The Tree Of the Knowledge Of Good and Evil

# 373 - Today's Living Word comes from Mr 5:13b. ”and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.”

I want to talk a little bit more today about the devil's calling card of violence. The Greek word used here for “violently,” means, “to injure, to sin, to do evil.” This is what the devil is all about. Jesus called him a “murderer from the beginning.” (Jn 8:44) Whenever Jesus uses the phrase “from the beginning,” we need to go back to the Garden of Eden.

What was the name of the forbidden tree in the garden? It was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” As long as Adam and Eve didn't eat of the fruit of this tree, they were completely unaffected by injury or death. But they ate of the fruit and sin, death and injury, (violence) entered the world.

Until that time all they knew was the goodness of God. Now they would have a first hand knowledge of the difference between good and evil. Soon this knowledge would become a tragic reality in their own lives as they would experience the violent death of their son Abel!

Know this, without God's restraints on the devil, our world would self-destruct in devil-wrought violence.

As a child of Adam you are born with this knowledge of good and evil. You cannot deny that evil exists and you cannot deny that Someone is restraining it. Perhaps this is why God allows violence in our world. Perhaps He wants you and I to see that he is our only hope for good.

I'm Duane Matz and that's Today's Living Word