Genesis 2 gives us some specifics undergirding God's creation of the world. We learn of the Garden of Eden, the making of Adam out of the dust of the earth, the formation of Eve out of Adam's rib, and the two Trees: the Tree of Life and of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
At this point, the world is pure and fresh and clean and innocent. Adam is placed in Eden to take care of it. No restrictions are placed on him - except the provision that he is not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is a capital crime to do so. Eating of its fruit will bring about death.
Why? Why is God so concerned that Adam not eat of the tree of knowledge (as some people mistakenly refer to it)?
You may have heard a definition for biblical "knowledge" before. (As in, Adam "knew" his wife...) Knowledge is more than memorization of facts; it is a deep connection that is forged through experience. Therefore, "the knowledge of good and evil" implies that one who eats of that tree will know (experience) the best - and worst - that life has to offer.
God is not ready for Adam to eat of that tree, yet He still places it in the middle of the Garden where it must be avoided. It is the first test...one that we failed.
One final observation. In Genesis 2, we have the first observation that something is "not good" in God's estimation. "It is not good that the man should be alone" (vs. 18). God's solution is to make him company. First the animals are presented, but God has something more special in mind, something much more akin to Adam himself. Taking a rib from his side, beside his very heart, God forges one who is like yet unlike the man. Woman is created, and from this point on, the understanding of marriage and family is born.
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