episode 3: two trees

Episode Three: two trees

Remember where the human is in Genesis 1 and 2, it is in the relationship the reciprocity, the image of God is found. We are told there are two trees in the garden of Eden. A rough outline follows:


  1. Genesis 2.8-9

  2. Verse 16 Tree of Life – Center of the Garden – this is Eden’s holy of holies

    1. Come to the tree and “eat eat” vs 16

    2.    ·אָכֹל ak  to-eat  תֹּאכֵל thak  you-shall-eat It is so good, they are told to “eat eat”

    3. This tree of life represents ongoing life, or restoration as needed. I don’t know if I want to say eternal life since that makes it sound like you have one bite and you don’t need to go back. But this is fruit to “eat eat.” So it’s not a one and done kind of thing.

  3. Verse 17 Tree of Tov and Ra (as adjective: bad; as noun: evil) here is it an adjective

    1. Ra:

      1. Ecclesiastes: 2:16-17 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die! So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was ra’ to me.

      2. Proverbs 25.19 - a ra’ tooth and an unsteady foot, is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.

      3. Jeremiah 24.2 the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket had very tov figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very ra’ figs, so ra’ they could not be eaten.

    2. Genesis 1 and 2:

      1. has shown that God knows what is “pleasant/beneficial,” and he will provide tov (the woman) when something is not tov (man being alone), that is, ra’.

      2. the tree represents a choice: Will they live with God, allowing him to know/define tov and ra’? (see: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/tree-knowing-good-bad/)

  4. Genesis 3.1

    1. The Serpent – created, wise (Matt 10.16, even Jesus thinks serpents are worthy of imitation)

    2. Carefully worded questions by the serpent to keep dialogue going.

    3. Genesis 3, Serpent follows the same syntax as “eat eat the tree.…Certainly you won’t die die.”

    4. Vs 5 “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

    5. Ka-elohim idio “ye shall be gods” What is gained and what is lost?

      1. Genesis 1:26 makes the point that they already are “as gods” as partners with God.

      2. “And Elohim |said: Let Us dmake humanity in Our image 7andn according to Our likeness. + Let them hold sway iover the fish of the sea and iover the flyer of the heavens, + iover the domestic beast, + iover every •land Syanimal~c and iover every •creeper •that is creeping on the earth

      3. Genesis 1.27 “So Elohim |created »•humanity in His image; in the image of Elohim He created »it: male and female He created »them.

  5. The tree story ends with the two humans hiding from each other. So, if the image of God was in the humanity of them together, what happens when to the image of God when they become estranged?

    1. Remember the Babylonian story: Gods and cosmic forces were in endless competition and enslaved humanity.

    2. If that story is in your mind and a wise serpent approaches you, how strong is your trust in the motives of the God you have known? How much do you trust other people who are simply seeking advantage, who see the cosmos as one big competition?

  6. The ending of the story is heartbreaking: Gn 3:22 - Gn 3:24

22  +Then Yahweh Elohim |said: Behold, •human has become like one of Us ›in knowing- good and evil. + Now lest he should stretch out his hand and -take mr also fof the tree of life and -eat and -live for the eon—.

23  +So Yahweh Elohim |sent him f out of the garden of Eden to serve »the ground from where he was taken.

+After He |drove »the human out, + He c made 7him0 |tabernacle fat the east ›of the garden of Eden, 7and He set0 »the cherubim and »the flame of the revolving sword to guard »the way to the tree of life.

 

Let us know what you think, and what questions you have. We are figuring this out as we go. Our huge disclaimer is that we are learning too, and that we might be wrong, but we believe that through conversation around the scriptures, with a community of faith, we can begin to discern. So, partnership with others is crucial in this adventure.

Musical intros, transition music, and the outro are by At the Speed of Darkness. You can support At the Speed of Darkness through purchasing his music on Bandcamp. https://atthespeedofdarkness.bandcamp.com/

 


Photo by Emma Gossett on Unsplash