by Shannon Rayford

Created on: June 18, 2008   Last Updated: April 03, 2009

"You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die" (Genesis 3:3) Is this truly a temptation or is it a warning? The word temptation implies that God has made eating from the tree look desirable in order to coax Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, but in actuality God does the opposite. He tries to make the fruit look unappealing by telling them they will die. When many people think of the story of Adam and Eve and the temptation in the Garden of Eden they make the mistake of looking at God, rather than Satan as the tempter.

Some may wonder if God was not tempting Adam and Eve then why did He put the tree in the Garden. The reason is He was giving Adam and Eve free will. He wanted them to be loyal and faithful to Him, but He could not do that if they were not given the choice to be disloyal and unfaithful.

Take the placement of the tree. Notice it is in the middle of the garden. Why is this significant? The middle is considered a neutral place. If the tree would have been in the outskirts of the Garden, then it would have been too easy for Adam and Eve to ignore the tree and not attempt to eat the fruit. Think of a parent teaching a child how to drive. They warn them of the dangers of driving, but still they allow them to drive alone. Are they tempting their child by letting them get behind the wheel?

We must also take into account that God placed plenty of trees in the Garden that would not harm Adam and Eve and only one that would. If God had placed many forbidden trees in the garden, but only one tree they could eat from, then He would have made eating the fruit too tempting. Take the driving example I used previously. A parent tells their child not to drink and drive, but would they leave alcohol in the car and all around the house. If so, how would they expect the child not to be tempted?

God is a Parent, not a tempter. In the Garden of Eden, He has given a perfect example of how a parent should teach their children. First, He gave them direction - Do not eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden. Then, a reason for those directions that Adam and Eve believed and feared - You will surely die. When a parent wants their child to refrain from doing something, "because I said so" is not a good enough reason. The reasoning must be true. If you tell a child if he/she doesn't clean their room, then you are going to throw everything away. The child knows the parent will not follow through with throwing

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