Adam was the first man on earth, and for a short time he lived alone. He arrived on the planet with no childhood, no parents, no family and no friends. Perhaps Adam's loneliness moved God to quickly present him with a companion, Eve. Before God created Eve, he had given Adam the Garden of Eden. It was his to enjoy, but he also had the full responsibility of taking care of it. Adam knew that one tree was off-limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Adam would have taught Eve the rules of the garden. Even though she knew it was forbidden to eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, when Satan tempted her, Eve was deceived. When she offered the fruit to Adam, the fate of the world was on his shoulders. As they ate the fruit in that one act of rebellion, man's independence and disobedience separated him from God.
But God already had a plan in place to deal with man's sin. The Bible is the story of God's plan for man. Adam is "our" beginning, and we are all his descendants.
Adam's Accomplishments:
God chose Adam to name the animals, making him the first zoologist. He was also the first landscaper and horticulturist, responsible to work the garden and care for the plants. He was the first man, the father of humankind. He was the only man without a mother and a father.
Adam's Strengths:
Adam was made in the image of God and shared a close relationship with his Creator.
Adam's Weaknesses:
We see that Adam avoided his God-given responsibility. He blamed Eve and made excuses for himself when he committed a sin. He hid from God in shame, rather than facing his error and admitting the truth.
Life Lessons:
We see from Adam's life that God wants us to freely choose to follow and obey him out of love. We also learn that nothing we do is hidden from God. Likewise, it does not benefit us to blame others for our own failings. We must accept personal responsibility.
Hometown:
Adam began his life in the Garden of Eden but was later expelled by God.
Referenced in the Bible:
Genesis 1:26-5:5; 1 Chronicles 1:1; Luke 3:38; Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; 1 Timothy 2:13-14.
Occupation: Gardener, farmer, grounds keeper.
Family Tree:
Wife - Eve
Sons - Cain, Abel, Seth and many more children.
Eve - Mother of All the Living
Eve was the first woman on earth, the first wife, and the first mother. She is known as the "Mother of All the Living." And although this is quite a remarkable accomplishment, very little is known about Eve. There is not much said of her in the book of Genesis. Like most mothers, even though her accomplishments were great, they were for the most part, overlooked.
Eve was Adam's companion, his helper, the one who would complete him and share equally in his responsibility over creation. She too was made in God's image, displaying a portion of the characteristics of God. Together only could Adam and Eve fulfill God's purpose in the continuation of creation. With Eve, God brought human relationship, friendship and marriage into the world.
Eve's Accomplishments:
Eve is the mother of humankind. She was the first woman and first wife. Although her accomplishments are quite remarkable, very little is known about Eve. She was the only woman without a mother and a father. She was made by God as a reflection of his image to be a helper to Adam. Together they would fulfill God's purpose of populating the Earth. Eve's Strengths: Eve was made in the image of God, and to be a helper to Adam. Together she and Adam would fulfill God's purpose in multiplying God's creation of humankind on the Earth.
Eve's Weaknesses:
Eve was tempted by Satan when he got her to doubt God's goodness, by focusing on the one thing she couldn't have. She forgot all of the good things God had blessed her with in the garden. She became discontented, feeling sorry for herself, because she could not share in God's knowledge of good and evil. Eve allowed Satan to subvert her trust in God.
Although she shared a close relationship with God and her husband, Eve failed to consult either one of them when confronted with Satan's suggestions. She acted impulsively, independent of her authority. Once entangled in sin, she invited her husband to join her. Like Adam, when confronted with her sin, Eve blamed someone else (Satan), instead of taking personal responsibility for what she had done.
Life Lessons:
We learn from Eve that women share in God's image. There are feminine qualities to the character of God. God's purpose for creation could not be fulfilled without the equal participation of "womankind." Just like we learned from Adam's life, Eve also teaches us that God wants us to freely choose to follow and obey him out of love. Nothing we do is hidden from God. Likewise, it does not benefit us to blame others for our own failings. We must accept personal responsibility for what we do.
Hometown:
Eve began her life in the Garden of Eden but was later expelled.
Referenced in the Bible:
Genesis 2:18-4:26; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:13.
Occupation:
Wife, mother, companion, helper, and co-manager of God's creation.
Family Tree:
Husband - Adam
Children - Cain, Abel, Seth and many more children.
No comments:
Post a Comment