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

Lessons from a trip - Architecture

I had a great week with my daughter and her family. My husband and I drove to AL. We had a good time and I really don’t mind driving if we have the time. Total driving time is twenty hours so we stop and stay overnight and then continue the trip.

One of my desires was to go and view “Fallingwater”, my husband made reservations for the first day of our travels. “Fallingwater” is a home designed by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1930’s. The home is built into the rocks and over a water fall. The views from the house are spectacular and the design of the home was ahead of its time. Each part of the house and grounds surrounding the house “fit” together. F.L. Wright designed the whole image. While drawing up the blue prints everything was considered, the size of the house, the parcel the house was built on, the furniture so the views would not be obstructed, even the corner windows were built in such a way that they opened to the outside without a barrier (metal bars) to give a clear view of the nature without.

As we walked through the property and listened to our guide, I was thinking of a Great Architect. The Architect that created you and me, this Architect did not have a blue print; He did not need a drawing. God formed a man out of the dust of the earth and then breathed into his nostrils. The very breath of God went into his being and made him alive.

I love to look at different technologies and buildings that man has made but only One actually created from nothing. F.L. Wright was a great architect and had many unique ideas and techniques. All his abilities came from God.

As you go about your daily routine, take a moment and look at your hands, feet, hair, skin and marvel at how you were created. Thank God for the precious life He has given you.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Job 33:4 

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14 

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. Ecclesiastes 11:5  

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