Women of the Bible Series, Part 1: Eve-The First Lady

This is the first part in a series of the study of women of the Bible. I will be looking at the lifestyle and characters of these women who made history and found their place in the Holy Bible. I shall also try to apply their lifestyles and characteristics to those of women of the 21^st Century to see if there can be lessons drawn from them. I believe each woman was unique and brought out the best and the worst character of a woman.

When God had created males and females after his own image, i.e. spiritual beings, he formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. He gave him many responsibilities and dominion over the earth. However, in Genesis 2 vs. 18, it says, “Now the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet i.e. suitable, adapted or complimentary –for him”. He then went on to create a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man’s side. It is actually the man who called this creature-woman. After this creation, Adam and his wife were both naked and were not embarrassed or ashamed in each other’s presence.

The woman was deceived by the serpent and she ate of the forbidden fruit, and also shared with her husband. After this they both realised they were naked in each other’s presence and proceeded to cover themselves with leaves. It then followed that God got to know of this and asked the man, who blamed the woman and she blamed the serpent. We are also told in Genesis 3 vs. 16 that God pronounced a punishment to the woman for this sin: To the woman , He said, "I will greatly multiply your grief and your suffering in pregnancy and the pangs of child-bearing; with spasms of distress you will bring forth children. Yet your desire and craving will be for your husband, he will rule over you.”  We are also told that the man called his wife’s name Eve which means, life spring, because she was the mother of all the living.

We do not hear much about Eve after this apart from the fact that she bore children and gave them names. It is however, quite interesting to know the characteristics and character of Eve. She was,

1. A helper meet, i.e. suitable, adapted and complimentary to Adam. It is clear that Adam her husband was pleased with her. This is God’s original plan for a woman, to be suitable and complimentary for her husband. It is therefore surprising how many mismatched couples there are in this day and age. Many women are seeking to be independent of their husbands instead of being complimentary.

2. She was naked before her husband and was not embarrassed. This alone shows a great attribute, transparency. She did not have anything to hide or to be ashamed of. She did not keep secrets from her husband and was completely available to him. How many women can be like that today? If women could be transparent and open to their husbands, what could happen to all these divorce statistics around? Transparency means vulnerability, no one wants to be at the other’s mercy and so many women live a secret life separate from their husbands, complete with secret bank accounts, just in case something happens...

3. She was deceived by the serpent-this was a big weakness in Eve. In her own words, she was “cheated, outwitted and deceived”. It is a weakness that has been passed on in every woman from generation to generation. It is true that even today, women are considered weak and vulnerable to the devil and his tactics. A lot of demonic manifestation happens in women, not to say that men are not affected but judging by the prevalence of such cases, women are in the majority. A lot of women in the 21^st century are manipulated by the devil and made to destroy their marriages through false promises of happiness and a better life. Even, sisters in Christ are not spared. She blamed the serpent and it is also true that a lot of women blame the devil when they find out they have messed up their lives and marriages.

1. It is interesting to note that the punishment pronounced on Eve is still applicable to every woman today. Firstly, the grief of a woman is immense; she still goes through pains in labour and only gets relief after the child is born. However, one would have thought that after going through labour once a woman would cease to bear children and yet she yearns for more and goes through the process again and again. Oh God have mercy! Some might want to debate and say that the punishment was harsh but hey, can anyone challenge God? Can the created say to the Creator, you have done me wrong here? Do we not all punish our children according to how we see things? Do we not judge others harshly or is capital punishment not the harshest of all? Food for thought here...

2. Secondly, the craving of any woman is for a man, be it a husband or partner. Almost every woman desires to have a man to rule over her. This is true even if women might want to deny it and proclaim independence. Despite challenges in marriages and the subsequent divorce, one would think that a woman should just give up, but alas, she will try again for the second time and some even marry for the fourth time. In spite of other people’s bad experiences, women still want to get married and it brings joy, dignity and a sense of worth to be hitched even if for just a short while. This is a tricky punishment and God has a great sense of humour!

It is clear from this short analysis that Eve had a good character but only one weakness which caused her trouble i.e. falling for the serpent’s deception. There is no record of her behaving badly toward her husband or ending her marriage in divorce. She also had a conscience and feared God that is why she hid from him. Women of today should not only strive to emulate the good characteristics of Eve but also work on fixing the weaknesses inherited from this woman, and to continue seeking deliverance that came through Jesus Christ.

Disclaimer: This analysis represents the opinion of the writer and does not constitute the full interpretation of the Bible. Readers are urged to study the Bible for themselves and comment on this article.