Eve — The Mother of All Living

   And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20).

   Eve was called by Adam "the mother of all living." In the first three chapters of Genesis we find all the principles which are later expounded in Scripture and applicable unto our lives, including creation, temptation and sin, and redemption. The center of interest in this narrative is Eve.

   The steps in the creation process were gradual. Five times the Bible says, "And God saw that it was good." The last step in the creation process was when "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). Then we read, "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." This environment for man was absolutely perfect. What a glorious garden it was! In it was everything that was good: every kind of flower which was beautiful to the eye, every tree upon which man loves to look, every shrub to break the abruptness of contrast between the trees and flowers, every herb, every vine and every moss, every lichen which would contribute to the beauty of the place. Trees, shrubs and plants which we would travel far to see were there in great profusion and yet in order and in loveliness. This was a garden, not a jungle. There was no thorn, no briar or thistle or weed. There was only profuse beauty perfumed fragrance, panorama of color and valuable plants.

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   In this garden there was no death. All animals, from the least to the greatest, were there, named by the first man and manifesting the beauty of their strength and nature, but they were not beasts of prey. They all lived together in harmony. They were vegetarian and to them was given such a range of food that they never desired the flesh of another animal. Hence, in that garden was no pain, no disease, no hurt and no sorrow. Instead, there was nothing but happiness, pleasure and delight for all creatures living in pristine harmony and glory. There was not even a rain cloud in the sky, for the Lord did not cause it to rain upon the earth but watered it by means of a mist that came up from the earth. The garden of Eden was all that the wisdom of an infinite God could make it in perfection. Every lover of nature who delights in a scene of tranquility in the hills or the lakes, whose soul is enraptured with the beauty of an ancient oak or fir, who loves the micaflaked rocks of the mountains, experiences a throwback to what the first man and woman must have experienced in the garden of Eden.

THE STATE OF WOMAN AS CREATED

  The garden in which God placed man and woman was possible only after the six stages of creation which are described in the first chapter of Genesis. The Bible accurately describes the wonders of those six creative days and in this we read nothing which is contrary to the discoveries of science. The first day speaks of God's creating the heavens and the earth. Some think that the Bible then immediately describes a judgment upon the earth as it originally was created in perfection, for the second verse of Genesis speaks of the earth being without form and void. Later, Isaiah said, using these very words, that God did not create the world without form or void (Isa. 45:18), so some think that this was a time in which Satan was judged and the world became a great void. Following this came the six creative days or stages of remodeling of the earth. Whether one accepts this theory or not, the six stages of the process of creation are clearly delineated. If, in that original judgment, mountains were heaved up, vast forests were covered

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deposits of oil were laid in the earth, fossils were caught in the liquid rock, then the six creative days would be that of remodeling the earth rather than original stages of creation. Possibly we will never know what method God used in His bringing to pass the earth as we now know it.

   The first stage describes bringing forth the light of the sun which had already been created but which was shrouded in the mists of darkness. The second stage was that of creating the airy and gaseous heavens beyond which is darkness and without which there would be no diffusion of light and hence life upon the earth.

   In the third period the Lord brought forth the land out of the waters and caused the land to bring forth grass, herbs, fruit trees and plant life, each seed yielding after its kind. On the fourth creative day God made the lights of the firmament to appear and set them as signs and for seasons, and days and years, to rule over the changes on the earth. In the fifth stage, the Lord exercised His power of creation and brought forth the living things in the waters, and also the fowl of the heaven. In the sixth stage, God caused the earth to bring forth all forms of animals after their own kind so that the earth was filled with animals and this also was pronounced good.

    The final stage of creation was that of making man. It is interesting that this appearance of man occurs in the same stage or era as that in which God caused the earth to bring forth the living creatures, the beasts of the field, but that God made man in His own image, thus differentiating him from all of the beasts of the field.

   Three major declarations are made in this first text concerning the creation of man. First, he was made in the image of God. This image is spiritual, moral and intellectual. Spiritually, man is of one kind with God and possesses a derived immortality. Intellectually, he is capable of thinking God's thoughts after Him. Morally, he can make the decisions which will reveal his kinship to deity. The second great declaration about man is that he was to have dominion over all of the creation. This fact is restated several times in the Scripture and

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should remove all provincialism as to man's ability to master scientifically the world in which he lives. The third fact declared about man is that God created him male and female. It is on this that Jesus bases His teaching concerning monogamous marriage, saying, "From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh" (Matt. 19:5).

   Generically speaking, man was the highest in God's series of creation. The word "create" is used three times in the first chapter of Genesis. The first time is when it says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" ( vs. 1). The second time is when God created life, and it says, "And God created... every living creature that moveth" (vs. 21). The third is when God created man and it says, "So God created man in his own image" (vs. 27). At these three points the materialistic evolutionists are forever hindered because they cannot produce any theory which accounts for the beginning of the world, or the beginning of man. As for the world, either it must have eternally existed or else it must have been created. There is no middle ground. The theist believes that God created it. As for life, there has never been any demonstration of a spontaneous origin of life or even an artificial creation of life on the part of man. Life must have had a beginning somewhere. As for man himself, although many theories may be advanced as to primitive man, or preadamic man, yet the Bible clearly says that God created man and at some point, He bridged the gap between by breathing into man the breath of life and making him in His own image.

   Between the various stages of creation there is large room for theories of development. We have no means of knowing how long the creative days were which are spoken of in the first chapter of the book of Genesis. They may have been long eras of time and it may have been the good pleasure of God to develop the species by gradual processes as well as by sudden

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act. At the end of this great process before what the Bible describes as God's sabbath rest, the final act of deity was the creation of woman. She was not only the last but she was the best. She was absolutely perfect. One woman may resemble the Venus de Milo, another may have a mind of keenest power, another may have a rare spirit, but with any human being today there is some limitation. But if we could combine the best of body, mind and spirit into one, we would have some idea of the first woman whom God created.

   The story of the creation of woman in Genesis 2:18-24 is suggestive as to the position which she should have as a helpmate for man. Although man had a perfect place in which to live, every imaginable kind of beast and bird creature with which to work or play, he was nevertheless alone. There was a wide gulf which separated him from every creature of the world. He recognized that he was of a different quality of being. Man for awhile may be satisfied with horses and dogs and birds, but he cannot be permanently so. God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18).

   Ancient commentators were accustomed to refer to the method which God used in creating woman in order to show her position in relationship to man. They said, "God did not make woman from man's head, as hair is supposed to have sprung full-grown from the head of Job, lest man worship her. He did not take woman from man's feet lest man use her as a slave. God took woman from one of his ribs near his heart in order that he might love her and recognize her as equal, protecting her with the power of his arm."

   The original relationship between man and woman was that of monogamous marriage. In response to the disciples' question about divorce, the Lord Jesus said, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man

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put asunder." With the exception of the last clause of this statement, this question is taken from the book of Genesis. Any departure in history from this high standard is according to Christ permitted only because of the hardness of men's hearts, but in the beginning it was not so, for God intended man and woman to live together in a monogamous relationship of marriage. It has been shown that several inferences can be drawn from Christ's comment. First, the twofold purpose of marriage is mutual companionship and happiness and the propagation of the race. The fact of the marriage of one man and one woman, contrary to all other social theories, was the original relationship and the plan of God. Second, there was no provision made for sex relationship between men and woman outside marriage. Fourth, human marriage was to be fruitful and a means to replenish the earth. Fifth, there was no provision made for a trial marriage or for a series of marriages: a marriage was to be unto death.

   The first marriage between man and woman must have been an extremely happy one. Theirs were scenes of fellowship and love as they lived together in the garden and walked with God in the cool of the day. Theirs was unclotted bliss, perfect understanding and an endless love. Theirs was the ideal marriage, the ideal love and the ideal happiness. Moreover, they were blessed by the presence of God who walked with them in the cool of the day. God made man for fellowship and enjoyment and He revealed His affection to man in this garden fellowship. To walk with God is the highest privilege which is given to man upon earth. Adam and Eve enjoyed undimmed fellowship with their Creator.

   In the midst of this fellowship, the Lord established a commandment, or a probation for the first man and woman. He said, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:16, 17). We also read of the tree of life which was in the midst of garden, but of no command that

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man should not eat of it. It is possible that this was permitted to see whether man would eat first of the tree of life which would confirm him in his likeness to God or whether he would first eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thus fall from his position of primitive creation.

   This commandment of God is known as the covenant of works. It is the requirement that man shall live by doing. Works were later enlarged in the ten commandments and again enlarged in the Sermon on the Mount. Its requirement is that of perfect obedience. In the day that man violates the commandment of God, he will surely die. Perfect obedience is necessary to possess eternal life, hence it excludes all men from salvation by works, for no man from Adam until now has lived in perfect obedience to the commandments of God with the exception of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the lawyer asked Jesus, "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" He said, "Keep the commandments"  (Matt. 19:16,17). If a man could fulfill all God's commandments, he could live by them. But it was during this period of probation that the temptation came and man fell.

THE WOMAN AS TEMPTRESS

  The fact that Eve became a temptress assumes that she had fallen. In order to be the instrument of evil, Eve first had to subject herself to evil. Hence, we turn our attention to the temptation of the woman by the serpent. The Scripture truly says that the devil assumed the form of a serpent. In this we have a suggestion of what must have happened in the pre-earthly ages when Satan fell from his high position as Lucifer, the angel of the morning, and began his activity of contending against God in every form in which he could (Isa. 14:12-17).

   The methods used by Satan in tempting Eve are the methods which he uses in his activities in the world today. His temptation of the woman is almost identical with his temptation of the Lord Jesus. He appealed to them both through the lust of the eye, the love of the world and the pride of life. First, Satan questioned the authority of the Word of God. He

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said, "Hath God said?" He suggested that the commandment which they had received was not from God at all. After that woman reiterated the commandment because she knew it well, he then questioned the truth of what God had said, "Ye shall not surely die." Finally, he questioned the justice in the commandment and the motive of God in giving the commandment, He said, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." The study of the temptation of the first woman, or of Job, or of Jesus Christ reveals the same suggestion. Satan thought that when Christ saw the kingdoms of the world He would fall down and worship him, or that when He heard a misquotation of the Word of God, He would in presumption act upon it, or that He could be enticed and use His power for His own purposes. These methods were successful in seducing the woman. The Bible says, "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat." Briefly, she considered it, she desired it and she partook of it. Once the woman had sinned, Satan was now able to do his work through her as the temptress. The Bible does not tell us of Satan's appearance to or conversation with the man. He now committed his cause to the woman who became the temptress.

   A description of the fall of Adam is very simple. The Bible says, "The woman... gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Man rationally, intentionally and voluntarily entered into sin. Probably Adam resisted this in the beginning, but the influence of Eve wore him down, as the wife of Potiphar prevailed upon him, as the daughter of Timnath prevailed upon Samson and as has happened so often in human history. Adam weighed the consequences well. He knew what it meant. He remembered the time when he was alone and he anticipated a time when the woman would be judged and he would be left alone again, so he made his choice deliberately. He chose the presence of the woman whom he loved, with sin, rather than holiness without her. Thus, both man

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and woman sinned, and as the mother and father of all living, they communicated to all men the guilt of this sin and the propensity to further sin.

   That there was guilt in the action of Eve and of Adam is evident from the fact that their eyes were opened and they knew they they were naked. Their innocence was gone. The half-truth which Satan told was fulfilled. They now were as God. They knew the difference between right and wrong, but they also carried with them the terrible sense of guilt because they had transgressed the commandment of God. When the voice of God sought Adam out in the cool of the day, saying, "Where art thou?" Adam responded, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."

   The subsequent inquisition for guilt made by God placed the primary responsibility upon the devil and the secondary responsibility upon man and woman and punishments were fitted to each. Enmity was to exist between the serpent and the seed of the woman and a physical change was to come upon the serpent itself. The punishment of the woman was that in sorrow she should bring forth children. The punishment of Adam was that the ground was to be cursed for his sake and in sorrow he should eat of it all the days of his life.

EVE AS THE MEANS OF VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION

   In the midst of the curse upon woman, however, there came a promise. God said to the serpent, "I will put enmity... between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This prophecy begins a chain of references in the Bible which lead directly to the coming of Christ and His redemptive work on Calvary. Eve understood this and she believed the promise which is later enlarged for the descendants until the time of Christ. In Christ's death upon the cross He was bruised, but there He bruised the head of Satan and won a final victory. When Christ went to Calvary, He said, "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John

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12:13). Satan's power was broken at Calvary. Christ is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

   The belief of this promise by Eve is shown in the naming of her firstborn son (Gen 4:1). The original Hebrew text says, "Eve conceived and bare Cain and said, I have gotten a man, the Lord." Eve thought that the promise of the Messiah, or Saviour, who was to be born of woman and to be God was fulfilled in her firstborn son, Cain. The promise was not to be fulfilled until Mary heard the words of the angel Gabriel who said, "That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Yet this belief had lighted the hopes of holy women and holy men throughout the ages.

   When God finished conversing with man, we read, "The Lord God made coats of skins, and clothed them." These were a divinely intended type of Christ who was made unto us righteousness, which righteousness is the garment by which sinners are clothed and made fit for the presence of God. As those animals were a substitute for Adam and Eve, so Christ is the substitute for us. God overlooked the sins which were past in the light of the sacrifice which was to come (Rom. 3:24-26).

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