Now that we finished our look at Attributes of God, I thought we would dive into another series here on my blog—Bible characters. I want to go through some of the famous people from the Bible and look at their lives, the things they endured, and the lessons God wants us to learn from them.
Today, Week 1 of our study, we’re going to take a look at Eve. Most of us know who she is: the first woman, wife of Adam, the one whom the serpent tempted in the Garden, the one who ate the Forbidden Fruit first, and then gave it to Adam.
But what can we learn from her character, from the events that took place in her life?
Well, first off, Adam was alone in the Garden. God knew that it wasn’t good for Man to be alone. It is a reminder that we are meant to be in unity together, just like God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one, so too, should Man and Woman. Eve was the first woman, created to be a helper and companion to Adam.
After Eve was created, taken from one of Adam’s ribs, Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Life in the Garden was perfect. It was the life God wanted from us from the start—perfect life with His Presence. Adam and Eve got to walk with God every day, and speak to Him. But it couldn’t last. God knew the choice Eve would make long before she made it.
A lot of people wonder and ask, “Why did God created the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when he knew Adam and Eve would disobey Him and eat of it?” The answer is simple, because He gave us free will. In order for humans to be given free will, we had to have been given the option to do evil—to choose God or to not choose Him. Then, some people may ask, “Well, Adam and Eve made that choice, but I couldn’t be punished for their choice, something they did that I didn’t do!”
Every time you and I lie, every time we steal something, even if it’s small, every time we lust for someone in our thoughts, or get angry at someone, each time we covet, or commit any sin, we are eating the Forbidden Fruit too. That is us making the same choice as Adam and Eve—to choose sin, over God.
But we’re here to examine Eve, not mankind. The serpent came and tempted her by telling her that when she ate the fruit, that her eyes would be opened.”
I read in a book to help women who like to be in control, called Control Girls, that Eve could have chosen to trust God, to trust in His plan, in His will, and submit herself to His will for her life. But instead, she took matters into her own hands, and wanted to make her own happy ending come true.
Genesis 3:6 says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for good, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
In that very moment, Eve wanted the fruit more than she wanted God. God in all His holiness, this beautiful gift of a Garden paradise He had created for her just wasn’t enough. She chose wisdom and knowledge, over God. It was a moment of weakness.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, how many times have we made that same choice? The other day, I wanted to sit down, relax, and do my own thing (probably play a video game or watch YouTube). But I felt God wanted me to study the Bible and watch a few sermons online and yet… I didn’t want to.
So, you know what I did?
My own thing. God, in that moment, wasn’t enough for me. I thought only about myself and my personal desires. Now, thinking about ourselves isn’t a bad thing. God wants us to take care of ourselves, after all. But it’s when we put ourselves before God and His will for our lives that we get ourselves into trouble.
God, in His own way, humbled me. Just like he had to banish Adam and Eve in the Garden and they had to live with the consequences of their sin. Thanks to Jesus, we can be forgiven, if we trust in Him and repent of our sins, but sometimes, God still lets us live with the consequences of our sin. Like how Eve’s son, Cain, sinned and committed the first murder.
Next time Satan comes to us in our thoughts or in whatever form he appears, tempting us to sin, telling us, “Hey, do this. It’ll make you feel good. It’s what you want to do. It will make you happy…” Let’s try to rely on the Holy Spirit and pray. God promised to always provide us a way out of temptation.
Did God forgive Adam and Eve? Of that, I’m sure, so long as they repented of their sin. But God used their mistake for the ultimate good, to save us all from our sin. For, without them allowing sin to enter the world, Jesus never would have had to save it.
God understands our weaknesses. It’s something He’s been teaching me lately. Jesus was fully God, but He was also human and tempted by every sin possible. He just never did any sin. He resisted temptation. We can follow His example and with the Holy Spirit’s help and prayer, walk with God and resist the devil when he tempts us the way he tempted Eve.
Don’t follow Eve’s example. Let God be enough for you today .
