- We were reminded that women, like men bear the stamp of God’s own image.
- Wives are seen as respected partners and esteemed companions to their husbands and respected leaders of their families – which was contrary to the other pagan and cultural beliefs of the time.
- The bible on a number of occasions through words and life examples acknowledge and celebrate the priceless value of a virtuous woman.
- The trend has been “wherever the gospel spreads, the social, legal and spiritual status of women has been … elevated. When the gospel has been eclipsed… the status of women has declined.”
At the heart of it all… we must look to the Bible to find our true femininity not feminism. We find that “scripture never discounts the female intellect, downplays the talents and abilities of women, or discourages the right use of women’s spiritual gifts. But whenever the Bible expressly talks about the marks of an excellent woman, the stress is always on feminine virtue. The most significant women in scripture were influential not because of their careers, but because of their character. The message these women collectively give us is not about gender equality; it’s about true feminine excellence, and is always exemplified in moral and spiritual qualities rather than by social standing, wealth or physical appearance.” In short, it’s not about what we can do… because by the grace of God we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us right?! (Phil. 4:13) but it’s about who God says we are and at the heart, our character which is of great worth in God’s sight.
This week we’ll be examining Eve: The Mother of all Living
We all know Eve as the first woman ever created. So naturally she is the first of the extraordinary women we will study and extraordinary she was! Following the creation of Adam, she was “the last living thing to be called into existence.” I love how the author (John MacArthur) phrases her creation.
REMEMBER, EVE WASN’T MADE OUT OF DUST LIKE ADAM, BUT CAREFULLY DESIGNED FROM LIVING FLESH AND BONE. ADAM WAS REFINED DIRT; EVE WAS A GLORIOUS REFINEMENT OF HUMANITY ITSELF. SHE WAS A SPECIAL GIFT TO ADAM. SHE WAS THE NECESSARY PARTNER WHO FINALLY MADE HIS EXISTANCE COMPLETE – AND WHOSE OWN EXISTANCE FINALLY SIGNLALED THE COMPLETION OF ALL CREATION.
Wow! Isn’t that something! Now, when you put it that way, there’s no way anyone could doubt that by her creation alone, Eve was extraordinary. She was as the Mother of All Living “a major character in the story of humanity’s fall and redemption” although in all scripture her name is only used 4 times. We don’t know “how many children she had, how long she lived, where or how she died” we aren’t even given any physical description of her. We can assume her beauty must have been impressive, her intellect, wit, charm, and innocence as she’s the picture of what woman was intended to be – nonetheless we are given no clues on that front which is noteworthy, especially in the wake of what we discussed last week about the re-occurring theme of femininity in the bible, reminding us once more that “the true distinguishing traits of feminine excellence are nothing superficial”
The very mention of Eve reminds me of a picture that an artist named Akaine painted when she was only 9 years old. Her paintings are amazing! And she has done many of Jesus, and other biblical images… she said this when she painted her portrait of Eve:
“...ONE MORNING I WOKE UP EARLIER THAN USUAL, AND RIGHT AWAY I DECIDED TO PAINT, BUT I COULD NOT FIND ANY CANVAS IN MY STUDIO. MY FAMILY WAS STILL ASLEEP, SO QUIETLY, STILL IN MY PAJAMAS, I SEARCHED MY ART CLOSETS AND FOUND ONE SMALL CANVAS THAT I'D WORKED ON A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT LATER GESSOED IT IN BLACK. AFTER MY PRAYER I BEGAN PAINTING A YOUNG WOMAN'S PORTRAIT. NEXT TO A BRANCH OF FRUIT. SUDDENLY I FELT GOD SAY, BLEND ALL THE RACES, BECAUSE THIS IS EVE, THE MOTHER OF ALL MANKIND.”
Forbidden Fruit, 18"x20", Age 10 (2005), © Copyright http://www.artakiane.com/
I wanted to share this picture because the imagery to me is so amazing! Even so, we are moving forward with the details we are given of Eve. It seems scripture tells her story in an almost “abbreviated fashion” so we will focus more clearly on the aspects of her life that have the most significance.
First, as we said is her creation. This story is told in
Genesis 2:20-25
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Her creation and specifically the method of creation show us several truths about womanhood:
- “Eve’s fundamental equality with Adam”
- “The essential unity” designed for marriage relationships
Matthew 19:4-6
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
- Marriage “is not merely a physical union, but a union of heart and soul as well.”
“THE WOMAN WAS MADE OF A RIB OUT OF THE SIDE OF ADAM; NOT MADE OUT OF HIS HEAD TO RULE OVER HIM, NOT OUT OF HIS FEET TO BE TRAMPLED UPON BY HIM; BUT OUT OF HIS SIDE TO BE EQUAL WITH HIM, UNDER HIS ARM TO BE PROTECTED, AND NEAR HIS HEART TO BE BELOVED.”
- “The divinely-designed role of women.”
Men and women are different – and I promise this isn’t going to be the theme throughout this study! J - but we are. Ever read the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus? Besides our physical makeup and strength, we think different, hormonally we are different, our perceptions and fears and priorities are different, even socially we’re different and we’re created differently for a purpose – a divine purpose – we fill in where the other leaves off. Doesn’t that sound lovely! A perfect partnership! My husband and I have discussed this so many times when we talk about what we expect and hope our marriage partnership to be and grow as. It makes sense… what gets in the way? LOTS!! But certainly a step in the right direction is accepting those gender “roles” if you will and not fighting them. Last week, Paula mentioned the liberation that comes from realizing that we don’t have to be everything to everyone… that falling under the headship of our husbands is freeing.
Remember too, what Marisue shared with us in the Captivating Study – the helper-helpmate word that is used when Eve was created is the Ezer-Kenegdo (the helper against – the yang to the yin) “Scripture stresses the mutuality and the complementary nature of the partnership.” .
And let’s make sure we note partnership. Subordinate yet equal? Yes!
The Holy Trinity is a beautiful example of this. Remember in the Shack. Papa seemed to be the head honcho, yet none was more important than the other and yet they were all one. “The relationships within the Trinity illustrate perfectly how headship and submission can function within a relationship of absolute equals. Christ is in no sense inferior to the Father.” See the following examples:
Colossians 2:9
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Philippians 2:6
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
John 10:30
30 I and the Father are one.”
30 I and the Father are one.”
John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
Three divine beings constitute the one true God of Scripture. All of them are fully God and fully equal. Yet, the son is subordinate to the Father…
John 5:30
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 8:29
29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
So, if we’re wondering how a relationship of equals where one is called to headship and the other to submission – look no further than God himself for the pattern! Remember too that this “calling” of Eve to submit to the “authority” of her husband Adam was utterly liberating to her!
THE PERFECT SCENARIO, THEN CAME “THE FALL”
Genesis 2 ends with the clear picture of the innocence of Eden’s paradise
Genesis 2:25
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Genesis 3 then introduces the serpent- the tempter. Clearly Satan who according to the timeline of events likely “fell” sometime in the events of Genesis 2, because at the end of Genesis 1 – the end of creation, God saw everything He made and it was good.
Genesis 3:1-7
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
There are several important things to note about the manner in which Eve was tempted, because they are the same kinds of things the enemy tries to use against us today.
- Satan, obviously came to Eve in disguise, interesting because it’s often the way we are
tempted or deceived… by the things that initially don’t appear so evil, right?
- He twisted the meaning of God’s Word: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” God’s commandment had come to Adam as a positive statement:
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Likely leaving Eve flustered and confused.
Sidenote: It’s likely that Eve had heard about this word from Adam, as he was given the veto prior to her creation. If we think about it, it actually aligns perfectly with the truth of Adam as the representative and head of the human race because God held him directly accountable.
- He then contradicts God’s Word completely and fill in with lies and rationalizations by telling her “You will not surely die” “God knows when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
It’s also important to notice the natural desires that fed Eve’s confusion and sin.
Bodily appetites – it was good for food
Visual sensibilities – pleasant to the eyes
Intellectual curiosity – desirable for wisdom
All of which are “good, legitimate, healthy urges – unless the object of the desire is sinful, then the natural passion becomes evil lust.”
How can personal and corporate bible study aid against these kinds of attacks?
Putting on the armor of God, right Jan!? Of course too, knowing the scriptures and having a close personal relationship with God prevent us from falling victim to false truths. Remember, even Jesus was tempted with twists in scripture and he fought back with scripture!
ADAM’S PART:
Notice that the “fall” came when Adam deliberately took part in the sin. John MacArthur shares that Adam’s headship plays a significant role for humanity because God dealt with him as “kind of a legal delegate for himself, his wife, and their future offspring.” … “Ultimately, it’s impossible to make sense of Scripture at all without understanding this vital principle. In an absolutely crucial sense, even the truth of the gospel hinges on this very idea of representative headship. Scripture says that Adam’s headship over the human race is an exact parallel of Christ’s headship over redeemed race.”
Notice that the “fall” came when Adam deliberately took part in the sin. John MacArthur shares that Adam’s headship plays a significant role for humanity because God dealt with him as “kind of a legal delegate for himself, his wife, and their future offspring.” … “Ultimately, it’s impossible to make sense of Scripture at all without understanding this vital principle. In an absolutely crucial sense, even the truth of the gospel hinges on this very idea of representative headship. Scripture says that Adam’s headship over the human race is an exact parallel of Christ’s headship over redeemed race.”
Romans 5:18
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
1st Corinthians 15:22
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
THE HUMILIATION AND CONSEQUENCES
Genesis 3:8-19
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Scripture gives us just a few words of the shame that occurred the moment “the fall” took place.
Genesis 3:7
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
So funny that their attempt to hide their shame with fig leaves is no different than what we attempt to do… What are some of the examples of how we can try to “fix” the shame ourselves before we go to God?
We all know that the truth is that masking over our shame doesn’t ever deal with the issue of confessing our guilt before God.
We all know that the truth is that masking over our shame doesn’t ever deal with the issue of confessing our guilt before God.
Then we see the events that followed or what we would call the blame game… so funny how it’s still a game we play in our everyday lives. Realize it or not! J Adam blames Eve (although He does push some of it God’s way too when he says “the woman YOU gave me”) and Eve blames the serpent.
A good time to be reminded of what it says in James about sin and temptation…
James 1:13-18
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
In short, it is never God who’s to blame for our tempting, nor does the responsibility lie on the tempter… for the sin happens because of our OWN lust and the responsibility for the deed itself lies with the sinner and no one else. God has nothing to do with your sin and your temptation. It's the enemy is a roaring lion and we should consider ourselves warned!! Which is why the armor of God and knowledge of the full scope of scripture is so important. 2nd of course to a saving personal relationship with a real and alive God!
Notice too in this whole scenario of the blame game, the omniscient God, patiently gives them each a chance to tell their story and come clean with Him.
The curse has all kinds of implications, but we of course are going to focus on how they affected Eve, making note that Adam’s curse applied to all of humankind so it also affected Eve:
- è Loss of paradise meant that Eve’s daily life would be filled with burdensome consequences
- è Her toil would likewise become a burden
- è Death would be a part of her life too.
- è DIRECT CONSEQUENCE: Multiplication of the pain and sorrow associated with childbirth
- è DIRECT CONSEQUENCE: Struggle with the relationship with her husband
In essence the 2 direct consequences deal with the two most important relationships in which a
woman might naturally seek her highest earthly joy; her husband and her children.
The childbirth issue is fairly straightforward… it’s not Kansas anymore! J
The struggle with her husband is a bit more in-depth….
BEFORE ADAM SINNED HIS LEADERSHIP WAS ALWAYS PERFECTLY WISE AND LOVING AND TENDER. BEFORE EVE SINNED, HER SUBMISSION WAS THE PERFECT MODEL OF MEEKNESS AND MODESTY. BUT SIN CHANGED ALL OF THAT. SHE WOULD NOW CHAFE UNDER HIS HEADSHIP AND DESIRE TO GAIN DOMINENCE OVER HIM. HIS TENDENCY WOULD BE TO SUPRESS HER IN A HARSH OR DOMINEERING WAY. AND THUS WE SEE THAT TENSIONS OVER GENDER ROLES GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO OUR FIRST PARENTS.
How are these relationships important to you?
There was a great deal of grace though in God’s dealings with the fall… for one, they were clothes with skins by God, which meant a blood sacrifice would have been made on their account, but focusing on Eve specially, Eve “remained under the headship of her husband who loved her. She might have been destroyed or left to wander alone in world where survival would have been difficult.” Eve may have been told she couldn't have offspring at all… instead true to her name Eve “the mother of all living” she would continue to have that honor. In fact her childbearing would provide a huge glimpse of hope for her and her husband and for generations to come.
THE EXPECTATION?
The serpent was told that God would put hostility between the serpents seed and her Seed; “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” There was a promise that her Seed would bruise the evil one’s head. Eve couldn’t have known the full scope of that promise, but she must have taken hope from that! The mention of the seed meant she would have children and raise a family and the fact that her seed would bruise his head meant that her offspring wouldn’t be subject to his domination forever. It is truly the story of the rest of scripture: Jesus of course being THE conquering seed!
Romans 16:20
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Hebrews 2:14
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
1st John 3:8
8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Eve certainly did go on to become the mother of all living, having many offspring, and although we’re not told how many we do know she was the mother of Cain, Abel, and Seth.
Extraordinary? Absolutely. As the first woman God created she bore the extraordinary stamp right from the get go and the lessons we learn from her are extraordinary in themselves, especially the promise of the most extraordinary human eve, Jesus Christ!
Next week we will continue with Sarah: Hoping against Hope
Please feel free to share this study with the extraordinary women in your life and invite them to join us for this exploration either in person on Wednesday Mornings at the Church of the Vine, 5 Wareham Street, S. Carver, Mass. From 9:30-11:30 (a time of prayer, study, fellowship and coffee!) or online at http://e-study-12extraordinarywomen.blogspot.com
