Posted: 08/24/2010 at 8:12am
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Only Two Trees, But ONE TEST
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... And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of
every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it: for in the day that
you eat thereof you shall surely die."—Genesis 2:9, 16-17 The Lord placed man in a probationary environment so he could be
tested. To accomplish this, two trees were placed in the midst of Adam's
daily activities as the means by which this testing could be
accomplished—the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
These two trees were diversely different in their intent and purpose.
Adam was told to freely partake of the one; but he was forbidden to eat
of the other.
The Tree of Life relates to the spiritual life that the Lord had
breathed into Adam. In order to live, it was necessary for him to
partake of the Tree of Life daily. This established his full dependence
upon his Creator. The other, the Tree of Knowledge, related to his
natural life, which afforded him the opportunity to become independent
from God.
A description of the "Tree of Life" is found in Isaiah, chapter 53, which reveals that Jesus is the Tree of Life.
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He has no form or comeliness;
and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire
Him. —Isaiah 53:2
Jesus is seen by fallen mankind as being a "root out of a dry
ground," having no form or comeliness that would make Him desirable. The beauty of Jesus is within and is recognizable only through redemption and revelation.
The "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" however, is quite
different. It is pleasant to the eye and is not only edible as food, but
tastes really good. In other words, the way of the flesh is attractive
to every aspect of the fallen human makeup, whereas spirituality is
uninviting.
By divine design, there is a price to our being chosen by the Lord.
Therefore, the Lord placed the beauty of spirituality within. It can be
seen only by a spiritual perception that is given to those who truly
desire the Lord. Therefore, "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). By divine arrangement, it takes a determined effort to press through and behold the beauty of the Lord. Few will pay the price of separation from the tree of knowledge in order to be chosen.
The enemy said, "You will not die, but you will become as gods being able to choose for yourselves" (Genesis 3:4-5).
Eve "ate" this right to "self determination" and gave to Adam, who also
partook. Today, we are yet paying a terrible price for mankind becoming
"as gods" and ruling himself apart from His Creator.
They Had Not Lost Their Clothing, But Rather They Lost the "Shekinah Covering"
After their disobedience by partaking, the Lord came to walk with
Adam, who hid from His presence. Adam said that he hid because he was naked.
He had not lost his clothing, but rather, he lost the "Shekinah
covering" that enabled him to abide in the manifest presence and glory
of the Lord.
This Shekinah now became as a "flaming sword" to keep the way of the
Tree of Life. The Lord hindered Adam from partaking of the Tree of Life
and as a result, the process that leads to physical death set in: "...lest (Adam) put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" (Genesis 3:22-24).
Spiritually, Adam died instantly and lost the covering that enabled
him to live in the presence of the Lord. Also, less apparent, he
physically died within one day. Peter tells us that one day is as a
thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). Adam, and all who followed him, died short
of a thousand year day.
Adam and Eve "ate" the right to choose for themselves, which then
became a part of them. The Lord slew an animal—the first application of
blood redemption, and covered them with the skin of this animal. Their
sin was forgiven, but what they had eaten remained in them—the right to
choose for themselves.
The Lord Will Not Take Our Right to Choose From Us, But We Can Give Up the Right to Our Own Lives
Each of us has been born with this right of choice. When we accepted
Jesus as our Savior, we were forgiven and we became a new creation, but
this right to choose for ourselves remained with us. We gained it in the
Garden of Eden and the Lord will not take it from us, but we can give
up this right to our own lives.
In the Year of Jubilee, slaves were set free. If they chose to remain
a slave, their ear was placed on the post of a door and pierced (Exodus
21:6). Years ago, during a service in which this became a reality to
me, I went forward to the pulpit and expressed my desire to give up the
right to my own life. The edge of the pulpit suddenly became (to me) the
post of this door, and I placed my ear on the edge of the pulpit and
asked the Lord to pierce it. He would not take the right to my life from
me, but He accepted it when I willingly gave it to Him.
More than once I have complained and said, "Lord, this is not right." The Lord has always responded, "You have no rights, as you freely gave them up." Over
many years, I have learned that the Lord knows best. This understanding
did not come immediately, but I have found that I am far better off
having unconditionally submitted my life to Him.
Few Christians have subjectively given the unconditional
right to their life to the Lord in order to become a "love slave,"
giving Him full authority over their life, and all that pertains to them.
A kingdom requires three things: a territory, a ruler, and those who
are ruled over. He is the King, but will rule only those who have
personally given Him permission to do so.
Once I made this commitment, He was no longer just "Jesus my
Savior," or, "Christ Jesus the Anointed One, my Healer and Baptizer."
He has become the "Lord Jesus Christ" to whom I have fully submitted my
life, and who now rules over all that I am and have. The Lord has brought me back into a cooperative, personal relationship with Himself that was lost in the Garden of Eden.
Until His Shekinah Shall Shine Forth as the Noon Day Sun Through Those Who are Fully Redeemed
The Shekinah will yet be fully restored to those who have
unconditionally submitted themselves to Him. During our times of
testing, the Lord will purge all dross until His Shekinah shall shine
forth as the noon day sun through those who are fully redeemed and have
made Him their Lord.
When He shall come to be glorified in His
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our
testimony among you was believed) in that day.—2 Thessalonians 1:10
Arise, shine; for your light is come, and
the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall
arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles
shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.—Isaiah 60:1-3
We are about to experience His glory, but first we must give
up the right to our own lives, so the Lord Jesus Christ can come in His
glory and live His life through us.
Wade E. Taylor
Wade Taylor Ministries
Edited by Jeffrey Stewart on 08/24/2010 at 8:15am
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The secret of great faith is being fully convinced of His great faithfulness to keep His Word.
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