Creator, Father, King #40

In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

PERHAPS BY NOW—FORTY DEVOTIONS into this book and a couple of chapters into the Bible—you’re scratching your head with a puzzled look on your face. Genesis chapters 2–3, in particular, present many extremely difficult questions that have puzzled theologians and sparked debates for centuries. Here are some examples:

• Why did God create Satan if he knew he would eventually rebel, tempt Adam and Eve, and cause such destruction in the world?
• Why did God create the tree of knowledge of good and evil if it eventually became sin’s conduit into the world? (See today’s verse.)
• Why did God allow evil and death to enter his creation at all?

These theological conundrums keep the most learned biblical scholars awake at night. But none of this, of course, is a puzzle to God. It’s perfectly clear to him. And therein lies the heart of the matter. The Lord God Almighty, perfectly holy and righteous, is the grand architect of human history. He knows the answers, even if we don’t.

What’s It Mean?

When the Bible doesn’t provide clear answers to difficult questions, we must be content to acknowledge our human limitations and God’s mysterious sovereignty. If you really believe that God is holy and righteous—highly exalted above his creation, morally blameless in all his ways, and just in all his judgments—you can submit to his decisions. But if you question his character or purposes, beware. There’s a difference between genuinely wanting to grow in your faith and becoming a skeptic.

The individual who wants to grow seeks to know more about God and worship him. The skeptic begins to accuse God and say, “Why did you do it that way? I would’ve done things differently. I know better.” That’s the same prideful response that got Adam and Eve into trouble.

Reading the entire Bible won’t answer every single question you have about life. That’s okay. You weren’t meant to know everything.

But continue to study God’s Word and trust in his goodness, sovereignty, and love. And remember: when you’re left scratching your head, God still reigns on high—and he loves you very much.

Now What?

Prayerfully ask the Lord to give you a spirit of humility and understanding when considering hard spiritual questions.

Did You Know?

Even the great apostle Paul, who was unsurpassed among the biblical writers at explaining deep spiritual truths, exclaimed, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33).