Does God Tempt Mankind?
Why Did God Plant The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good and Evil?

Date: December 3, 2003-P.M.-(Wednesday Evening Devotional)
Speaker: Dennis Gruening
Main Scripture References: Genesis 2:9, 16-17; Genesis 3:1-6; James 1:13-15; John 8:44

Every once in awhile someone might ask a Bible-related question which really makes you think.  Some time ago, I was discussing with a friend the topic of how sin entered the world.  We talked about the fact that Adam and Eve sinned when they transgressed God’s prohibition against eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  We also talked a little about temptation and the fact that James 1:13 says that God doesn’t tempt anyone to commit sin. Then my friend asked, “If God doesn’t tempt us to sin, then why did He plant the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden in the first place?  Wasn’t this putting temptation before Adam and Eve?”

Any question which sends you to your Bible is a good one, and even after several years, I still think this is a good question; one requiring far more study than might be apparent at first.  On the surface, the answer is simple:  since the Bible states clearly that God does not tempt anyone to commit sin, it must be the case that God was NOT putting temptation before Adam and Eve in the garden by planting the tree there.  Frequently, though, this kind of Bible answer is not enough for some people.

Even though this story is familiar to us, it might be helpful to notice a few points.  In Genesis 2:9, we read the following:  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

First of all, notice Gods commandment to Adam after He had placed him in the garden (Genesis 2:16-17) – And the LORD God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God put before Adam two choices—he was to choose between DOING WHAT GOD SAID or NOT doing what God said.  Here is the first instance in the Bible where man’s freedom of choice can be observed.  Even BEFORE Adam and Eve had eaten of that forbidden fruit and gained the knowledge of good and evil, God presented man with a choice—a very simple choice; the only choice that really matters—OBEY GOD OR DISOBEY GOD!  No moral dilemmas; no gray areas; simple obedience or disobedience.  No question of “is eating this forbidden fruit a good thing or an evil thing?”  Simply “obey God, or disobey God and be punished.” 

I think it’s interesting that the Genesis record in regard to God’s initial dealings with Adam and Eve doesn’t record any other commandment that’s linked with punishment.  If you look at this in simple terms, apparently the only thing that Adam and Eve were prohibited from doing was eating the fruit of this tree!  They had no knowledge of good and evil, so their first inclination would be to do what God said, and this brings us to the root of our question.

God did not plant the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as a source of temptation.  He planted it as a choice toward obedience—with punishment clearly spelled out for disobedience.  No, God did not tempt Adam and Eve (thereby causing sin to enter the world), but who did?  Satan!

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the  eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:1-6).

Let’s be very clear about what REALLY happened here.  Satan lied to Eve, telling her that the punishment for disobedience to God would NOT happen.  Eve had a choice to make—she could believe God or she could believe this serpent.  The question is—why in the world did she believe this serpent over God?  The answer goes back to James 1:13 and the verses following, where we noted that God does NOT tempt anyone to sin—Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man; But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:13-15).

Eve had a choice to make, and as these words from James teach us, it was not God Who tempted her to sin, but it was Eve who allowed her own lust to entice her into believing the words of Satan over the Words of God.  Eve, in this one tale of the advent of sin, demonstrated the sad Truth of what happens when the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” [1 John 2:16] causes one to be drawn away and enticed; when one believes a lie because the lie is more attractive in a worldly way than is the Truth.

Did the fruit of the tree that God planted become a temptation? Yes.  Was the tree planted by God AS a temptation [Did God plant the tree for the purpose of being a temptation?]?  NO!  The responsibility for the fruit becoming a temptation lies with Satan and Satan alone.  The responsibility for the eating of the fruit, thus bringing sin into the world, lies with Eve, and then with Adam.  Eve could easily have said, “No, serpent.  I believe God.  I am tempted to eat this fruit, but I will overcome that temptation.  I will not eat. Go away!”

Asking “Why did God plant the tree?” is the wrong question to ask.  What we should be asking is: “Why does the world allow Satan to have free reign?”  “Why do people continue to believe his lies?”  “Why do people continue to believe that there is no punishment for disobeying God?”

Since the time of Adam and Eve’s transgression, sin has been in the world.  Since that time, mankind has had knowledge of what is good and what is evil, but the choices we have to make are exactly the same as they were then—obey God and someday obtain renewed access to the tree of life—or disobey God and receive the punishment for disobedience—“thou shalt surely die”—eternal punishment and separation from God.

No, God did not plant the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden to tempt Adam and Eve.  Remember—the fact that the tree was in the garden was not a problem until SATAN MADE IT A PROBLEM.  Satan is still causing the same kinds of problems today.  Don’t believe him.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the Truth, because there is no Truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).

The essential point is this—BELIEVE GOD, OBEY GOD, AND LIVE!