The Kogae Tree
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [Genesis 2:8-9].
We take from those two verses a contrast between three categories of trees. First there was "every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food". Such trees, indeed, would be suitable in a "garden". Am I not right?
The second and third categories of trees were not just planted in the garden: they were "in the midst of the garden". The centrality of these two trees to man's environment meant they took center stage in the life of Adam and Eve.
Okay. Then what were the two trees around which the life of man and woman revolved? There was the "tree of life", and there was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil". For brevity's sake I created an acronym for that last named tree. I call it the kogae tree, i.e., Knowledge Of Good And Evil tree.
Hmm. Just what is a kogae tree anyway? One clue we have for deciphering it is the contrast it has with the life tree. The life tree, if we employ the definitions of the two words, would be a tree which bestows life to those who eat its fruit. It wouldn't seem to be much of a stretch, then, to suggest the kogae tree bestowed death to those who ate its fruit.
Why did death result from eating the fruit of the kogae tree? Well, it's like this. The Hebrew word for "knowledge" in the phrase "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" doesn't simply mean "information". The Hebrew word refers to experiential knowledge, knowledge we obtain by experiencing something.
The knowledge gained by eating the fruit of the kogae tree was to experience the reality of good and evil. The Lord God forbade man to eat the fruit of this tree. By eating it man disobeyed the Word of God. This is known as sin. The wages of sin is death, so man died when he ate the fruit of this tree.
This helps us more fully define why man received life, when he ate the fruit of the life tree. The Lord decreed that, by eating of its fruit, life would be imparted to man. Obedience to the Word of God resulted in man's receiving life.
Do you see from this why the life tree and the kogae tree were placed by the Lord God in the midst of the garden? Man's condition, whether to live or to die, whether to be alive or to be dead, revolves around whether he obeys the Word of God or disobeys it.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord [Joshua 24:15]. This can only be done on the basis of having life, and life can only result from obeying the Word of God.
We take from those two verses a contrast between three categories of trees. First there was "every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food". Such trees, indeed, would be suitable in a "garden". Am I not right?
The second and third categories of trees were not just planted in the garden: they were "in the midst of the garden". The centrality of these two trees to man's environment meant they took center stage in the life of Adam and Eve.
Okay. Then what were the two trees around which the life of man and woman revolved? There was the "tree of life", and there was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil". For brevity's sake I created an acronym for that last named tree. I call it the kogae tree, i.e., Knowledge Of Good And Evil tree.
Hmm. Just what is a kogae tree anyway? One clue we have for deciphering it is the contrast it has with the life tree. The life tree, if we employ the definitions of the two words, would be a tree which bestows life to those who eat its fruit. It wouldn't seem to be much of a stretch, then, to suggest the kogae tree bestowed death to those who ate its fruit.
Why did death result from eating the fruit of the kogae tree? Well, it's like this. The Hebrew word for "knowledge" in the phrase "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" doesn't simply mean "information". The Hebrew word refers to experiential knowledge, knowledge we obtain by experiencing something.
The knowledge gained by eating the fruit of the kogae tree was to experience the reality of good and evil. The Lord God forbade man to eat the fruit of this tree. By eating it man disobeyed the Word of God. This is known as sin. The wages of sin is death, so man died when he ate the fruit of this tree.
This helps us more fully define why man received life, when he ate the fruit of the life tree. The Lord decreed that, by eating of its fruit, life would be imparted to man. Obedience to the Word of God resulted in man's receiving life.
Do you see from this why the life tree and the kogae tree were placed by the Lord God in the midst of the garden? Man's condition, whether to live or to die, whether to be alive or to be dead, revolves around whether he obeys the Word of God or disobeys it.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord [Joshua 24:15]. This can only be done on the basis of having life, and life can only result from obeying the Word of God.
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