In the book of Genesis, we know that Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil causing the subsequent damning of life on earth.
Firstly it’s powerful in itself how the actions of a human being can be the catalyst for sub-reactions of all other life on earth; plant life (“Cursed is the ground because of you…” Genesis 3:17) and animal life (The first shedding of blood on earth came from an innocent animal, Genesis 3:21) but that is an entirely different topic. In this article, the focus is entirely on the point of this passage in scripture (Genesis 2 & 3).
A lot of people assumed that if Eve didn’t eat from the tree that all of humanity would be living in perfect peace perhaps even up until now. That the tree was cursed therefore with her eating from the tree, she cursed herself. But if you really examine scripture, the tree was called the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17), so how can it be a totally bad thing? I think it is also interesting to note here that it is the same number (17) labelling the warning of the curse in Genesis 2 then in the next chapter the same number (17) is them receiving the promised curse from the aforementioned warning. One of the beauties of this powerful book is just how intentional and accurate it was written.
The tree in scripture tends to represent people or personalities as an extension. Fruit in scripture often represents work or deeds. Therefore the tree with its fruit represents the work / deeds of a person / personality. The Lord was intentional in setting up rule that one must not eat of this tree and re-enforced the fact that they will die as to strike a fear in the two, however, where things get interesting is when satan is fully introduced in this book. Immediately, satan makes his character or personality known; he wastes no time in his number one intent of opposing God (“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? Genesis 3:1) Please take note of the numbering of these verses as numerology plays a pivotal role in scripture.
“You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). The flaw was that Eve not only succumbed to temptation but she was seduced by an entirely different voice (satan) than of the voice (God) who told her the opposite of what this new voice (satan) told her to do. Eve’s sin was not nearly just eating the fruit from this tree, but truly because she followed the voice of a stranger who told her the entire opposite of her creator, BELIEVED in the voice without knowledge of it and consumed the fruit of this voice. Eve, I am led to believe, doubted God’s warning that she would die if she ate from it the moment she heard (lack of faith; no fear of God) in which satan played her entirely on the fact, then he went the extra step and pushed her over the edge by putting her own lust of her eyes in the confines of her own will and desire for satisfaction for her own flesh; the perfect setup in the most perfect place… “and she did ate and gave also to her husband Adam”(Genesis 3:6) Notice once again the numbering of these verses! Let one who has wisdom come to an understanding…
When the Lord searched for them in the cool of the day and they responded to Him, notice the first things the Lord asked. “Where are you?” and “Who told you that you were naked” by that he knew exactly what they had done and what satan had done. Not withstanding that the Lord is omnipotent but for the future reader’s sake, these words were pivotal coming from God. “Where are you?” signified the separation that the sin caused and the lost of The Holy Spirit. “Who told you that you were naked…” bares the responsibility of a clean confession; an uncovering of their sins. Mankind’s sin had nothing much to do with eating a literal fruit as it was blatant disobedience to the Most High God, fueled by lack of faith and fear of God.
Every human being has an innate desire for power which, ironically, was given to them freely by God (Psalms 8:6) yet snatched away by satan. Aren’t we then all guilty of this very same thing? Haven’t we all then have partaken in satan’s fruits of this world only to have all of our strength and power taken from us in such an unfair exchange?
When Eve consumed the fruit, she bore sin and sin is a spiritual death, that eventually leads to physical death. This is why the Christ, Jesus said, “…I have come so that they will have life and life abundantly” (John 10:10). He restored back to us the power we lost in that garden that day, that power being the Holy Spirit, the same power that was given to us when God “breathed life into man’s nostrils” (Genesis 2:7). That same power that raised Jesus from the dead will in turn, raise us up out of our iniquities that is condemnable to death to a glorious new life, a life found in Christ.
“Obedience is greater than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). To worship God is to obey God, full faith, full hope and full love. To disobey God and worship self is the worship of satan; the entire opposite. Satan disguises worship to him as it is service to us.
Selah
The Searching Poet 
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