EVE
She was created
She was perfect
She was loved
She believed a lie
She sinned
Her punishment… death
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The first woman that we will be looking at is Eve.
You can find the story of the fall in Genesis 3:1-6
The Fall
3 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.
STORY
DECEIVED
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Romans 6:6
Tears roll down my cheeks as I look at the precious bundle in my arms. How could something so precious cause so much pain! Yet, I know the answer. The Mighty One had warned me: “Because of what you have done, giving birth will be painful.”
Angrily, I wipe away my tears. It’s my fault! Everything’s my fault! If only I could turn back time. If only things would go back to the way they used to be. If only we were back in the garden. If only….
If only I could stop crying all the time! Baby Cain is only six days old and I feel happy and miserable at the same time. The past is still so raw.
I close my eyes and smile as I remember the first time I saw my handsome husband. I still get that funny feeling in my stomach when I look at him. But does he resent me? He doesn’t say anything, and he still looks at me with that oh-so-tender love that leaves me breathless, but is there resentment deep down?
Cain stirs in my arms, distracting me. I gaze at the perfect little face as it starts to scrunch up into an I’m-so-starving wail. I hurry to give him milk. It bothers me to hear his cry and I worry that I’m hurting him. We never cried while we lived in the garden. Water had never dripped from our eyes. It still feels so puzzling to me.
Cain’s little mouth tickles me as he gulps the warm milk. I giggle, “You’re always so hungry, aren’t you?”
I stroke his silky cheeks and reminisce…
***
I use to laugh with delight as Adam chased me around our breathtakingly beautiful garden. He was a lot faster than me and caught me easily, but it was fun to pretend I could outrun him -and anyway, getting caught was the best part! Life was a joy and so peaceful. Every morning we met with God and walked around the garden hand in hand. We laughed with the angels, played with the animals and swam in the crystal clear water. Life was sweet.
Until that grim day.
It started like any other day. Perfect. Heavenly scented roses, plump and exquisite, grew in vast swathes of colour. I kissed a velvety, pink petal. They were my special delight. Adam had his animals and I had my roses. We swam, had a bowl of juicy fruit salad, and left for our morning walk.
We’d walked quite far when a sudden flicker caught my attention. I looked around. Nothing. Then another flash caught my eye and I looked again, my eyes resting on the tree. There it was again -that quick flick of light -except that this time I saw a serpent slithering sinuously around the trunk. Finally, it stopped and looked straight at me. I gasped!
“Look, my love, the horses!” Adam pointed, letting go of my hand to greet one of the animals galloping towards us. He loved them all. I laughed. He was so adorable.
A soft, caressing hiss snapped my attention back to the tree. It was still there. Since when do snakes stare? For some reason I couldn’t look away. It fascinated me to see a creature with such obvious intelligence, almost looking like it wanted to say something. I looked back at Adam who was still involved with the horses, oblivious to my discovery. Slowly I made my way to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent’s call was sweet to my ears. I closed my eyes and followed the sound.
“Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”
My eyes flew open and my mouth formed a silent O. It talked!
“Well?” his voice, soft and melodious, made me tremble.
Breathless, I nodded.
“Speak, my pretty.” He whispered, stretching towards me so that his cold breath tickled my cheek.
“God said we could eat from the trees in the garden, but we mustn’t eat from this tree or we’ll die!”
His silvery laugh sent cold shivers up my spine.
“Die? You won’t die!”
My eyes rounded. Is this serpent implying that God might lie to us? Never.
“You see, my precious woman,” he came close to my face again, the dark eyes penetrating the very depths of my soul. “God doesn’t want you to eat this delicious, luscious fruit, because the day you do that, your eyes will be opened and you will become…just… like… GOD!!”
My heart thundered and my palms grew cold and sweaty, “Become like God?” I whispered.
“Naturally,” he hissed. “Imagine the power and knowledge you will possess?”
I nodded. Yes, God did know everything. Anything we asked, he answered. So wise.
“Go on, Lovely. Eat. Enjoy.”
Every word I heard danced right into my heart. I wanted to be wise, intelligent. I wanted to be just like God!
“Eat, Precious, eat.”
I lifted my arm and reached for the divine fruit. I inhaled the honeyed scent. My mouth watered and without another thought I took a huge bite, juice dribbling down my hands and chin. I smiled. It was delicious -divine, perfect, heavenly, yum.
“Eve! What are you doing?” Adam was running towards me and I turned to face him, the half-eaten fruit in my hand and the juice dripping from my chin.
“Oh, Eve!” He stopped in front of me and looked at me with bewilderment. He touched my face softly. “What have you done?”
“Eat, Adam. Eat!” I practically thrust the fruit at his mouth.
***
FIND THE STORY
Read the whole story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1, 2 & 3
REFLECTION
We’ve all heard the story of Adam and Eve, the forbidden fruit, and the origins of sin. But we’ve become so blasé to this story that many of us think it doesn’t really relate to our lives now. But it does.
We fall into the same trap Eve did, and so easily….
Sin is very enticing and has such a strong attraction towards us.
Things like:
• Gossiping
• Pornography
• Smoking
• Sex
• Drinking
• Not studying the bible
These things are like that original mesmerising fruit that was held out to Eve.
The reason God has placed boundaries for us is for our own good. Look at the list above – which one of those make your minds, body and soul strong and healthy?
None!
• Gossiping: Destroys friendship and hurts others
• Pornography: Perverts your mind
• Smoking: Will give you lung or throat cancer
• Sex: Specially if you are sleeping around can cause sexually transmitted disease
• Drinking: You lose control of your senses – could kill someone
• Not studying the bible: Drift away from God – Since your mind isn’t occupied with godly things then it will be easier for the enemy to fill up that space with negative, grumpy and selfish thoughts. Because he will have control over them
Are any of the above unfair? No, everything God says is for our own good.
However, If these things have already been your downfall, it’s not the end of the story. You can ask God to help. It’s never too late to start fresh, so don’t let anyone tell you that your sin can’t be forgiven. God is just waiting for you to ask.
His grace is so much bigger than any mistake in your past or present. While Satan might try to remind you of your sins by making you feel guilty or enticing others to whisper about you, hold your head high and remind yourself that you’re loved and forgiven by God, and He’s the only one that counts.
Like a quote that I once saw on a church billboard: When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.
WHAT ABOUT YOU
What’s your fruit (temptation)?
What will you do next time you’re in this situation?
PRAYER TIME
“Dear Jesus,
Help me stand firm when those ‘eve’ moments come my way. Help me be strong in you and stand for what its right. When I fall, I need you to pick me up, please hold my hand and never let me go! Thank you for your grace because no matter what I have done it’s never too late for me. You love me and forgive me always! Amen.”
song: Shoulders by For King & Country
