" ...of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it ..."

When God said this to Adam, Eve had not yet come into existence ...from Adam's rib.  It appears to me that it was man's responsibility to tell her.  And I can imagine myself in that situation, "Now, don't eat that fruit!  Don't even touch it ...don't even go near it!!"   I do get carried away, and even at this moment I can imagine my wife ribbing me about the way I am.

Well, that's another point.  I'd like to look at the tree of knowledge of good and evil ....and what additional significance we can draw from the wells of wisdom.

It seems reasonable to say that Adam and Eve didn't really know that much about evil, or they wouldn't have eaten the fruit.  We've all experienced things in life, that we wouldn't have done, if we had anticipated the furthering of the act.  But, I believe it was not just that they didn't understand evil ...as none of us do, and we would be paralyzed to even do anything if we did.  The fear of evil would so overwhelm us, it would be difficult to let our "little" faith to override it, and be the predominant influence in our lives.  Jesus constantly told the apostles, "Ye of little faith ..."

It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil ...so they didn't really understand good either.  They understood they had much, and were cared for ...but they didn't seem to understand the exclusion, of what they couldn't have.  They didn't understand the importance of obedience.

As we read the Bible, we hope to understand more about good. But we also read about those who didn't understand, nor comprehend the importance of obedience.  King David didn't understand why it was so important ...that a seemingly sincere person, doing the work of the Lord, in taking an assignment as a pole carrier, had to die because he reached out to steady the tilting ark of the covenant.  

King David's life seemed to have been once joyous, as he would sing, tending the sheep of his father as a boy.  But his life became difficult ...having much to learn while tending to his Heavenly Father's sheep.  The song did return to David, but he had to first learn much about what "good" is.