在伊甸园里，分别善恶树代表了人们在做错事时可能做出的选择——与任何良善、真实、可爱的事物相反。 看着亚当和夏娃选择吃那棵树上的果子，这种伏笔真让人揪心。这也指向了将来神的百姓做出罪恶决定的所有时刻。正如圣经中其他故事显明的，有些人为了满足自己的欲望和利益，做了他们自己认为对的事。而另一些人信靠和顺服神，做真正对的事情。
我们在读经中面临的一个挑战是，我们要意识到虽然人被造时是好的，但他们还是会做恶事；虽然人们会做错事，但这不意味着他们里面没有善。因为我们都是按着神的形像被造的，而神是良善的。但我们每个人都可能会悖逆得罪神，破坏我们与神及周围一切的关系。
我们将看到，有些情况是模糊的，有多层意义。然而，罪的所有细微差别和复杂性最终都要面对耶稣为我们死在十字架上。我们不是不断地经历因吃了分别善恶树上的果子而带来的隔阂，而是因着耶稣在十字架之树上献上生命这一礼物，我们已经与神和好了。藉着祂的死，耶稣为我们带来和好，修复和更新。
主啊，我们常常受试探，只照自己喜欢的去做。请把我们从任性和有害的决定里拯救出来，帮助我们追求那美善而真实的。阿们。
创世记 3:1-20
1耶和华神所造的，唯有蛇比田野一切的活物更狡猾。蛇对女人说：“神岂是真说，不许你们吃园中所有树上的果子吗？”
2女人对蛇说：“园中树上的果子我们可以吃，
3唯有园当中那棵树上的果子，神曾说：‘你们不可吃，也不可摸，免得你们死。’”
4蛇对女人说：“你们不一定死！
5因为神知道你们吃的日子眼睛就明亮了，你们便如神能知道善恶。”
6于是女人见那棵树的果子好做食物，也悦人的眼目，且是可喜爱的，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；又给她丈夫，她丈夫也吃了。
7他们二人的眼睛就明亮了，才知道自己是赤身露体，便拿无花果树的叶子，为自己编做裙子。
8天起了凉风，耶和华神在园中行走，那人和他妻子听见神的声音，就藏在园里的树木中，躲避耶和华神的面。
9耶和华神呼唤那人，对他说：“你在哪里？”
10他说：“我在园中听见你的声音，我就害怕，因为我赤身露体。我便藏了。”
11耶和华说：“谁告诉你赤身露体呢？莫非你吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子吗？”
12那人说：“你所赐给我与我同居的女人，她把那树上的果子给我，我就吃了。”
13耶和华神对女人说：“你做的是什么事呢？”女人说：“那蛇引诱我，我就吃了。”
14耶和华神对蛇说：“你既做了这事，就必受咒诅，比一切的牲畜野兽更甚！你必用肚子行走，终身吃土。
15我又要叫你和女人彼此为仇，你的后裔和女人的后裔也彼此为仇，女人的后裔要伤你的头，你要伤他的脚跟。”
16又对女人说：“我必多多加增你怀胎的苦楚，你生产儿女必多受苦楚。你必恋慕你丈夫，你丈夫必管辖你。”
17又对亚当说：“你既听从妻子的话，吃了我所吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子，地必为你的缘故受咒诅，你必终身劳苦，才能从地里得吃的。
18地必给你长出荆棘和蒺藜来，你也要吃田间的菜蔬。
19你必汗流满面才得糊口，直到你归了土，因为你是从土而出的。你本是尘土，仍要归于尘土。”
20亚当给他妻子起名叫夏娃，因为她是众生之母。
"But God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. . . .'" - Genesis 3:2
In the garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented the possible choices people could make to do the wrong thing—the opposite of whatever was good, true, and lovely. It's a gut-wrenching type of foreshadowing to see Adam and Eve make the choice to eat from that tree, and this points to all the times when God's people would make sinful decisions in the future. As other stories in the Bible show, some people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes, to satisfy their own appetites and interests, while others trusted in God and obeyed, doing what was right.
One of the challenges we face as we read the Bible is to realize that even though people were created good, they were able to do evil, and even though people can be bad, that doesn't mean they don't have any good in them. For we are all created in God's image, which is good, but every one of us can disobey and sin against God, breaking our relationship with him and with everything around us.
As we will see, sometimes situations are murky and have layers of meaning. However, all the nuances and complexities of sin are finally confronted in Jesus' death for our sake on the cross. Instead of continually experiencing the estrangement brought about by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we are reconciled with God by Jesus' gift of his own life on the tree of the cross. Through his death, Jesus brought us reconciliation, restoration, and renewal.
Lord, we are often tempted to do only as we please. Rescue us from our willful and harmful decisions, and help us to pursue what is good and true. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
