“Good And Evil”

And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Genesis 2:16-17

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:1-8

Choice often allows a wider variety of options, and it also must allow the person to reject the choices.

Adam and Eve were in the best possible environment. God had given them freedom to eat of all the trees in Eden. He drew the boundary around only one tree! They had a choice, and it should have been a no brainer to choose wisely. But their choice was tragic.

God gives us a choice, just as He did Adam and Eve. God draws boundary lines, but they are for our protection. David knew that he would be stronger than his enemies if he followed the commandments of God. Have you restrained your feet from every evil way, so that you may keep God’s Word? God cares so much about us that He gives us boundary lines to that we will choose what is right.

God’s commandments were given to fulfill us, not to frustrate us. Do you know the difference between good and evil?

Our Daily Bread – July 2, 2009