In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had the perfect life, opportunities to live in paradise on earth, walk with the very God of all creation, and never have to worry or struggle.
However, given another great gift-that of freedom of choice- paradise would soon be filled with sin.
The serpent knew exactly how to tempt: the lust of the eye, the desires of the heart, and the yearning for more knowledge....how to be like God...she thought!
When Satan slithered his way into Eve's presence, she had no reason to be afraid....not yet!
Satan said to her, "Did God REALLY say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?.....
You will not certainly die....for God knows that when you eat of the fruit of the tree, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Eve certainly learned the hard way-one of the worst possible for a mother-
about good and evil. She already knew the good before the temptation and fall by disobedience;
Her firstborn son was a murderer and her second, his victim. What a terrible way to have your eyes opened to good and evil! Then her firstborn was sent far away, and she and her husband made to leave their beautiful, once perfect home.
Eve listened to the deceiver and liar and the most crafty of all creatures. Immediately she gave of the fruit to Adam and he ate as well.
Now an interesting thing comes to mind. God rebuked Satan FIRST, Eve second, and lastly Adam.
I think this is significant. ( Temptation comes first, Thinking about yielding to it comes next, and the actual sin is acted upon...or not)
Eve looked at the beautiful delicious-looking fruit...oh how pleasing it appeard to the eye! She couldn't have been 'hungry' with all the fruits of the garden......but it WAS forbidden!
Satan was the crafty deceiver, Eve was the target, but Adam, as the spiritual leader, took the bait....he listened to his wife rather than God. HE was the one God told to not eat of the tree! (Genesis 2:17)
The Bible also says sin came into the world through one man, Adam, (Adam was held accountable first and then Eve, as his wife). Now sin is inherent in all of us.
Christ came to offer redemption.
As the spiritual leader of the family we should love, honor, and greatly respect husband and father.
The mother has a powerful role in the family dynamics and one never to be under estimated! Women have the ability to discern and are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and can make or break a family with her own hands and words.
The fact that Eve could so easily lead Adam to partake of something that God Himself had told him specifically NOT to do....he did for Eve!
Satan KNEW that. What would have happened if he'd worked his craft by way of Adam?
I'm not saying women are the weaker gender.....in fact I'm saying the exact opposite- women have the ability to stand behind the spiritual leader and be a virtual "powerhouse" when working as God intended....to be a helpmate. She can also be a device of Satan and the devil knew it.
If Satan can know that women have that kind of 'power' we women had BEST BE AWARE as well!
"Be sober, be vigilant; For your adversary, the devil, as a ROARING Lion, walks about SEEKING whom he may DEVOUR!" (I Peter 5:8)
And he will most likely try using the wife and mother FIRST!
BUT guess what......God won!
Let Christ reign in your heart.....listen to Him....God says " Listen to Him!" (Mark 9:7)
Be the woman God created you to be. Pray every day. Read His Word every day-how else can you know Him? He reveals Himself and His plans for us in His Daily Word...the Bible.
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ReplyDeleteSue :
Found your "Eve" article intersting and thought provoking. But then all of your articles are very thought provoking !
Have heard so many men jokingly say that we (the woman ) are to "blame" and therefore the weaker. But I too, would like to know what would have happened if the devil had indeed approached them (man) first ? God knew that it would have been very hard (should they have failed) to have looked to them as the "spiritual head"... wouldn't it ? This is not necessarily any credit to their greater strength.,however...it did give our God a wonderful opportunity (because of Eve's failure) to show His great love for us by providing a plan of redemption, and by doing so, showing us the greatness of His beautiful nature,and revealing that God never gives up on us.
So even though he cast them out of the garden ( the necessary punishment) He did not cast them out of His heart ! How like our loving Father ! Though we sin...He is "faithful and just to forgive us our sin...and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" and of course provide for us a way to right standing with Him... through Jesus.
AMEN ???
Linda,
ReplyDeleteYou should start a blog of your own.....what you said (and I had planned on doing a part two of Eve), but what you said elaborates and gives a more in depth view of what happened back in Eden...and you are so right....God will never give up on us, and no matter what the trial or test...we should never let go of Him.
That's a great point about how much more difficult it would be (and it's bad enough already in our modern society) for the man to be the spiritual leader that God intended (I HOPE to go see the new movie COURAGEOUS by the Kendrick Brothers).
Yes, we women do take a 'beating' about Eve, but men also need to consider Adam WAS the one God spoke to about the fruit....AND he listened to Eve rather than God Himself....
Thank God for His love, mercy, and the saving power of grace through faith in Jesus!
Thanks for your comment!
Sue