There Were Two Trees

Genesis 2: 9, And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NKJV

Did you know that the Bible says the Lord surrounds Himself in thick darkness? This might sound odd or puzzling considering that God is light, but it means He hides Himself behind a shroud of mystery. It is our delight to search out the Lord and discover, through intimacy, the mysterious ways of God. As Christians, our knowledge of God is very small in comparison to who God really is in all His splendor and might. Isaiah tells us that there is no one who can fathom His understanding. No one can figure God out through human reasoning or logic; yet, Jesus tells us that He reveals His secrets to small babes. Through obedient faith, we can receive understanding of God's ways and His wisdom through the Holy Spirit.

For instance, did you ever stop to think that there was another tree in the garden besides the tree of knowledge? So, why do we dwell more on the forbidden tree than we do on the Tree of Life? Could it be that we relate more with that tree because of what it has cost us...or, more importantly, what it cost our Savior and Lord? Why don't we take more thought to the Tree of Life, and why didn't Adam and Eve partake of it instead of the forbidden tree? Look at from this view; Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, but were obviously drawn more to the tree of knowledge than the Tree of Life. The reason is very simple, God created them as living souls who didn't possess the Spirit of God. He created them with a void that could only be filled with His presence, but "they" had to make the choice to fill the void with His presence. 

God commanded Adam not to partake of the forbidden fruit, but there was one little problem.  Adam was a "living soul", and Paul tells us in Romans 7 that the Law of God is "spiritual". This is why the Jews could never "keep the law" as a way to please God, but Jesus, "through obedience" was able to fulfill the law completely. They were soulish, but Jesus was a life-giving Spirit. So why did God command soulish man to keep a spiritual law? Now you can see where the Lord is leading us. Had Adam and Eve desired to partake of God's divine nature, they would have eaten of the Tree of Life first; instead, they chose to ignore that tree. Satan intentionally drew Eve's attention away from the Tree of Life and caused her to fixate on the carnal tree. God also said that if Adam and Eve were to have eaten from the Tree of Life after the fall (they sinned), then they would have lived in that fallen state forever. Now we can blame Adam and Eve all we want, but the truth is we, who are in Christ still struggle with fleshly desires that champion for our attention and cause us to ignore our fellowship with Jesus. We have a family to raise, a career to fuel, and the excuses just keep piling up. Instead of giving excuses, God wants us to hunger and thirst for Him first. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the other things listed will follow us.

In order to fulfill Jesus' command, to seek the Kingdom and His righteousness first, we will be required to walk by faith; it will also place our carnal desires way down the line. But here's the really good part. If we will seek Christ first and do His will over our own desires, then He has promised to reveal Himself to us. This is called becoming partakers of His divine nature. The eleven disciples who remained with Jesus until His ascension into heaven knew more things about Him and were stronger disciples than the other seventy (also handpicked by Jesus) that left Him after a season.

Proverbs 25: 2, It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. NKJV

If we will allow a hunger for God and His wisdom to develop in our hearts to the point that we will seek Him in the darkness, then He will reward us with revelations that will give a deeper understanding to us concerning His Word (Jesus). The last book of the Bible is you guessed it, the Revelation of Christ. Paul tells us in Ephesians that God has hidden wisdom that has been held back from past generations, and it will be released to us for our glory. Only when we partake of His divine nature, through faith, will we be able to contain the glory of God. Does this cost us much? It will only cost us our carnal nature, because God will share His glory with no man. Perhaps this explains why so many are comfortable with knowing the basics instead of getting to know the One who has redeemed us. Jesus tells us that, in order to become His disciples, we must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him. What has the Lord asked you to give up in order to be filled with more of Him? There's something greater on the other side of that cross. Glory!

Hungry for More,
Pastor Asa