There are some well-known living trees in the world today. Consider this list: (1) The General Sherman. It is a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) located in Sequoia National Park in California. It is reported to be, by volume, the largest single-stem tree in the world. Its height is 274.9 feet. Its circumference at ground is 102.6 feet (The General Sherman Tree, nps.gov). (2) The Hyperion. It is a Coastal Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) located in Redwood National Park in California. It is reported to be the tallest tree in the world. Its height is 380.8 feet. Its diameter is about 16.2 feet or about 50.9 feet in circumference (Tallest Tree Living, guinessworldrecords.com). (3) The Methuselah Tree. It is a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus Longaeva) located in the Inyo National Forest in eastern California. It is believed to be the oldest living tree, over 4,700 years old (Methuselah, a Bristlecone Pine is Thought to be the Oldest Living Organism on Earth, usda.gov). (4) The Great Banyon Tree of India. it is a Banyon Tree (Ficus Benghalensis) located in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose India Botanic Garden in Howrah, India (near Kolkata). This multi-trunk tree spreads over more than 4.6 acres (Story of the Great Banyon, World’s Largest Banyan Tree, timesofidia.com). (5) The Big Tree at Goose Island. It is a Virginia Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) located in Goose Island State Park near Rockport, Texas. Its height is 44 feet. Its circumference is about 36 feet. Its spread is about 90 feet (The Big Tree at Goose Island State Park by Eva Frederick, tpwmagazine.com). This tree is estimated to be over 1,000 years old (The Big Tree at Goose Island State Park to Receive Special Care, Feb. 08, 2016, by Katy Schaffer, tpwd.texas.gov).

Two special trees are mentioned in the Garden of Eden. These are known by name to Bible Students. Let’s notice.

The Tree of Life

“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” (Genesis 2:9).

What do we know about the Tree of Life? It had healing or regenerative benefits to man (Genesis 3:22; Revelation 22:1-2). There are some plants that have beneficial properties [Aloe Vera is beneficial in treating burns and is anti-inflammatory. Ginger is thought to help with digestion, nausea relief, and to be anti-inflammatory. Lavender is thought to have a calming effect. Willow bark contains a chemical called Salicin and has similar effects as aspirin. It helps with pain and fever. Eucalyptus is used to help with respiratory problems and seems to reduce inflammation. Peppermint is anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. Hikers sometime chew peppermint before drinking from a stream in order to reduce harmful microbes. These are some of the many beneficial plants which our Creator provided]. However, one could “live forever” by eating from this tree. Man lost access to this tree due to sin (Genesis 3:22-24).

In the book of Revelation, those who overcome will have access to the Tree of Life (Revelation 2:7; 22:1-2). Overcome what? Here are some things that we are to overcome: (1) The world (1 John 5:4-5); (2) The wicked one (1 John 2:13-14); (3) Self (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:27). How can we overcome? The answer is found in the blood of Christ and our faith (Revelation 12:11 cf. 7:13-14; 1 John 5:4). Eternal life is possible.

The Tree of Life is used as a comparison in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom (Proverbs 3:13 cf. 3:18), righteousness (Proverbs 11:30) and a wholesome tongue (Proverbs 15:4) are compared to the Tree of Life. These things have life and healing properties in them.

The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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 surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Why did God create this tree and then tell man not to eat? (1) The tree may have been beneficial to man in other ways. It may have provided shade. It may have provided beauty to the garden. (2) It provided a test of faith. Would they trust God? Would they trust Him even when they did not understand why. (3) It provided a test of wills. Would God’s will or man’s will rule? That is, would man submit to God? Would man allow God to be God, or would man seek to be his own God?

Why was this tree called The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? (1) Some think that mankind did not know the difference between right and wrong before they ate. But this can’t be. They knew that they were not to eat (Genesis 3:1-3). (2) Some think that they did not fully know the difference between good and evil before they ate. That is, they did not understand the consequences of disobeying God, as they would. This is a possible explanation. (3) This has to do with man trying to be like God. “As the serpent correctly noted, ‘knowing good and evil’ (Genesis 3:5, B.H.) can also mean being the one who determines what is good and what is evil. That is what is meant in this verse (Genesis 3:22 B.H.) by ‘man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil'” (Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Genesis, p. 59). I believe this is the meaning of the tree’s name. (There may also be some irony and sarcasm in the words of Genesis 3:22. They clearly were not like God in every sense).

You know the rest of the story. The serpent tempted Eve in three ways (The same three ways that we are tempted): (1) The Lust of the Flesh = good for food; (2) The Lust of the Eyes = pleasant to the eyes; (3) The Pride of Life = desirable to make one wise and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5-6 cf. 1 John 2:15-17). Both Eve and Adam ate. Far from being equal with God, following their sin, Adam and Eve were afraid and tried to hide from God (Genesis 3:6-10). They were cast out of the garden and cut-off from The Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24).

Questions for us:

1. Do we trust God, or do we think that he is keeping us from something good?
2. Who determines good and evil in our lives? Is it God, or do we?