Knowledge in this sense does not mean retaining facts or information, but rather signifies moral discernment. According to Legaspi, the tree of knowledge confers “the capacity to make independent judgments concerning human welfare.” Eating from the tree of knowledge does not make Adam and Eve all knowing or elevate them to the level of God, rather, they  acquire a newfound understanding of the difference between, and even the existence of right and wrong. Acquiring knowledge means acquiring a moral conscience. The significance of eating the forbidden fruit, rather than simply touching or looking, is that eating is an integral part of being human. Until recently, the majority of people’s lives revolved around the production of food. And even now our lives still revolve around the consumption of food. In a similar vein, trees represent nourishment. They provide food for physical nourishment, but also provide intellectual nourishment in this case. They can also be representative of growth and transformation, as Adam and Eve are transformed. Their failure is not only an act of disobedience, but also their first act of independence. They are faced with temptations and must make decisions on their own, signifying their free will. Up until this moment, the ability to pass judgement has been reserved for God and is exhibited repeatedly in Gen 1; “God saw that it was good.” However, now this previously divine ability has been conferred on humanity. Banishing Adam and Eve from Eden is not just a punishment, but also an act of mercy towards them. If they were to eat from the tree of life, then they would be forced to live forever in sin. Adam and Eve are not simply kicked out of paradise, but instead given a chance to redeem their relationship with the Lord.

The story of Genesis establishes the Israelites’ belief in one, all powerful God. Their declared belief in monotheism and denial of polytheism sets them apart from the prevailing system of belief in the region at the time. For example, the Sun and the Moon are not deities themselves; they are the one true God’s creation. The purpose is not to provide a scientifically accurate portrayal of how mankind came to be, but rather to establish in writing the key characteristics of their God and for the Israelites to set their faith apart from their polytheistic neighbors. The story is formatted in a series of repeated phrases and actions. For example, “God saw that is was good” portrays the Lord as methodical and intentional, forming the universe step by step, and once He approves each aspect of creation, moving onto the next. However, God does not simply create and step back. God assigns duties to His creation, such as by telling humans “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” This shows that God is not simply a passive creator, but takes an active role in determining the destinies of His creation. Mankind does not have as central a role as in the second creation account, however, it does establish mankind as God’s counterpart. “God created humankind is his image” does not necessarily mean physical image, but it does indicate humankind’s role as a representative of God on Earth, responsible for caring for creation. As for the seventh day, the Lord does not require rest from tiredness since He is infinitely powerful, rather this represents God’s completion and approval of creation. Also, by writing this into the story of creation, it establishes the extreme importance of respecting the Sabbath.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.