Women of the Bible - Eve
A Woman Who Helped Her Husband Sin
by Kathryn Capoccia
Young Adults Sunday School Class
All Scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New York Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. © Copyright Kathy Capoccia 2000. This file may be freely copied, printed out, and distributed as long as copyright and source statements remain intact, and that it is not sold.
I. Introduction
A. Prayer Requests
B. Review of Last Week's Lesson/Verse
II. Character profile: Eve, a Woman Who Helped Her Husband to Sin
A. WHO WAS SHE?
1. WAS SHE A MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE OR A HISTORICAL PERSON?
1CH 1:1; LUK 3:38; ROM 5:14; 1CO 15:22; 1CO 15:45; 1TI 2:13,14;
JUD 1:14 all speak of Adam and Eve as real people in history,
not fictional characters of myth.
2. WHERE DID SHE COME FROM? SHE WAS CREATED DIRECTLY BY GOD (GEN
1:26,27). SHE WAS THE 1ST WOMAN.
GEN 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God he created him; male and female he created them."
a) WHEN WAS SHE CREATED?
1) On The 6th Day Of Creation (GEN 1:24-31)
When was that?
a] Day, "yom", overwhelmingly means a 24 hour period of
time. So, the 6th day was the 6th 24 hour period of
time during the creation of the Earth.
b] Creation occurred over a 24 hr., 7 day period (GEN
2:1,2). This probably occurred 10,000 yrs. ago.
This number was arrived at by several means:
i] GENEALOGICAL PROJECTIONS
Projecting forward from the genealogical records of
Genesis and backwards from the Gospels a
10,000-12,000 yr. old Earth can be deduced.
ii] AMINO ACID DATING, which is more accurate than
Carbon-14 dating, places the age of the Earth at
@10,000 yrs. old. (Carbon-14 dating is a favorite
with evolutionists because it seems to indicate a
very old Earth, but this method cannot be used for
material over 50,000 yrs. old and its results are
often inaccurate.)
iii] PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
-- GEOLOGY
I. PRIMORDIAL POLONIUM 218 RADIO HALOES in
bedrock indicate that the Earth's bedrock was
formed and cooled within moments.
II. THE COOLING TIME OF THE EARTH would be only
thousands of years instead of millions with a
solid core as the Polonium 218 haloes
indicate.
III. SUBTERRANEAN OIL PRESSURE within permeable
rock imply that these fluids were encased less
than 10,000 yrs. ago (or natural leakage would
have reduced or depleted the pressure by now).
IV. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
A. fossil strata seem "glued" together with
calcium carbonate (which sets up quickly
in modern cement), indicating rapid
formation.
B. sedimentary rock layers without debris and,
in some cases, bends without cracks
indicate that they were formed over a short
period of time.
-- ASTRONOMY
I. MOON DUST amounts indicate that the moon
is young; if it were billions of years old it
should have had thick layers of dust, perhaps
as much as 1 mile in depth. The moon has very
little dust, indicating a young age.
II. HELIUM GAS (whose only source is decaying
uranium and thorium) exists in our atmosphere
in amounts of less than 40,000 yrs. Our
atmosphere, therefore, must be young.
III. CARBON-14 production rate in the atmosphere
exists in a non- equilibrium ratio (30% above
decay rate), which confirms a young
atmosphere. If the atmosphere was old, by now
the rates would be in equilibrium.
-- PHYSICS
I. THE MAGNETIC FIELD of the Earth has declined
in strength, as measured over the last 140
yrs.; projecting backward, the strength of the
original electric current which formed the
field would have melted the Earth 25,000 yrs.
ago. Therefore, the Earth must be younger than
that.
II. DECAY OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT indicates that the
speed of light is not a constant. Light may
have traveled 10,000,000 times faster once.
Therefore, radiometric dates are inaccurate
and must be recalculated with new atomic run
rates (since light is an atomic process): a
rock thought to be 4 billion yrs. old with the
old data would now be 6-7,000 yrs. old.
2) After All Other Creatures Were Made (GEN 2:18-25)
Why? So he would value her:
a] God created an expectation in Adam of pairs by causing
him to appraise all animals in naming them (GEN 2:19).
b] God prepared Adam to appreciate Eve by letting him
experience loneliness after naming all animals (GEN
2:20).
b) HOW WAS SHE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD? (GEN 1:27)
(She was not like God physically because God has no physical
form.)
1) She Was Spiritually Alive, A "Living Soul" (GEN 2:7)
"by virtue of his spiritual nature, of the breath of God
by which the being, formed from the dust of the earth,
became a living soul" Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
Testament, Vol. 1, pg. 63
2) She Had Dominion (GEN 1:28)
GEN 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful
and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over
every living creature that moves on the ground."
3) She Had Free Will (GEN 2:16,17)
GEN 2:16,17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are
free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not
eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat of it you will surely die."
4) She Had Immortality (GEN 2:9; 3:22)
5) She Had Creativity (GEN 2:15,20,23; 3:7; 4:1,2,25)
*She and Adam were free to tend the Garden as they
desired, Adam exhibited creativity when he named the
animals and Eve, they showed their creativity when they
made coverings for themselves, and Eve showed her
creativity when she named her children.
6) She Had Emotions (GEN 3)
3. WHERE DID SHE LIVE? IN EDEN, "BLISS" IN HEBREW OR "PLAIN' FROM A
MESOPOTAMIAN WORD (GEN 2:8)
*THIS AREA WAS AT THE HEAD OF 4 RIVERS, THE PISHON, THE GIHON,
THE TIGRIS, AND THE EUPHRATES. THIS AREA WOULD HAVE BEEN IN
SOUTHERN IRAQ, SINCE THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES REMAIN TODAY.
GEN 2:8 "Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in
Eden; and there he put the man he had formed."
GEN 2:22 " Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had
taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man."
4. WHAT WAS HER STATE WHEN SHE WAS CREATED? INNOCENT AND SINLESS.
GEN 2:25 "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt
no shame."
GEN 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day."
*She was created "good", without sin, knowing neither shame nor
the need to conceal anything.
5. HOW OLD WAS SHE? OLD ENOUGH TO BE MARRIED TO ADAM
GEN 1:28 "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and
increase in number; fill the earth'..."
*Eve, like Adam, was created fully mature. She never had a
childhood but came into this world as an adult capable of
reproducing and rearing children.
6. WHAT WAS SHE TO DO? SHE WAS TO BE A HELPMATE (GEN 2:18)
GEN 2:18 "The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"
a) to help Adam to "work it [the Garden of Eden] and take care
of it" (GEN 2:15).
b) to be fruitful and increase in number (GEN 1:28)
c) to help subdue the earth (GEN 1:28).
1) by filling the earth with offspring
2) by having dominion over:
a] every seed bearing plant
b] all creatures of the sea, air, and ground.
7. WHAT WAS HER DIET? (GEN 1:29, 2:15) VEGETABLES
GEN 1:29 "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant
on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit
with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'"
HOW DO WE KNOW SHE ONLY ATE VEGETABLES? IN GEN 9 GOD SAYS TO
NOAH, HUNDREDS OF YRS. AFTER CREATION,
GEN 9:3 "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.
Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
8. WHAT WAS SHE CALLED?
a) ADAM (GEN 5:2) SHE WAS CALLED WHAT MARRIED WOMEN TODAY ARE
CALLED- MRS.: MRS. ADAM.
GEN 5:2 "He created them male and female and blessed them.
And when they were created, he called them 'man' [HEBREW
"ADAM"]."
b) WOMAN (GEN 2:21,22); "ishshah" means woman, "ish" means man=
of or from man or "man-ess"
GEN 2:23 "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."
1) she was created from the rib of the man, Adam (not of the
dust of the earth as man and all soulless creatures were).
c) WIFE, "ONE FLESH WITH THE MAN" (GEN 2:24)
GEN 2:24 "For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one
flesh."
GEN 4:1 "Adam lay with his wife Eve..."
*She and Adam had an intimate, monogamous marital relation-
ship; not a platonic friendship or partnership, but a union
of lovers and equals operating within a framework of
leadership and submission.
d) "EVE" or "LIFE"
GEN 3:20 "Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become
the mother of all the living."
1) SHE bore Cain (GEN 4:1)
2) She bore Abel (GEN 4:2)
3) She bore nameless children (inferred from GEN 4:13,17)
4) She bore Seth (GEN 4:25)
(when Adam and Eve were 130 yrs. old GEN 5:3)
5) She bore other sons and daughters (GEN 5:4)
B. WHAT DID SHE DO?
1. SHE LEAD HER HUSBAND INTO SIN
a) She Was Deceived
2CO 11:3 ..."just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's
cunning..."
GEN 3:13 "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
1TI 2:14 "it was the woman who was deceived and became a
sinner."
1) She was ignorant of God's command
God told Adam:
GEN 2:17 "but you must not eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you
will surely die."
But Eve said:
GEN 3:3 "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.'"
2) She was ignorant of God's character
a] she did not know that God cannot lie
TIT 1:2 "God, who does not lie..."
HEB 6:18 "God did this so that, by two unchangeable
things in which it is impossible for God to lie..."
b] she did not know that God would not withhold any good
thing from those He loves
PSA 84:11 "the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good
thing does he withhold from those whose walk is
blameless."
3) She was ignorant of the serpent's craftiness.
WHO WAS THE SERPENT?
REV 12:9 "The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient
serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole
world astray."
WHAT WAS HIS PURPOSE?
JOH 8:44 "He was a murderer from the beginning..."
a] he sought to alienate mankind from God
i] he cast doubt upon God's truthfulness (GEN 3:1).
ii] he accused God of lying about the consequences of
disobedience (GEN 3:4).
iii] he cast doubt on God's benevolence (GEN 3:4).
b] he sought to tempt mankind into sin - rebellion
GEN 3:1 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'?"
GEN 3:4,5 "'You will not surely die,' the serpent said
to the woman.' For God knows that when you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.'"
HE TEMPTED HER TO:
i] to reject God's rule
ii] to aspire to become like God
*This was the same sin that Satan himself committed
4) She was ignorant of sin's consequences - death
a] physical death because she would be denied access to
the tree of life and would therefore age and die.
b] spiritual death because:
i] she would be changed "knowing good and evil" vs. 4
(Theologians refer to the change that occurred
within Adam and Eve when they sinned as "total
depravity", i. e. that sin corrupted every part of
them.
ii] she would be punished:
A holy God could not allow sin to go unpunished, and
the punishment that God promised was death.
iii] she would be separated from God
A holy God could not tolerate the presence of sin.
b) She Led Her Husband To Sin
1) She sinned:
a] she contemplated the benefits of sin (GEN 3:6).
i] the fruit was good for food
ii] the fruit was pleasing to the eye
iii] the fruit was desirable for gaining wisdom
JAM 1:15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives
birth to death.
b] she usurped her husband's leadership role.
i] she made a decision to test the supposed
commandment: she took the fruit without peril (GEN
3:6).
ii] she made a decision to eat the fruit (GEN 3:6).
iii] she made the decision without consulting her
husband, who was with her (GEN 3:6).
2) She enticed her husband to sin (GEN 3:6).
a] she offered the fruit to her husband.
b] she offered her husband a choice for his allegiance:
i] if he chose to obey God he would lose Eve.
ii] if he chose to follow Eve he would "surely die."
c] he chose to rebel with her in sin and ate (GEN 3:6).
1TI 2:14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the
woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
*Adam's decision was made willfully; he was not
deceived about the situation but knew exactly what he
was doing when he sided with Eve.
2. SHE SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
a) personal consequences
GEN 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your
pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to
children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will
rule over you."
1) guilt and shame
GEN 3:7,8 "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. 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."
2) judgment
GEN 3:16 "To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase
your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth
to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he
will rule over you."
GEN 3:23 "So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of
Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken."
a] increased pain in childbirth
b] a struggle for dominance with her husband
c] expulsion from Eden
3) death
a] spiritual death-
i] she became "totally depraved"
ii] she needed a Savior- she was subject to punishment
for her sins in Hell.
*God provided atonement for the sins of Adam and Eve
in the same way He provided for those under the Law-
He allowed animal blood to "cover" their guilt until
true atonement through Christ could be provided.
a] God provided atonement when He shed an animal's
blood for their skin covering:
GEN 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for
Adam and his wife and clothed them.
b] God promised a Savior who would defeat Satan:
GEN 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring [lit. "seed"] and
hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike
his heel."
*This is the same "seed" of GEN 14
GEN 4:1 Adam lay with 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."
GEN 5:3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son
in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named
him Seth.
b] physical death- Eve died (at an unknown age; Adam died
when he was 930 yrs. old GEN 5:3).
GEN 3:19 "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."
b) familial consequences
GEN 4:8 "Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let's go out to
the field.' And while they were in the field, Cain attacked
his brother Abel and killed him."
1) depravity was passed to the children
GEN 5:3 "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in
his own likeness, in his own image..."
2) sin was exhibited in the family
GEN 4:6-8 "Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you
angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right,
will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is
right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have
you, but you must master it.' Now Cain said to his brother
Abel, 'Let's go out to the field.' And while they were in
the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him."
GEN 4:9 "Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your
brother Abel?' 'I don't know,' he replied. 'Am I my
brother's keeper?'"
GEN 4:13 " Cain said to the LORD, 'My punishment is more
than I can bear.'"
a] arrogance
b] anger
c] pride
d] jealousy and murder - when Eve's child, Cain killed
Abel.
c) humanity's consequences
HOS 6:7 "Like Adam, they have broken the covenant--they were
unfaithful to me there."
ROM 5:14 "Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam
to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by
breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one
to come."
1CO 15:48-50 "As was the earthly man, so are those who are
of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are
those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the
likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of
the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the
perishable inherit the imperishable."
1) all humans are born with a sin nature
PSA 51:5 "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the
time my mother conceived me."
2) all humans die physically
HEB 9:27 "Just as man is destined to die once, and after
that to face judgment"...
ECC 3:19,20 "Man's fate is like that of the animals; the
same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the
other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over
the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same
place; all come from dust, and to dust all return."
3) all humans need a Savior
1CO 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will
be made alive."
C. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM HER?
1. If we are unfamiliar with God and His Word we can be deceived
into sin as Eve was.
2. Sin begins in the mind, focusing on wrong things; if we are to
avoid sin we must:
a) say "no" to sinful thoughts, not dwell on them.
b) be content with our situation.
c) trust in the character and providence of God.
3. Temptation in itself is not sin, but yielding to it is.
Jesus was tempted at the beginning of His ministry, throughout
His ministry, and even up to the very end of it but He never
gave in to the temptation: He never sinned and by the power of
the Holy Spirit we do not have to sin either.
HEB 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin."
4. Our sins have consequences to ourselves and to others.
III. WHAT FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT DO WE SEE IN HER?
IV. MEMORY VERSE: 1CO 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is
common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Kathy Capoccia's Sunday School Lessons" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986