Women of the Bible: Eve (part 3)

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18 

As I end my “mini” study of Eve please review the outline and “dig deeper” as you answer the questions for yourself.

I.  A Closer Look

    A.  Eve created as helpmeet Genesis 2:18

               1.  What is a helpmeet? Hebrew means aid

               2.  Do we hinder or help our husbands/ others?

Hinder – to make difficult for; …

Help – to make it easier for (a person) to do something; …

‘Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after’   ~ Shakespeare

  B.  Eve’s Problem

               1.  Discontented Genesis 3:6

               Eve could eat from every tree of the garden but one. The more she had the more she wanted.

                         a.  Wanted more than what she had

                                    I John 2:16 

                         b.  Ignored what was right in favor of what was appealing

               2.  Are you discontented or contented with your life?

                         a  Discontent – lack of contentment; uneasiness; dissatisfaction at any present state of things;

                         The root of all discontent is self-love.  ~ J.F. Clarke

                         b.  Content – happy enough with what one has or is;

The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach.  ~ Lin Yutang

He who is not contended with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. ~ Socrates

              3.  Don’t look at circumstances, look to God

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

The best remedy for our discontent is to count our mercies. By the time we have reckoned up a part of these, we shall be on our knees praising the Lord for His great mercy and love. ~ The Quiver

C.  Eve’s influence on Adam

          1.  Influenced the wrong way -gave him fruit Genesis 3:6

          2.  How do we influence others?

          3.  Do we discourage or encourage?

Discourage – to deprive of courage; to dishearten; …

Discouragement is the common denominator of all unhappy lives. ~ W. Beran Wolfe

Encourage – to give courage to ; to give confidence to …

Encouragement is oxygen to the soul. ~ Anonymous

II.  Avoid and  Apply

   A.  Avoid

               1.  Being a hinderer

               2.  Being discontented

               3.  Being a discourager

  B.  Apply

1.  Being a help meet or helper

2.  Being content

3. Being an encourager

The choice is ours. Each one of us needs to answer for herself. We need to use God’s word as our guide.

Have a blessed day, 

Donna

Women of the Bible: Eve (part 2)

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Genesis 2:23 

As I continue my “mini” study of Eve, here is a short list of some of the “firsts” of Eve:

·        First woman to live on earth (never child or daughter)

·        First (and only) woman born without sin

·        First wife and mother

·        First attacked by Satan

·        First dressmaker       

·        First to received divine prophecy of the cross               

·        First grandmother                                                              

·        First mother to have a son a murderer, to suffer heartache, anxiety and torments because of Cain

Some of the firsts are “cool” but some are not too “cool” and caused extreme heartache for her as well as all mankind.

In the scriptures there are different names that referred to Eve: 

·        Woman – taken out of man Genesis 2:23

·        Eve – life giver Genesis 3:20

·        Adam – mankind Genesis 5:1

A brief summary of Eve’s life:

·        Created for Adam by God (Genesis 2:22)

·        Lived in a beautiful garden (Genesis 2:8)

·        Tempted and deceived by Satan (Genesis 3:1-6)

·        Punished for sin of disobedience (Genesis 3:16)

·        Thrown out of garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23-24)

·        She had two sons, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-2)

·        When Cain and Abel grew older, they offered sacrifices to God. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice of the first of his flock, but rejected Cain’s offering of the fruit of the ground. Cain killed Abel because of jealousy (Genesis 4:3-8) Eve was heartbroken.

·        Eve had a third son, named him Seth (Genesis 4:25). The Bible tells us that men from Seth’s lineage began to call on the Lord (Genesis 4:26) Eve had Seth when her other sons were grown men.

·        Adam and Eve had other children but it is not recorded in the Bible how many.

·        We don’t know how long Eve lived but Genesis 5:5 says Adam lived 930 years. Eve probably lived as long as Adam.

Eve had the perfect life, in the perfect place. Eve had absolutely no cares. Even with a perfect life in a perfect place, Eve took her eyes off the Perfect Creator. In a very short time, her life spun out of control and it was all downhill from there. We can learn from Eve’s life.

Join me the next time as I continue this “mini” study and take a closer look at Eve’s life.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Women of the Bible: Eve

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27 

I thought I would look at some Bible women for the next few blogs. We can discover so much from women of the Bible. We can learn how to do things and we can learn how not to do things. The key is to apply what we learn.

Where should I start? Eve, the first woman, is the best place to start. Join me as I do a “mini” Bible study on Eve.

Eve lived “in the beginning” in a place called Eden, the exact location unknown but it may have been between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers near the Persian Gulf.

Let’s take a little imaginary journey. Pretend you just woke up. You look around, everything is a spectacular green. A few creatures on 4 legs come up to you, they feel soft and furry to the touch, and some even make amusing sounds. As you look around, your eyes start to focus, seeing objects you cannot explain, exquisite fruit, in amazing shapes and colors, in a magnificent garden. You see the absolutely gorgeous flowers with velvety pink and yellow petals. Blue sparkling water is rushing over rocks and pebbles through a garden in a little brook. Everything is new, new to you, new to everything around you. You are the first woman.

Picture a world where everything is new, colors, textures, sights, and sounds. Everything is perfect, no flaws, and no imperfections. No smog, no appliances, no cars, no stores, no houses, creation in its flawless condition. This is where Eve’s life began. God created Eve. She was a perfect woman in a perfect world. We cannot even begin to image what her life was like.

Join me the next time as I dig a little deeper into Eve’s life.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Eve Part 3

Eve had a perfect life, in a perfect place. Eve had absolutely no cares. Even with a perfect life in a perfect place, Eve took her eyes off the Perfect Creator. In a very short time, her life spun out of control and it was downhill from there. What can we learn from Eve’s life?

Eve was created to be a help meet or a helper. In the Hebrew help meet mean aid. Did Eve hinder or help her husband? Hinder means to make difficult while help means to give assistance or support. Do we hinder or help our husband/others?

 ‘Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after. ~ Shakespeare

Eve was discontented. The more she had the more she wanted. It sounds like she lived in today’s world, but no, discontentment has been in the world since the beginning. She wanted it all.

And 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, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6 

Compare Genesis 3:6 to I John 2:16 and one can see why Eve was discontented.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, (good for food)

 and the lust of the eyes, (pleasant to the eyes)

 and the pride of life, (make one wise)

 is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1Johnn 2:16 

Eve ignored what was right in favor of what was appealing. Are you discontented or content with your life?

The root of all discontent is self-love.  ~ J.F. Clarke

The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. ~ Lin Yutang

He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. ~Socrates

Eve looked at the circumstances around her. The right way would have been  to look to God not the  circumstances.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

The best remedy for our discontent is to count our mercies. By the time we have reckoned up a part of these, we shall be on our knees praising the Lord for His great mercy and love. ~ The Quiver

How did Eve influence Adam? She gave him the fruit; she influenced him the wrong way. How do we influence others? Do we discourage or encourage?

Discouragement is the common denominator of all unhappy lives. ~ W. Beran Wolfe

Encouragement is oxygen to the soul. ~ Anonymous

How will you act in the coming days? Will you hinder or help? Will you be discontented or contented? Will you discourage or encourage?

The choice is ours. Each one of us needs to answer for herself. We need to use God’s word as our guide.

 Have a blessed day, 

Donna

Eve Part 2

As the first woman Eve had many firsts. As a matter of fact, everything she did was a first. Here is a look at some of the firsts that I thought of:

°        First woman to live on the earth, she was never a child or a daughter.

°        First wife

°        First mother                                            

°        First grandmother    

°        First person to be attacked by Satan

°        First and last woman to enjoy the Garden of Eden

°        First dressmaker                                                    

°        First women to received divine prophecy of the cross

°        Only woman created without sin

°        First mother to have a son who was a murderer

°        First mother to have her son killed

°        First to suffer heartache, anxiety and torments

Eve was referred to by different names in the Bible:

°        Woman – taken out of man Gen 2:23

°        Eve – life giver Gen 3:20

°        Adam – mankind Gen 5:1

Eve’s life was no different than ours. She had many joyful moments but also had many heartbreaking moments. A brief summary of Eve’s life:

°        Created for Adam by God (Gen 2:22)

°        Lived in a beautiful garden (Gen 2:8)

°        Tempted and deceived by Satan (Gen 3:1-6)

°        Punished for sin of disobedience (Gen 3:16)

°        Thrown out of garden of Eden (Gen 3:23-24)

°        Cain killed Abel because of jealousy (Gen 4:3-8). Eve must have been heartbroken.

°        She had another son, called him Seth (Gen 4:25)

°        The Bible tells us that men from Seth’s lineage began to call on the Lord (Gen 4:26)

°        Eve had Seth when her other sons were grown men.

°        Adam and Eve had other children but it is not recorded in the Bible how many.

°        We don’t know how long Eve lived but Gen 5:5 says Adam lived 930 years. Eve probably lived as long as Adam.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Eve Part I

[18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. … [20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; [22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. [23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. [24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. [25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:18-25

May always reminds me of mothers and flowers. Mothers because it is the month where we celebrate mothers, giving them a special day during the month. I think of flowers because everywhere one looks there are colorful flowers growing. This year we had a very mild winter in New England, because of this spring was given a jump start. Buds and shoots were cropping up all over before the normal time.

The next few posts I will look at women/mothers of the Bible and what I learned from them. The first mother most people think about in the Bible is the first woman of the Bible, Eve.

Let’s take a little imaginary journey. Pretend you just woke up. You look around, everything is a spectacular green. A few creatures on four legs come up to you, they feel soft and furry to the touch, and some even make funny sounds. Looking around you see things you cannot explain, exquisite fruit in a magnificent garden. You see the most gorgeous flowers with velvety pinks and yellow petals. Water is rushing through the garden in a little brook. Everything is new, new to you, new to everything around you. You are the first woman.

Picture a world where everything is new, colors, textures, sights, and sounds. Everything is perfect, no flaws, and no imperfections. No smog, no appliances, no cars, no stores, no houses, creation in its flawless condition. This is where Eve’s life began. God created Eve. She was a perfect woman in a perfect world. We cannot even begin to image what her life was like.

Eve had the perfect life, in the perfect place. Eve had absolutely no cares. Even with a perfect life in a perfect place, Eve took her eyes off the Perfect Creator. Oh I am getting ahead of myself. I will look at that in another post.

As you go about your daily routine think about the first woman, think about yourself and contemplate the differences and maybe on some of the similarities. Above all praise God for making you who you are.

Have a blessed day, 

Donna