep them in the mind of God, their position depended on God.
a) The tree of life - the best joys of life (Jewish). It had fruit, it promised life, it symbolised life and promised life to those who obeyed God. It was nothing special but it promised life and blessing to God's people. It symbolised eternal life.
b) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil . It looked good, it also had fruit (if unknown to us). It was attractive, good. It was not unpleasant or poisonous but to eat it gave the knowledge of evil. They only knew good they had no reason to doubt God, disobedience was inexcusable. It symbolised God's commitment to to do good for Adam and Eve, it bound God to mankind in a covenant of life and death. Adam was in the Garden on probation. If Adam obeyed, he lived with God forever. If he disobeyed he died. Adam and Eve saw the tree everyday. It was a test that made them accountable to God. Moral responsibility is a principle God under girded the world with. We play with it at our peril. If we warn children of the dangers of fire this is an act of love. God warns us of the dangers of sin and its consequences - hell, as an act of love, not hatred.
2. The test was a reasonable test.
There was no multiplicity of issues, no confusion. They were not given lots of rules, only one rule. There was one thing. It is possible for us all to remember, Adam and Eve had no excuse. All the other trees were available and Adam and Eve had no excuse, all they had to do was obey. There was nothing to make them discontented, yet they still disobeyed. It tell us that the idea that a bad environment causes us to sin is wrong. Adam and Eve had a perfect environment. We have better homes, health care, education, we have so much to make us better people yet we have so much hurt and heartache and unhappiness. This is all despite a better environment. Adam and Eve had a perfect environment yet they still sinned. We do wrong because there is something wrong inside . Unless we are regenerated - that is our hearts and wills are changed, we cannot obey God as he commands us to.
3. It was a probationary test
It tested man's obedience. It was God's first command. We do not know how much time had passed. Probation officers set a task for a prisoner on parole, they have to appear at set times. The command not to eat was probation. Adam and Eve had to decide who had authority, God or themselves. Eve put her own experience before God's command and she went astray. She relied on herself and did not allow God to decide what was wrong. Self determination is how people live today. That is why we have evil today. Self gratification leads to sin. A merciful God could not allow them to live forever in sin and corruption.
4. The tree was a probationary test with a penalty for disobedience.
They would die spiritually - they had offended God and were separated from God, they would go to Hell and begin to die, they would know death and decay. It was like a house bombed from above with the floors eventually collapsing and condemned to ruin. The tree of the knowledge of good and evils something we all know today - enticement to sin, the pangs of a guilty conscience because our original parents did that, there is no more up to date chapter. The terrible evil in the world today is a consequence of this. Jeremiah 17 tells us the hearts of men are desperately evil above all things.
The tree of life symbolised how men lived an ideal life, the moment they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they began to know evil.
B The serpent.
Serpent means 'shining one'. It was noticable to Eve. Today people have a horror of snakes but they are amazing creatures. They are smooth and stealthy. The passage tells us it was crafty, it was fascinating to Eve. The snake has a reputation for cunning and stealth because it was an agent in Satan's hands, it had been taken over by the ultimate evil - Satan, as Satan entered into Judas Iscariot and Legion. Satan used a snake to carry out his subtle plan. He had no venom because the world was perfect. So Eve was not afraid. The only unusual thing was that it spoke.
c. Conclusion
We have two people, 2 trees and a tempter. Where does evil come from? The Bible tells us little of Satan's origins. In John 8 and Ezekiel 28, we are told Satan was once a bright, high ranking angel. Satan rebelled against God and was thrown out of Heaven by God. God has not told us everything. Some things we do not need to know, we need to keep sincere devotion to Christ. Animals do not speak, Eve does not seem concerned about this and entered into a conversation with him. When everything is going well in our lives beware! Be careful because Satan will tempt is when our guard is dropped. We do not know the consequences of of our sin, the consequences of disobeying God are horrendous, too awful to contemplate. Beware when we think we are standing lest we fall. It is too easy to say "I could not help it", it is far more difficult to say "get behind me Satan". Satan is limited. God gives us power to resist Satan and obey God.