Eve - The Fall

See Genesis 3:1-7

There are many questions and doctrines that can be seen in the Genesis account of the Fall.  One question that many ask is “Why did God allow it?”  Why not just make man and woman in such a state that they were not able to sin.  It is not the purpose of this blog to delve into that but I will quote Joe Morecraft “Adam and Eve were created perfectly holy yet capable of choosing evil. (Joseph C. Morecraft, p. 652)”  “The fall was included in God’s plan so that we would gain far more in Christ than we ever lost in Adam. (p. 651)” See Romans 5:17, 20.  I will just leave it with the fact that it was in God’s perfect will, and that we have a more secure salvation in Christ than we would ever have had in Adam.

Satan used the disguise of a serpent to approach Eve and raise questions in her mind about God that would eventually lead her to disobedience. It is not totally clear in the Genesis account whether Eve was actually with Adam when God gave him the command (2:16, 17), but she was aware of the consequences of disobedience, “You will die.” 

Satan subtly raised doubts in Eve’s mind “you surely will not die!”  He made it seem like God did not want what was best for them because He was withholding the means to be like God.  “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (v5)” He got Eve to use her own reason to prove or disprove God’s intent, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delight to the eyes.” She turned to her own empirical reason to evaluate and weigh the pros and cons of the command.  Rather than obeying God’s instructions and rejecting Satan’s suggestions to question and doubt, she listened to his tempting words, and she evaluated God’s command in light of them.  She looks at the tree and likes what she sees and takes that fatal step of disobedience “she took from its fruit and ate”.

Is this not the danger women face today (not just women but all of mankind fits here as well) to try and make decisions and judgments on our own without first seeking God’s word and what He has said? We look to other sources for advice and counsel, when the word of God is right there for us to consult and obey.  I wonder if the act of Eve’s rebellion was not only the actual eating of the fruit, but also the questioning of God’s ordained authority over her.  After all, she was created to be a helper for Adam, and placed under his authority.  But in this instance she is stepping out on her own and making a dreadful decision that would doom her and all mankind when Adam ate as well.  His guilt spread to the entire human race because the Bible says that he was the representative head (Romans 5:12-14).

The last part of that verse raises the age old question of where was Adam during this entire exchange?  “And she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”   Was he right there with her and did not step in to remind her of God’s law?  Or was he maybe some distance away, but close enough she could offer him the fruit.  I don’t know, but what is clear is that he did eat and with their act of rebellion against God all of creation suffers.  Instead of being the God honoring stewards of a perfect world God created, Adam’s action plunged all of creation into sin and misery. Consequently all of creation yearns for redemption.

Several questions come to my mind as I meditate on these few passages.  Do I look to God first before I make decisions?  Or do I plunge ahead on my own reasoning and later beg Him to get me out of the mess I created?  Why don’t we spend as much time in reading and meditating on the Word of God as we do in other pursuits?  If we don’t stay close to God’s standard, are we not opening ourselves up to be tempted as Eve.

Do we look to our spouse as our spiritual head?  Wow, that is a big one, after all, in today’s world don’t we hear all the time about how our religious beliefs are personal?  But in the perfect order God created, man was the spiritual head and woman was his support and help meet.  Do we seek to be the wife God ordained us to be? Or do we seek our own pleasures and pursuits?  I do believe we need to remember what happened to Eve when she listened to other voices rather than her God.

Next we will see the consequences of the fall, immediate and long range for Adam and Eve and for all of mankind.

 Cited:

Joseph C. Morecraft, III. (2009). Authentic Christianity (Vol. 1). Powder Springs, GA: The American Vision, Inc.

This entry was posted on 28. April 2011 at 18:30 and is filed under Eve. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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