journey onWord with us

Her name is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament and twice in the New.  We really have no details of her life; we don’t know how many children she ultimately gave birth to or how long she lived or where or how she died.  She is a major character in the story of the fall of man, and Scripture gives a detailed account of her creation, temptation and ultimate fall.

The name “Eve” is translated “Mother of all living” and “Mother of all people everywhere.” She was the last thing created in Eden, and she had to be beautiful because the world was perfect at that point in history. Eve had been created by God, (His idea not Adam’s), as a mate and companion; Adam felt an instant attachment to her for when he awoke from the first surgery he exclaimed, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

After I was given the assignment by the team to write about Eve, I began to consider her story more deeply. There is so much I could write about, which narrative or thread do I choose? Do I discuss her role as the first wife and talk about the institution of marriage?  Or perhaps I would talk about her two sons and the paths they chose in life.  Or maybe I should put to rest once and for all who is to blame for the fall of man – Adam or Eve?!? (Relax everybody) The more I read over my notes, the more I kept coming back to the fact that Satan can tempt us, trick us and overpower us in unexpected ways.  Let’s talk about the ambush (no pun intended) of Eve.

Genesis chapter 2 ends with the statement, “They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Chapter three begins with (dun, dun, duuunn) the serpent. The serpent isn’t named as Satan until the book of Revelation, but we know who it is, don’t we?  Satan was an angel; the book of Isaiah tells us he was magnificent, the most beautiful angel in Heaven. Most scholars believe Satan was cast out of Heaven sometime between Genesis chapter one and two, but very few speculate on how much time elapsed before he went after Eve.  One thing is for certain – he had to orchestrate The Fall before they had children so that he could ruin all of humanity.  He had to get to the very first couple of the human race!

 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’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  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.” “ You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 
Genesis 3:1-5

So Satan was in disguise – as a gorgeous serpent.  Remember too that this is before the curse, so many believe that the serpent may have been upright.  And he spoke!  A talking, walking beautiful animal who executed his sneak attack perfectly; he appealed to her curiosity, her sense of beauty and her human appetite … for good food. He confused her and twisted God’s words. She fell for it, and we know the rest of the story.

Just as with Adam, Eve’s story is our story, too. As a picture of God’s grace, Adam and Eve’s story did not end at The Fall. As for Eve, her third son was Seth, and he provided a new legacy for her.

When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.
Genesis 4:26

Eve has long ago left this Earth, but Satan remains.  He is still disguising himself.  He is still appealing to our human senses and emotions.  He is very good at what he does.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
James 5:8

 Be alert.  Be aware.  Expect the unexpected.