What is the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Does it really give us the immediate ability to choose between good and evil and/or tell the difference between the two? Remember the serpent serves it up as something that is able to give us wisdom, open our eyes, and make us a God able to know the difference. But does that really give us that ability? Maybe it does make us a God able to do so, for it says:
John 10:34 “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” Psalm 82:6 “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
Isaiah 41:23-24 “Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.”
But simply being a god (Hebrew word elohiym) does not automatically give us the ability to know the LORD God (Hebew Yahwey elohiym).
Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
So how is it that we can call evil good and good evil? What is something we think is good, but really is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”? Can it be that tree of knowledge? And can that knowledge be the “light” that is actually darkness?
Matthew 6:23 “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
What is a light that produces darkness? And how can that light actually deceive us into thinking that knowing good and evil will somehow save us? Remember Isaiah 41:23&24 above. We are God and able to know good from evil, yet we are NOTHING and our work NOTHING.
Luke 16:15 “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
Here is says that the things highly esteemed among men (i.e. doing good, acting well, hard work, being good, “good”, etc.), are an abomination in the sight of God. WHAT? All that matters is what is in your heart?
Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
And the mouth shows what is in the heart.
James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”
But look closely here. The mouth shows what the heart contains. And we can only “bridle” our tongue for so long. Sooner or later we speak what in in our heart. The tongue cannot be tamed, maybe bridled for a minute, but never tamed (see James 3:8). The heart is deceived when our religion (belief) is vain, empty (see Jer 2:13). What in in your heart? Look closely…