Eve and the Two Beginnings

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 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

.”

Have you ever thought of the fact that Eve had two lives? The life before, and the life after. Two beginnings. One before, and one after.

We don't know how long Adam and Eve were in Eden before they sinned. It occurs to me that it could have been decades-or even centuries. The only two human beings, walking in oneness with God. True intimacy. The only humans ever created, walking in oneness with God.

The first beginning, for themselves, for mankind,for eternity. True genesis.

Then the fall. To call it "the fall" almost seems to say that something happened to the couple that was out of their control. We know that's not true. They had a choice.

What they chose was another beginning. A new beginning.

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.

Often we think of beginnings being good things. Not so in this case. When Eve made her choice, to believe Satan instead of God, she chose to begin again...but this time with the horror of sin, the power of death. She chose evil over holiness, isolation over oneness, brokenness over sacredness.

She chose to begin again. And I wonder, what could she have possibly needed in life that that God wasn't providing? What yearning was unfulfilled? What was she thinking?

Oops. That's faulty thinking, if my viewpoint is that I would have done anything differently. Even though we live in the fallen world, God provides for our every need. We are loved by Him, chased by Him, cherished by Him.

We have every opportunity to love God, walking with Him in intimate fellowship. Yet we take our eyes off Him, thinking we "need" something else, something more.

Eve's life reminds us that beginnings are not always good. There is the good that comes from beginning again with Him; but the horror of beginning again in sin and death.

So we get to choose. Every day we can begin again. We can begin with Him, or without Him. It's just that simple!

So which will you choose?