Eve

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.  Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

  The man said,

   “This is now bone of my bones

   and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

   for she was taken out of man.”

~ Genesis 2:21-23

Describe Adam's situation.  In this paradise, what need did he have that was not being met that only a woman could fulfill?

• I believe that the answer here is simply so that history could carry on in bodily form by conceiving children with a  female partner.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

~ Genesis 2:24-25

What does being "one flesh" in a marriage mean, both physically and spiritually?

• Being "one flesh" in a marriage, physically, I believe (I'm not married), would mean that a man and a woman would be sexually connected or committed to each other, whereas, in a spiritual sense, it would mean that you would keep a special commitment with God by, for instance, keeping your vows that you have pledged to keep towards your spouse.

Think of a couple who truly seems to be "one flesh."  What is their relationship like?

• A couple that would truly seem to have "one flesh" would have a very positive relationship.  I imagine that they would have great communication about everything and be fully open and honest about each other, what they think, and what the feel about certain topics, whether they be intimate or non-intimate subjects.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had 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 opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

~ Genesis 3:1-5

This is one of the saddest passages in scripture, but also the one that sets the stage for all that is to come.  How easily do you think the serpent deceived Eve?  Do you think she ate of the fruit the first time he approached her, or did he wear her down over a period of time?

• Considering that the following verse mentions that she had taken a bite of the forbidden fruit, and gave some to her husband as well, I would think that the serpent had deceived Eve fairly easily. 
• I would think that if it took a period of time for the serpent to convince Eve and wear her down, she would have had a lot more to defend on what God had said.  So I think she partook on the first time she was approached.

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 ate 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, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

~ Genesis 3:6-7

What three reasons for eating the fruit are given in verse 6?

• (1) good for food, (2) pleasing to the eye, (3) desirable for gaining wisdom

Eve is rationalizing her sin here.  Even though she knew it was wrong, she could come up with a variety of reasons for eating from the tree anyway.  What sorts of reasons do you come up with to rationalize yor sin?

•  This one's a little tough to think about.  I'm not saying that I've never sinned, because i know I have!  One thing I can think of is when I've been hungry for just a little snack to eat, since we are kind of on the topic of food/eating, and my parents told me that if I wanted anything, I should ask for permission.  Well, obviously, there have been times that I have not asked for permission and I'd just take what I wanted, all because I just thought it was a small and harmless portion that I thought could tie me over until the next meal time.  Lately, too, I would be thinking "hey, I'm an adult, not a child."  But did I pay for the food? No I didn't. 

 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

~ Genesis 3:8-13

Adam and Eve produce a classic scene of passing the blame: Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the serpent.  Is any one of the three participants any more or less to blame?  What do the curses God pronounces on each tell you about who is "at fault"? 

• I would think that each of them would have a responsibility in the blame
• In verses 14-15 the serpent was told  “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!  You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."  In verse 16, Eve is told  “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”  And in verses 17-19, Adam is told “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

  The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.  And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”  So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

~ Genesis 3:20-24

What is the first thing God does for Adam and Eve after he declares what their punishment will be? 

• God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Making clothing for Adam and Eve is a very practical but also a very thoughtful act.  What does this tell you about God?  What do you think he is willing to do for you after you have sinned and repented? 

• This act that God did for Adam and Eve definitely tells me that God is definitely not all forsaking but also a forgiving God.
• After I have sinned and repented my wrongdoings, God is willing to forgive me and shower me with grace and love.

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”  Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

   Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

~ Genesis 4:1-2

Whom does Eve acknowledge as the source of life?

• She acknowledges God (the LORD) as the source of life.

Eve now has two sons.  Cain's names is Hebrew for "brought forth," while Abel's name means "breath" or "temporary" or "meaningless."  It is the same Hebrew word that is is used in Ecclesiastes 1:2.  Certainly, Abel's life was ot meaningless, but it was short, and his name suggests what was to come.  Compare Abel's name here and the verse in Ecclesiastes.  What connection can you see between the two? 

• Ecclesiastes 1:2 states this: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.  “Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.”  Abel's name maybe be referring to a short life, but I think what the latter verse is trying to focus on is that the word "meaningless" is referring to material things.