In this lesson we want to see God's intention in man.
In Genesis 2 we see two choices remaining in front of man.
One of the two choices before man was the tree of life (Gen. 2:8-9).
The tree of life signifies God as life to man.
The tree of life issues in a dependent life. We need to develop this point so that the saints understand what we mean. The tree of life first signifies God as life to man. If man would take the tree of life, that would issue in a dependent life in man. Very few Christians realize that life always produces dependence. All the matters related to life are matters of dependence. You cannot graduate from any matter of life. Eating is a dependent matter. You cannot say that you have eaten the best food and that you have eaten more than enough, so you do not need to eat anymore. The matters of drinking and breathing, of course, are also dependent matters from which we do not graduate.
This shows that to take God as our life issues in a dependent life. Knowledge, on the other hand, issues in independence. If a person goes to college and gets a degree, he does not need that college any longer. When a person knows what his professor knows, he does not need to depend on his professor anymore. But if you were to take your professor as your life, you could never be independent from him. If you took him for your knowledge, you could be independent. But if you took him as your life, you could not be independent. You would have to be dependent upon him all the time.
God is not knowledge to us. God is life to us. We take Him as our life, and this divine life right away issues in a kind of dependence within us. We have to depend upon Him all the time. He is the vine, and we are the branches. The branches have to abide in the vine (John 15:5). Apart from the vine, the branches become dead. This vine tree's life issues in a kind of dependent life in all the branches. All the branches depend upon the vine's life.
The dependent life is also seen in Abraham's following the Lord. Hebrews 11:8 says, "By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." The Lord did not let Abraham know where he was going. He did not give Abraham a road map. Once the driver gets a road map from a person, he no longer needs that person. Because he has the map, he does not need to depend on the person who gave it to him. But if a person would give you himself, his presence, instead of a road map, you could never be independent from him. You would have to take him as your map, being dependent upon him all the time. That was the real case with Abraham. Abraham exercised his faith to trust in God for His instant leading, taking God's presence as the map for his traveling. Thus, Abraham became dependent upon God.
The God of glory appeared to Abraham (Acts 7:2), and that appearing issued in Abraham living a dependent life. Thus, taking the tree of life into us makes us dependent upon that life, the life of the tree of life, all the time. This is like the branches of the vine depending upon the vine, the life of the vine, all the time.
We have to stress again and again that the tree of life signifies God as life to man and that once man takes the tree of life, takes God as life, right away this divine life issues in a dependent life in man. Before taking this tree of life, the very God as life, man is independent. But after man takes the tree of life, God as life, it becomes absolutely impossible for man to be independent. Right away the divine life of God causes man to depend upon God all the time.
If we in the churches minister knowledge to people, they may learn the things we teach and then go their way. But if we minister life to people, they can never be independent. Life is not an independent matter but a dependent matter. Some people may come to the church, learn something, and then want to go away to do something, using what they have learned. They may take the knowledge they have acquired and be independent, but there will be no life in what they do. We need to be those who depend upon the tree of life, that is, God Himself as life to us.