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Pastor Wade Burleson




Between Two Trees

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Genesis 2:8-17 (KJV)
  1. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  2. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  3. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
  4. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
  5. And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
  6. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
  7. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
  8. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
  9. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
  10. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

"Between Two Trees"

Genesis 2:8-17

Every human being is faced with difficult choices in life. The ultimate choice for each of us is whether to obey God. In the Garden of Eden, the first man was faced with this choice. Eden was a real garden, and not simply a Hebrew legend, because,

  1. The directions given, "eastward" (v.8)
  2. The description given, "and there went out a river from Eden" (v. 10)
  3. The declaration given, "God put man in the garden to keep it" (v.15).

God's commandment to Adam was "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat -- except one." God was saying, "Enjoy life, but remember: I am the source of your happiness." There are two trees mentioned by name in the Garden. The first tree mentioned is "the tree of life" (v.9). This tree represents wisdom or "God's way" (as in Proverbs 3:18; Revelation 2:7). The second tree is "the knowledge of good and evil" which represents "my way." There are many synonyms for sin, but in short, sin is choosing my way over God's way.

  1. The Contrast Between the Two Trees . . .
    Throughout this comparison, God's way is the first tree; my way is the second tree.
    1. The first tree and the second tree are both in the middle of the Garden.
      "The tree of life in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge" (v.9). Life can never be lived without having to make a choice to follow God's way, and the will of God regarding how to live your life is revealed very clearly.
    2. The first tree does not always look as beautiful as the second tree.
      "When Eve saw the tree was good . . . and pleasant to the eyes" (3:6).
    3. Satan uses every means possible to get you to eat of the second tree, and even more means to keep you from eating of the first tree.
      "And the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die'" (3:4). Satan works overtime to convince you God's way is simply designed to keep you from joy and happiness. "There is nothing wrong with doing it your way!"
    4. There are consequences that flow from the eating of the fruit of both trees.
      Understanding the consequences of the choices you make will help you choose.
  2. The Choice Between the Two Trees . . .
    It is a great thing when my desires match God's desires, but in those times when what I want does not match up with what God desires, which course will I take?
    1. The first tree brings rest, the second tree leads to turmoil . . .
      "The way of the transgressors is hard" (Proverbs 13:15), but Christ's yoke is easy.
    2. The first tree is ultimately sweet, but the second tree is ultimately bitter.
      There is an excellent type of this in Exodus 15:23-25. Israel's rebellion led to bitterness, but "the tree" thrown into the water turn them sweet.
    3. The first tree leads to blessing, the second tree leads to a curse.
      "Because thou hast eaten of the tree . . . cursed is the ground for thy sake" (3:17).
    4. The first tree leads to life, the second tree leads to death.
      Ultimately, the evidence that Jesus Christ has made a difference in your life is that you come to the place where you obey his commandments as Lord. "He that says, I know Christ, but keeps not his commandments is a liar" (I John 2:4).



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Pastor Wade

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