THE HOLIEST
ONE THE HOLIEST BOOK, HOLIEST
Tablet Ten
"And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9)
<1>However, because man would be in the manifested world (dual nature of creation as positive and negative, good and bad, etc.) and would be able to choose good or evil ("...knowledge of good and evil"), God had to create moral codes which would guide man and are according to Universal Laws. <2>Man's happiness and growth increases by following God's Laws (disciplines). Choosing his own ways ("the tree of knowledge of good and evil") against God's ways (Will) will result in the loss of "the tree of life."
<3>To choose His Laws is to accept His Will. That is the path of submission. <4>Only such a path wins His Grace, and it is Grace that enables man to follow the Laws to salvation. Grace is the Law!
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." (Genesis 2:10)
"The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;" (Genesis 2:11)
"And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone." (Genesis 2:12)
"And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia." (Genesis 2:13)
"And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates." (Genesis 2:14)
<5>These verses refer to the earth as it was planned, or it means creation has come from One fountainhead -- un-manifested universe ("And a river went out of Eden to water the ground...") -- then this same river is divided into four primal elements (consciousness and three gunas) in creation ("...and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads").
"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2:15)
<6>Now everything seemed ready for man to be created to live on earth. He should dress it and keep it well. So man is responsible for what he does to the earth.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:" (Genesis 2:16)
<7>Man would be allowed to utilize it for his progress and enjoyment.
"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." (Genesis 2:17)
<8>However, he can utilize it according to God's (nature's) Laws. He cannot indiscriminately and selfishly use it. There are limits ("...of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:...") and proper ways to use it.
<9>If he oversteps those boundaries, the tree of life (immortality) will be taken away from him ("...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die").
<10>Death here means both physically and spiritually. Disobedience to the Laws (sin) creates karma. This will result in the separation of the Soul (man, atman) from God, this is spiritual death. <11>Also karma results in physical death.
<12>However, with going to God humbly, and with confession, repentance, prayer, and learning the lesson, His Grace can be won. Then one will be forgiven and become one with Him again (in His Grace). <13>That is the way to escape death, to reach salvation.
<14>Through sin man dies and will be born again and again in order to learn his lessons and follow His Laws. Then he again becomes immortal, by His Grace.
<15>That argument about God's Laws and trying to replace them with man's laws and understandings is what makes man go astray, "eating of the tree of the knowledge." <16>That is to say, "My (our) will, not Thine."