The true riches and honour come only from the Lord (1 Chronicles 29:12). Only the Lord has the infallible wisdom to determine the riches each man can rightfully possess in order to bring God the greatest glory. The Lord warned His people that as their riches increased, they would be tempted to forget the origin of those riches: God. He told them to remember that it was He that gave them power to get wealth in the first place (Deuteronomy 8:18). Solomon stated that the ability of men to possess riches and partake of those riches was the gift of God. Unfortunately, as men’s riches increase, many men lose sight of these truths.
The garden in Eden was a trouble-free environment for its inhabitants, a literal earthly paradise. Adam and Eve were given one basic commandment to obey. They were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Interestingly, up until this point, they only knew good. The Devil knew this and deviously crept into the garden. He wanted to tempt Eve with the fruit from this forbidden tree. He convinced her that that tree would enable her to know both good and evil. Eve already had the ability to discern, though severely limited based on the limited number of choices available. She certainly could have refused the temptation choosing rather to obey the Lord. God had given Adam and Eve everything needed to be successful in the garden including the ability to do right. Eve’s desire to know good and evil prompted her to overlook the fact that she already had been given the gift of discernment.
