Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #15 of Genesis, chapter 2 and we are continuing to look at Genesis 2:16-17:

And JEHOVAH God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

We were looking at verse 16 and we were discussing the last part of the verse: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat,” and the first part of the verse said, “And JEHOVAH God commanded the man.” We often look at the commandment, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it,” and our mind’s eye goes directly to the Law that was established surrounding that tree and, yet, part of what God had commanded was a positive command and what He commanded was permissible and encouraged. God had said that they may eat of every tree in the garden.

Some people like to paint God as a God that wants to hold us back and He does not want man to enjoy things, but that is not what comes across here. He was a God who opened up everything in the garden and said, “You may eat of all but one.” It was just one limitation. He is God and if He wants to place a limitation on something, He can and He did. So man’s excuses concerning God’s Law are just that – excuses. It is said today that Christianity is something that constrains you and places restraints on your actions and desires and it holds you back from being a fulfilled and contented person. Actually, the constraints are constraints against sin, as man is bound by the cords of his own iniquity. He has placed himself in the dungeon of the kingdom of darkness and he is “free” to eat of this sin or that sin. He may, indeed, choose which iniquity he prefers and which will take him by the nose to his own death. That is man’s “freedom of choice” and he has that option. God permits man to have that sort of “free will.” Man can take his pick about what path of destruction he prefers and is most comfortable in, but it is all part of the broad way that leads to destruction. If you want to go to the right, to the left or down the center, you can do what you prefer. Take your pick from the wide options: drink yourself to death, smoke yourself to death or drug yourself to death. Or, if you prefer a healthier lifestyle, you can find another path to death, because the problem is that you are already dead in trespasses and sins. It is just a matter of time before you are completely and utterly destroyed and cease to exist, perishing like a beast forever because of that freedom you think you have. It is only a freedom to sin.

Is man free to love, as God defines love? Jesus said, “If ye love me, you will keep my commandments.” Man does not have that type of freedom. The Lord Jesus said that the one He would set free would be free indeed – free from captivity to sin and Satan. He would be free from the bondage of serving the base lusts of our desires and free to eat of all the other trees. He would be free to do what is good and right and to be honest and just and to walk uprightly. He would be free to show gentleness, kindness and meekness. He would be to free to exhibit the fruit of the spirit. The people of the world have no knowledge and no freedom to do these things because they do not have the Spirit and, therefore, they cannot have its fruits. They have chosen the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Of course, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and, yet, God had predestinated certain individuals to salvation; He gave them a new heart and a new spirit and restored a right relationship with God and He restored their ability to think upon that which is good, speak of what is good and do that which is good and all the things that God does allow. And there are many, many things that God permits us to do and they are all pleasant things. They are all good things.

For example, we can speak well of others. How often do people get together with their friends and the topic of conversation turns to this other person that has done something wrong? These people spend time talking about what this evil person did and gossiping about it and they enjoy doing this. Why cannot two friends get together and talk about something good that another person did? Of course, if they are elect, they can give God the glory for how He moves in His people to will and to do of His good pleasure and, ultimately, God is the source of all good and their conversation would acknowledge this. So these friends speak well of the thing that was done and they speak well of the person that did it by God’s grace moving in him. Do you see? There is a completely different mindset. There is a completely different mode of speech and conversation and it follows that which is upright and good. They do not get into judgment or negativity in any way.

From here, we want to look at the Garden of Eden, which we have already seen is a type and figure of the outward representation of the kingdom of God on earth. God set up these trees within the garden – the tree that could be eaten of and the tree that could not be eaten of and this relates to God setting up testing programs within the corporate bodies. He did this with the Israel and He did this with the churches and it revolves around His Word, the Bible. We can picture this as if all those fruit bearing trees are Scriptures. There are Scriptures all around and the fruit is the doctrine. When we come to the Bible and follow the right method of interpretation, comparing Scripture with Scripture, this is how God teaches doctrine. So in Israel or in the churches was the Word of God and they were the caretakers and God is saying, “You may freely eat of all doctrine rightly derived, from Genesis to Revelation. Go ahead and eat of all the trees of the garden.” But where does the mind of the natural man that was part of the corporate body tend to go? It goes in the same direction of the natural man that is outside the corporate body in the world. His mind goes to that which is off limits. It goes to sinful activity and to things of which it was said, “Thou shalt not do this.” For the natural minded individuals within Israel of old or within the corporate New Testament churches their minds go to doctrines that are beyond the bounds and that which crosses over the line that God has established with His Law.

That describes much of the history of the New Testament churches, as theologians, pastors, elders and deacons have gone to the Bible where all the Scriptures are and they go beyond God’s Law and developed doctrines contrary to the Bible. They have eaten of that tree that God commanded against and said, “Thou shalt not eat of it,” and they have also failed to eat of all the other good trees. They have done this, again, and again, with the doctrine of salvation in regard to their doctrine of free will or Arminianism. Hundreds of years ago there was a man named Arminian that came up with the doctrine that man can accept Christ by exercising his will and choosing Jesus. This is similar to the forbidden fruit. Others think they can decipher the mystery of the Godhead or Trinity and they teach that God is one God and one Person and they do not teach that God is one God, but three Persons, as the Bible does say. They try to bring down this glorious truth that is above them as far as the heaven is above the earth. It is a truth about the Creator above, but they are mere creatures below that try to make God fit their understanding. Since everyone they have ever known is only one individual, they think that God has to be one person as well as one God. It does not matter that God indicates in the Bible that there is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They think they have it all figured out and they have gone to the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and they have eaten of that which they should not have eaten. Now they are experiencing the evil “fruit” that they should not have eaten and this is how it has been throughout the history of the corporate bodies that God used to represent Him.

Let us go over to 1Samuel and we will see this word translated as “freely eat.” The word “freely” is actually the same word as the word “eat.” It is a doubling of the word and literally it says, “Eating, thou shalt eat.” This word is also found in 1Samuel 14:30:

How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

Jonathan is speaking and he had won a victory over the Philistines, but he is saying that it could have been a greater victory except that his father, King Saul, had commanded the people not to eat. Saul placed restrictions on eating. Jonathan did not hear Saul say that so Jonathan did eat some honey from a honeycomb and he says that it would have been a greater victory if the people had been allowed to eat freely.

I am going to go back for the context and read 1Samuel 14:24-30:

And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food. And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground. And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened. Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

Here, we see that Saul place restriction or limitation on the people of Israel, saying that they should not eat until Saul had been avenged of his enemies. They won the battle and the people were faint and it says in 1Samuel 14:32:

And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.

That is against the commandment of God, according to Deuteronomy 12, verses 23 and 24. God commanded that they should not eat with the blood, but the people obeyed Saul’s command. They endured the battle and they went through that entire struggle. They must have been very hungry and, yet, they kept Saul’s command until he was avenged of his enemies. When Saul’s command was satisfied, they jumped on the animals and they were so hungry they ate them with the blood and, in so doing, they broke God’s command.

The only one that did not keep Saul’s command during the battle was Jonathan. He ate of the honey and we read that his “eyes were enlightened.” It said that twice, in verses 27 and 29. What does honey represent in the Bible? It can represent the Word of God or it can represent the doctrines of God. This is a true historical event and King Saul did battle with the Philistines and he adjured the people the command that they not eat until he had been avenged. They fought the battle without eating, but Jonathan did eat honey and he was made strong and he had more vigor and he was the one God used to win the battle against the Philistines, instead of Saul or the other Israelites. God primarily used Jonathan to win the battle.

What can we learn from this spiritually? It is an historical parable that is similar to what we are reading about in Genesis, chapter 2 about the outward representation of God’s kingdom and laws that are permissible and laws that place limitations about things we should not do. In this case, Saul is a figure of the corporate church and he gives his own commandment; God did not say they were not to eat. God said in Genesis that they may freely eat, but Saul said they could not freely eat of all the food that was available. It was like Saul was saying that they could not eat freely of all the other trees, but God allows it and they may eat. Jonathan (who could be a picture of Christ, as well as the believers) eats the honey and his eyes are enlightened, but the rest of Israel does not eat the honey and their eyes were not enlightened and they ended up transgressing God’s Law and eating the meat with the blood. That was one of the commandments mentioned in Acts, chapter 15 that carried over to the New Testament churches and congregations. There was a handful of commandments that the council in Jerusalem stipulated for the New Testament corporate church. Let me read it, in Acts 15:20:

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

This last part would refer to the law that they not eat with the blood.

So, here, there is a transgression of the Law of God and the corporate church has transgressed the Law of God when they ate the animals with the blood. They were commanded against freely eating with the oath put upon them by Saul if they ate during the battle and that is because it is pointing to the doctrines of men that are in opposition to the commandments of God. Within those outward bodies that represented God’s kingdom, it happened with Israel of old and it happened in the New Testament churches that the doctrines of men gained ascendency and they were lifted up above the Law of God: “These are our confessions. These are our creeds. These are what our faithful Reformers have declared and we will follow them and keep their commandments.” If people failed to keep it, they could be driven out of the churches or killed, just as Saul was about to kill Jonathan. They could be killed for breaking the commandments of men. The Israelites feared the Pharisees because they would drive them out of the synagogue if they confessed the Christ. If you ate of the “honey” and the true doctrine of the Word of God, you could be driven out and spiritually killed. Yet, God’s people by His grace ate of the honey even during the church age and that what Jonathan pictures as his eyes were enlightened.

Look at Psalm 19:7-8:

The law of JEHOVAH is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of JEHOVAH is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of JEHOVAH are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of JEHOVAH is pure, enlightening the eyes.

This is what happened, spiritually, with Jonathan when he took of the honey. His eyes were enlightened because he was learning from the Word of God.

It says in Ephesians 1:17-18:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

When God’s people come to the Bible, God says, “You may freely eat.” You can compare Scripture with Scripture throughout the Bible and you can eat from every tree and when right doctrine comes forth, you may eat of it. For example, the doctrine of the end of the church age comes forth and you may freely eat of it. The doctrine of Christ making payment for sin before the foundation of the world (and not at the cross) comes forth and you may freely eat of it. The doctrine of judgment coming on May 21, 2011 and God shutting the door of heaven comes forth and you may freely eat of it. You can eat of this tree and that tree and the other tree, but you do not eat of that one “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” You do not go beyond the boundaries that God has established, but the churches set up their own laws and they say, “Oh, no. You have progressive revelation and you think God can still reveal truth to you today from His Word, the Bible, but that goes contrary to our law that God stopped unveiling truth with the Reformers four or five hundred years ago and we cannot go beyond what was established by the Reformation. We are not to go beyond what our churches have taught us and our founding father developed in our confessions. You must submit to our confessions and creeds.”

They are just like Saul in saying that you cannot eat of these other trees or you will be cursed. But that is not the way of God and it is not the way of the Bible.