God told man whom He created, that they could freely eat of every tree in the garden He had prepared for them. But there were two trees in the middle of the garden that were special.—The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life would cause them to live forever and the tree of knowledge would kill them. Why did God even put the tree of knowledge in the garden?
As time went on we see that God always had man set something apart for Himself—something they were to leave alone. In the garden it was the tree of knowledge. They were supposed to set that aside for the Lord. Later on it was the tithe, the Sabbaths, and even fasting. When we set these things aside to the Lord as holy we are honoring Him, making room for Him in our midst.
Jesus was called Emmanuel which means God with us. He said His disciples didn’t need to fast while He was with them in the earth but after He left they would fast often. Somehow, by setting aside a portion of our food (fasting), our income (tithe), our time & our land (Sabbaths), we are welcoming God’s presence among us. We are making room for Him by not filling up every bit of our lives with ourselves.
In the garden after they ate of the tree of knowledge they hid from God the next time they heard Him coming. He asked where they were. They had consumed that which gave Him space in their midst and the absence of His presence brought fear, shame and confusion. When God found them He enlightened them as to what had happened as a result of their sin and then He made coats of skins—causing an animal to be sacrificed—to clothe them. This first temporary atonement was given even before the Law of Moses was instituted. These animal sacrifices were a temporary covering of sin until the Son of God would come and offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for mankind. Now, as we individually receive the sacrifice of Jesus as the atonement for our own sin, our consciences are purged, we are cleansed from sin and the presence of God comes into our life. And He said He would never leave us or abandon us!
Genesis 3:22, Genesis 2:17, Mark 2:19-20, Leviticus 27:30, Exodus 31:13-17, Exodus 23:10-12, Genesis 3:7-21, Leviticus 17, Hebrews 9:11-28, Hebrews 10, Hebrews 13:15, Hebrews 13:5
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