Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁵ The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— ¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Let’s go back to a foundation principle.

The knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve lived with God in the garden. That is the way God intended mankind to live. We know the rest of the story. Eve and Adam ate from the one tree God advised them to avoid, and yes, we know the rest of the story.

What was this tree? It provided mankind with knowing the difference between good and evil (pretty obvious if you think about it). Once mankind knew the difference, we were able to choose which way we went. Rats! Many of us, well, all of us, have spent much of our lives choosing the evil over the good. That is called sin. Afterwards, God provided his Son to cleanse us from that sin, cleanse us from choosing the evil over the good.

It is all pretty simple when you consider it. It is all pretty difficult to do on a daily basis, that is, choosing the good over the evil. The evil is so attractive on a short-term basis.

God, thanks for the cleansing power of the blood of Your Son.