The Treasure Doesn't Hunt: Eve

INTRODUCTION
My name is Eve.  My husband, Adam, gave me that name because I am the mother of all living.  When I was born, Adam called me woman – bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh because I was made from his rib.  In fact, I was the only woman to ever to be born of a man.  I was a precious treasure – one of a kind – It was a tragedy that I didn’t fully understand that until it was too late – a tragedy that affected every human being born of me.  You see, God created Adam and I, and gave us a beautiful home in a garden eastward in Eden.  It was what you would call paradise.  Every tree, plant and flower that was pleasant to the eyes and tasty fruit, herb and vegetables that were good to eat was available to us.  Adam and I were so happy and free that we roamed around naked and were not ashamed.  We didn’t even know what shame was until my curiosity got the best of me and I disobeyed God and tasted the forbidden fruit.  This is my story.

TEMPTATION:
I was strolling through the Garden of Eden minding my own business when that crafty serpent called out to me.  “Hey, did God say that you should not eat of every tree in the garden?” I should have told him that he knew very well what God had said and kept walking, but I wanted to set him straight.  So, I answered.  “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God said we should not eat of it neither should we touch it or we will die.”  And the serpent said.  “You will not die!  God knows that when you eat of that tree your eyes will be open, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”  For the first time, I took a good look at the tree.  The fruit did look luscious and beautiful and the fact that it had the power to make us wise was more than I could resist.  I reached up, took one and ate it.   Then, I shared it with Adam.  We both knew it was wrong, but we did it anyway.

I wish I could describe the terror that gripped me.  I knew Adam felt it too because his eyes got wide and we both covered our bodies with our hands and ran into the bushes.  We sewed fig leaves together to cover ourselves and hid among the trees.  Then we heard the voice of the Lord God as he walked through the garden in the cool of the day.   He called out to Adam and Adam told him that he was hiding because he was naked and ashamed.  God knew right away that we had eaten of the tree he had forbidden us to eat.  Then, Adam told God that the woman HE GAVE HIM ate the fruit first and then gave it to him.  Then, God turned His focus on me.  He said, “What is this you have done?”  I was so scared that I immediately cast the blame on the serpent.  “He beguiled me…” I said.  “and I did eat.”

Now, God’s anger was directed at the serpent, but even as He received God’s wrath, I began to dread my own fate.

God cursed the serpent above all the beasts in the field and made him to crawl on his belly eating the dust of the ground for the rest of his days.  I stood horrified as he was transformed into a scaly, slithering, creature.  He said that my descendants would bruise the serpents head and he would bruise their heels.

Then, God turned his attention to me.  I shuddered in fear.  My chest beat like a drum, sweat poured down my face and my eyes filled with tears.   My body was so weak that I dropped to my knees at the sound of his voice and hung my head.  To me, He said, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and conception; in sorrow you will bring forth children; and your desire will be to your husband, and he will rule over you.

When he was done with me, he finally turned his attention to Adam and said, Because you listened to your wife, and ate of the tree that I told you not to eat: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow you will eat of it all the days of your life;   You will harvest thorns and thistles and eat the herb of the field;  You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground; for out of it you were taken: you were made from dust and you will return to the dust.

Then, the Lord God slayed an animal and used the skins to make clothing for us. We were driven out of the garden and Cherubims and a flaming sword that turned every way was placed at the entrance so we could not return.

MY SONS
I couldn’t have imagined how painful child birth would be or that it would take so long.  All that blood and the pain – but the Lord gave me a son.  I named him Cain.  It means “created one” and he grew up to be a tiller of the ground.  My second son was called Able.  He was a keeper of sheep.
I thought it couldn’t get any worse than being kicked out of the garden…..but the day my eldest son took his brother’s life……I cannot describe the agony that consumed me, or the guilt.  I lost both my sons that day; one to the grave and the other was cursed by God.  He couldn’t even face me.  I never saw him again.  My third son, Seth, was my comfort by the mercy of God.

IN CONCLUSION
Of course, in hindsight, if I could have imagined the consequences, I would have kept walking when the serpent called out to me, but what was done was done. 

You can thank our Father that He had a plan, from the beginning, to redeem us through His son, Jesus.
My name is Eve.  I was the first woman.  I was a treasure to my husband.  I had everything, but I didn’t realize it.  I let myself be deceived into thinking that there was something better than God’s best.  I was a fool.  Daughters of Eve, don’t be foolish.  Appreciate what you have.  They are gifts from God.

© 2012 A.L. Mayfield