Daily Question Jan 16

Why does the account emphasize knowledge? According to Legaspi, what sort of knowledge is communicated by eating of “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad”? And should it be eating? Why not touching or looking at some special object? Why a tree from which you eat? Yes, it is an act of disobedience, but how else can we describe the failure of Eve and Adam? Does this act make Adam and Eve more god-like? Less? Both? Why might it be merciful that God banishes them from the Garden?

This creation account in Genesis 2-3 emphasizes knowledge by that being the natural result of eating of the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil which is central to the narrative. According to Michael Legaspi, the specific type of knowledge conveyed from eating of the tree is essentially the ability “to pronounce on the propriety and ultimate value of things,” which is a “right [which] belongs to God.” In other words, it’s to subjectively judge things in terms of good and evil, such as seeing nudity as shameful nakedness. This type of judgment is similar to how in Genesis 1, God judged his creation as good, which would imply that eating of the tree made Adam and Eve more god-like. However, I think the distinction of Adam and Eve eating from the tree rather than simply touching or looking at something tells a different story, because of what the act of eating symbolizes. In the creation account in Genesis 1, God was characterized as one who creates and orders things, and by giving dominion over his creation to mankind, which he made in his image and likeness, the implication is that we too should create and order things. The act of eating, though, is neither of these, but rather the opposite: consumption. Thus, by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve not only explicitly disobey God, but they act in a way which goes against the godly image they were made in, to make and order things. In some respect, one could argue that the act of Adam and Eve choosing to eat the fruit, regardless of what they were told, is a god-like action in and of itself because they were exercising sovereignty and free choice over their own actions and seeking knowledge. Nevertheless, because of the imperfection of disobedience and the act of consumption which defies the godly notion of making, I believe eating the fruit ultimately makes Adam and Eve less god-like, warranting their banishment from the Garden of Eden. The banishment, however, can be seen as an act of mercy, as a merciful God would not want mankind to seek the Tree of Life after gaining the quality of knowledge of good and evil. What use, after all, would immortality provide after the fall into a state of sin? It seems to me it would lock man into an eternal life of sin, suffering, and anguish. By banishing Adam and Eve, God leaves the door open for a later chapter of salvation through faith which could restore the unity of man and God without the barrier of sin.