God called to Adam and asked, "Where are you?" Please note, God called out to Adam, not Eve. When most people read this story they really put the blame on Eve for luring her husband into eating the apple. But why, then, would God call out to Adam? God was holding Adam primarily responsible for the actions of both of them. Adam responded to God by saying, "I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." God asked Adam, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" Adam went on to blame Eve for his actions- "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." God turned to Eve and asked her to account for her actions. Eve too, played the blame game- "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Let's back up. God went to Adam and asked him to confess his disobedience, in which he blamed Eve. God went to Eve and asked her to confess her disobedience, and she blamed the serpent!
God went to the serpent and declared his punishment. God cursed the serpent above all the livestock and said on the belly he shall go. God goes on to say, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise you head and you shall bruise his heel."~Verse 15. It is believed by scholars, and as I agree, the enmity (hostility) between the woman's offspring and the serpents offspring refers to Jesus- who would eventually descend from Eve's lineage, and Satan- who is defeated when Jesus dies on the cross to save sinners.
God went to Eve and declared her punishment. If you are a woman, you experience first hand the punishment that was given to women because of Eve's sinful choice. The punishment was in bearing children- that it would be more painful than originally intended by God. "Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you," implies that there will always be a struggle for control and power in a marriage. The woman will have a hard time submitting to her husband and will want control and leadership.
God went to Adam and declared his punishment. Because Adam listened to his wife, rather than leading her, his punishment was that he would have to work hard to provide for his family. When God created the garden, there was an abundance of food, but God tells him that he will have to work the ground diligently to eat. Also, part of his punishment was that his body would return to the ground. God first intended that we live forever, but because of Adam's sin, that we would die an earthly death.
After all this, Adam finally names his wife Eve- which means "life-giver". At this time also, God makes for the couple, clothing from animal skin. This means that an animal was killed- possibly the first example of animal sacrifice to atone for sin.
The story of Adam and Eve that I knew as a child has changed immensely since I've later studied it. God didn't write His Word so we could have a nice story to read before bed. There is so much more in every chapter, story, book, then we imagine- we just have to study it to find the "hidden treasure". I hope you have learned something new, or seen this story in a different light. I look forward to writing about more "familiar" stories of the Bible!
Have you learned anything about the story of Adam and Eve that you didn't know? If so, please share!
~Leanne~