An enduring mystery in Genesis is how this talking serpent knew about the forbidden fruit, the knowledge of good and evil, and what would happen as a result of eating this fruit. How did this serpent become so knowledgeable? Was the serpent an agent of God’s will? Had the serpent eaten the fruit and thus acquired the forbidden knowledge? If the serpent had done so without God’s approval, then why wasn’t the serpent punished right away before he could tempt the humans?
And how did this serpent learn to talk?
Now it gets even more confusing. The common interpretation is that the serpent deceived the humans. But the serpent told the truth. The serpent told Eve that if she eats the fruit, she will know good and evil and become like God. God later confirms this state of affairs when He says, speaking to Himself apparently, “Now the humans are like us, knowing good and evil [my paraphrase].”
So, the serpent “deceives” by telling the truth?
Does it not seem strange that God would forbid humans to have this knowledge, since it is precisely knowing the difference between good and evil that allows humans to choose between right and wrong in the first place and, hence, to be held accountable for their actions? Without this knowledge, how could humans ever be tested, put on trial, and be judged by God?
More specifically, if Adam and Eve had not known the difference between good and evil, then how could they be held accountable for this transgression? They obviously did not know any better. Until they had eaten the fruit, they were like little kids in a candy store, with no concept of property rights. It’s almost as if humans had to break God’s law in order to understand the law’s meaning.
And so, we learn the hard way…
The more we study the story, the more it appears that Adam and Eve were set up, as if God orchestrated “the fall.” Why would God do this?
Perhaps it has something to do with God’s first commandment to humans: the positive commandment to “be fruitful and multiply.” After all, while there seems to have been some fruitful tilling going on before Adam and Eve got their eviction notice, there wasn’t a whole lotta love or multiplying going on—none whatsoever, as a matter of fact. And God wanted to see some action! This phase of human development could only take place outside the garden, apparently. At least, that’s what we are left to conclude.
To be continued…