Looking back to the beginning of the Bible now as we study the people of the Bible, we look at Eve. Helper to Adam, mother of all humanity, and archetype of the biblical woman, she can offer a view into God’s infallible knowledge of our hearts. But through her temptation and introduction of sin into humanity, we can also get our first glimpse of God’s great grace.
In Genesis 2:18, the Lord, in the midst of his creative phase, sees fit to provide a helper for Adam. But in all the creatures of the world that he creates, he sees nothing fit to satisfy the deep, personal connection man needs. So in Adam’s sleep, he pulls out a rib and crafts in into Eve, whom he presents to Adam to great appreciation.
Adam’s declaration of thanks in Genesis 2:23 paints a good picture of what this means to Adam. He says, “This at last is the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”. Not just an ordinary “thank you” or “woah, cool!” Adam here immediately understands what Eve is; thoughtfully and personally designed by God to provide assistance beyond simple help, but Godly love. He exclaims “At last!”, recognizing that God has provided a spiritual partner, a deeper support and love, more fulfilling and gratifying than possible with any other creature on Earth. Of course, this points to the magnificence of the Lord that marriage mirrors, but even beyond that for those who may not be married, Eve is a symbol of God’s deeply intimate knowledge of us. He knows exactly what help we need, and exactly how we can be provided to best suit us individually and most effectively.
But as chapter 3 begins, we see not even God’s symbol of covenant love is exempt from human error. As Eve is tempted by Satan and shares in her temptation with Adam, they become aware of their human nature and become ashamed with the sin they have newfound knowledge of. Instead of coming to God and confronting their sin, they instead try to hide and obscure their shame from the Lord.
I always have the imagery here of a toddler playing hide-and-seek, standing behind a curtain with their legs visible, or with just a pillow held in front of their face as an attempt at hiding. And as we walk around, humoring them by asking wherever they might have gone to, we can see them clear as day. I imagine that is similar to how the Lord sees Adam and Eve hiding here: very poorly hiding their shame, yet very clearly visible to Him. How could they imagine that hiding behind some bushes, fig leaves crudely sewn together to make a makeshift covering, would fool the Lord of all creation, powerful enough to have just crafted everything from nothing?
We ourselves often try to hide our shame and sin from the Lord. We receive instructions for every walk of life, every difficulty we come across, all in the form of Scripture. Yet when we find ourselves living errantly against what God wants for us, do we find ourselves obeying Scripture and surrendering our sins to Him, or do we convince ourselves that we can hide it away, keeping it from the Lord, not having to confront our own sinful nature? The Lord is just and fair in disciplining us when we fall and refuse to confront him, but when Adam and Eve come forward, we see Him clothing and sending them on their way. In Eve’s actions, we see here the first example of God’s grace and forgiveness: that no matter what, when we come to Him to ask for forgiveness, even if we may be rebuked for our sins, He will always pick us up, clean us off, and help us back on the path towards Him. For he loves us beyond the bounds of sin and death.
From Eve, we can see the beginning of a beautiful, God-ordained relationship between man and woman, one of the most beautiful gifts of this life, pointing towards His love and glory. But we also see a fallible human, vulnerable to sin and temptation as the rest of us. Ultimately, Eve acts as a reminder to all of us of the beauty of grace, that the Lord’s love and care for us endures no matter our actions. So pray today for discernment in understanding when we have sinned and the wisdom and strength to confront our sin and come to the Lord immediately, without hiding and without shame, as we learn from Eve.
-Ross B.