Last week, when I introduced the paralytic man lowered through the roof, I mentioned that he might be not as obscure a character as some of the others in this series. I didn’t realize we were going to look at Eve’s story next! Eve’s story is certainly well known, but beyond the acknowledgement of her sin, we don’t study her very often. So, let’s dive into the story of Eve!
Scripture
The Creation: Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28, 31
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. . . . 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” . . . 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ESV
Man in the Garden: Genesis 2:7, 15-17
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. . . .15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” ESV
God Forms Woman: Genesis 2:22-25
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. ESV
Sin and Rebellion: Genesis 3:6-7
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ESV
Consequences” Genesis 3:13, 16-17, 20-21
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” . . . 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life” . . . 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. ESV
Context
This was the Beginning! The word “genesis” means origin, source, or the beginnings, and the beginning starts with the Creation.
There are two fundamental understandings we must take away from the Creation story in Gen 1-2:
(1) God exists. God is the main character in this story. He existed “in the beginning” before He created the universe.
(2) God created all things. He created the heavens, the earth, the water, the light, the plants, the creatures. He created and formed everything.
God created the universe and all that is in it, and it was “good.” Then He created man in His own image and declared it was “very good” (Gen 1:31). God did it!
Observations
Why did God decide to provide Adam a helper? Gen 2:18 says that God determined it was not good for man to be alone, so God made man’s helper from Adam’s rib.
What does the Bible mean when it describes the woman as a “helper”? This statement doesn’t refer to Eve’s worth, value, or relative importance, but rather it describes the role she is to fulfill in her relationship to Adam. Remember, it was Adam who has the “problem.” He needed companionship because being alone is not good.
Commentary
Genesis 1:26 says that God created man and woman “in Our image, according to Our likeness.” What do you think “image” and “likeness” mean? What are the implications? Do we look like God? How important is this statement? Humans are the only created beings made in God’s image, but the text here does not refer to our physical appearance. What do you think this means?
Our image or nature being like God would include such attributes as morals and values. What other attributes do you think we share with God? What attributes do we need?
Eve was formed from Adam and not from the earth like Adam. This was probably done so that the process of creation would produce a perfect match – like soulmates. Man and woman would fit together like hand and glove, a perfect fit. They would be the same but not identical. Both would have the same inherent nature, therefore they would be compatible.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit they received knowledge but not wisdom. Such knowledge would have produced awareness, curiosity, experimentation, etc. They would have known the difference between good and evil, how such knowledge could be used selfishly, and how it would impact others, etc. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. The act of eating the fruit gave Adam and Eve knowledge but not wisdom.
Why do you think Adam ate the fruit, particularly given that God had spoken to him directly about not eating it? Why didn’t Eve talk to God about the serpent’s claims before eating? Eve allowed her desires and emotions to control her actions, rather than her mind and heart. She did not think and allowed herself to be deceived. So what’s Adam’s excuse?
If you were Eve and believed the serpent’s lies, how would that reflect on God? What would you now believe about God if you believed the serpent? You might believe that God is insecure and does not want you to have too much knowledge. What does that belief lead to?
Application Questrions
Because we are created in God’s image, we must consider how well we reflect that image?
Do others see Christ in you? Are you reflecting the attributes of God in your words and deeds?
Do you need to breathe life into your relationship with God?
For answers to these and many more questions about this obscure character, check out the 3rd book in the Obscure Bible Study series or the digital version of the Obscure Bible Study.
Also, join us on our Facebook page to talk about Eve all week long!