I am thinking about Eve this morning. You know, the Eve from Adam and Eve in Genesis. It is interesting to me how we misinterpret that story. Over thousands of years, we have been told that Eve was a very bad girl, and Adam just the poor victim. I invite you to read the passage right now:
Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be open, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and eat it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it then the eyes of both of them were opened...
Did Eve deceive Adam? If the answer in your mind is “yes,” then I invite you to read this passage again. For many years, I would read this scripture and just not pay attention to all of the words. After all I have been taught about Eve from my earliest days in Sunday school. Close your eyes right now, and don’t look at the passage. Answer this question: in the story of Adam and Eve, where is Adam? If you are like most of us, you would say he was somewhere else in the garden, and Eve took him the fruit and talked him into eating it. Now open your eyes and read the passage. Where was Adam? He was WITH HER! Who deceived Adam? The snake! Yes, Eve sinned in disobeying God, and she is to be held accountable for inviting Adam to join her in that sin, but she didn’t say a word to him! Take some time today, think about this passage in a new way, and about how people have been willing to accept an interpretation that is not grounded in the Word. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Dear Lord, thank you for opening our eyes to what is actually written in your Word. Help us to be very careful when we read the Bible to carefully focus on what is written, not necessarily what we have heard. Thank you for the gift of scripture. Amen.
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