Two Special Trees

Dear Boys and Girls,

We are going to be thinking today of two very special trees. One is called the“tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, and the other is called the “tree of life”.

Do you know where we read of these trees? That's right – in the Bible. They were both planted by God in the Garden of Eden, and they were there for a very good reason.

Let's take the first one mentioned,“the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. God has told Adam that he was not allowed to eat the fruit of this tree. He wanted to test Adam's love and obedience to Him, and God warned Adam that if he disobeyed, he would surely die. Now Satan – the Devil – wanted to do something against God, and so, he used this as his chance.

He put himself in the form of a serpent and came to Eve, Adam's wife, and tempted her to eat some fruit of this Tree. She looked at the fruit, picked some of it, then ate it. She also gave Adam some, and he ate it too. Adam had disobeyed God's command, and by eating the fruit he had committed the first of many many sins against God.

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they were ashamed, and tried to hide from God! They became sinners, and God must punish sin, so Adam and Eve were punished. They were put out of the Garden, and God's warning about dying came to pass.

This dreadful punishment was not only for Adam and Eve alone. Adam was acting for all mankind, and every one is just as much to blame for this first sin as if each one of us had been there. Because of this sin, the way to the other tree –“The Tree of Life” – was now barred. This meant that people were now separated from God. However, God in His mercy, did not leave us without hope. He gave a wonderful promise of a Saviour who would save us from our sins. That Saviour is Jesus Christ who said,“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”. Jesus is the Way.