Of all the consequences that God could give to Adam and Eve, why death? Why not a good talking to, or a grounding, or having to wear clothes for a week? Why death? It seems a little excessive for one little act of disobedience, doesn’t it?
Let’s back up and look at what Adam and Eve’s disobedience really was. Was it merely a simple act of disobedience or a moment of compulsion, or did it reveal something deeper in their hearts? The reason Eve began to consider eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad (while most English translations render this using the word “evil,” the Hebrew word’s meaning is broader and more congruent with our English word “bad“) was because the devil had tempted her with being “like gods” (3:5 NET or LEB), with the result that they would know good and bad.
There are two issues for humanity here, which are still at the root of most, if not all, sin. First, Eve’s desire to be “like gods.” (3:22 indicates that this should be translated with “gods” instead of “God.” “gods” in 3:5 refers to other supernatural beings. See Michael Heiser’s The Unseen Realm or chapter 8 of the Epic Gospel book.) As we’ve covered, more than one race of intelligent life lived in Eden. Supernatural beings were present as well, who were a higher race than humans (Psalm 8), already possessed the “knowledge of good and bad,” and are called elohim (gods) in Hebrew.
Satan’s temptation that Adam and Eve would be “like gods” activated a jealousy in Eve. She desired something that she didn’t possess. She wanted to be like this higher race of supernatural beings and wasn’t content with the limits of her humanity. And while the desire to be wise wasn’t wrong, how she (and subsequently Adam as well) chose to gain wisdom was the problem. (I wonder if James had Genesis 3 in mind when he wrote James 1:14-15 and 3:13-16.)
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad was a test—not of mere obedience, but of the heart of mankind. Adam and Eve were like children; they didn’t understand the difference between good and bad. But like children, they would have to gain wisdom to be able to rule well as God’s image bearers. The question was, “Would they trust God’s wisdom and learn wisdom His way in His time, or would they take wisdom on their own terms, seeking to make themselves “like gods?”
Eating from the tree was not merely an act of compulsion or disobedience. It was a declaration that their ways were higher than God’s ways and that they could gain what they needed themselves, without their Creator’s help. This heart condition is the root cause of the world’s problems even today.
Now, why death? Eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). By snubbing God’s wisdom and choosing their own, Adam and Eve demonstrated not only that they did not know God in the John 17:3 sense, but also that they didn’t want to. They chose their own wisdom over their Creator’s. By doing so, they rejected the Life because God is Life. And to reject Life is to choose death. There is no other alternative.
When God told them that death was the consequence of eating from the forbidden tree, it wasn’t an arbitrary punishment. It was the natural outcome of their desire being fulfilled. God gave them what they wanted.
Up Next: The Problem of Pain: 11. Could God Have Made Pain an Impossibility?
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