behavior... because people will do what you do, not what you say...
I've always been captivated by the story of Adam and Eve. It's a story that, no matter how many times I read, my mind is filled with so many questions. Why did she do that? Why didn't he do that? What were they thinking? My inner rule-follower is bothered by the lack of details, as it's hard for me to believe that through such a short conversation, Eve was easily convinced to do the one thing she knew she shouldn't. But maybe that's the beauty and the difficulty of scripture. Maybe we don't have all the details because, well, we don't need to know everything. Maybe we just need to stretch our faith a little, allow some room for ourselves to be challenged, and read between the lines.
I was preparing for tomorrow's lesson, and as I read through the story of Adam and Eve once again, I wondered why the serpent intentionally targeted Eve. Why did he specifically call her out and challenge her? Why did he choose to tempt her? Because, if you read carefully, you see that Adam was with her. He wasn't off meandering around the garden while she was backed into a corner alone with the serpent. They were together, and yet the serpent chose to speak specifically to her.
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’?” - Genesis 3:1
You may be thinking, "Who cares? Why does it matter?" But maybe it says something about Eve that we might be overlooking. Good or bad, maybe there's a reason why. After all, the serpent was crafty, and he had a plan. He didn't stumble across the two and just happen to strike up a conversation about the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had a crafty plan that he was intentionally carrying out.
Was Eve misinformed? Was Eve more approachable? Was she easier to talk to? Did she seem more gullible? Was she clearly the weaker of the two? Or did the serpent know that if he could convince Eve to disobey God, Adam would follow?
Well, we don't know. But what we do know is that Adam watched her, and then he ate the fruit that she handed him. Adam had just as much free will as Eve, so no one forced either one of them to eat the fruit. In fact, Genesis doesn't tell us that Eve said, "Nom, nom, Adam! You have got to taste this stuff. It's amazing! I mean, this is better than anything I've ever eaten!" It appears that she didn't have to say anything. We just see two people eating the forbidden fruit without question, and I am challenged to think what might have happened had Eve refused.
"Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives..." - 1 Peter 3:1
Maybe they didn't really believe God's word. Maybe they weren't truly convinced that what God said was truthful and was for their good. But whether or not that was the case, we see that Eve's actions influenced Adam's. Her behavior had an effect on his. Would he have refused if she had? Did he feel safer eating of the fruit since she had chosen to take the first bite? Was it that whole, "you go first and if nothing bad happens to you, I'll follow" mentality?
While Aaron and I were on our honeymoon, we went on a snorkeling excursion. I don't like snorkeling, and I really dislike being more than waist deep in the ocean. I've never been a big fan of water, and I'm not a strong swimmer. I don't have many irrational fears, but oceans and lakes rank at the top next to spiders. Little did I know, this excursion would lead us into the middle of the ocean, a few miles away from any land, and we would be expected to jump into water that went on for days. As the tour guide roped our boats together, everyone began reluctantly strapping on their snorkeling gear. The guide said, "Ladies first!" About 5 other couples joined us on this excursion, and as I looked around at the other wives, I could tell that none of us felt comfortable jumping into the unknown. Of course, our husbands looked about as confident as we did, and I noticed that none of the men offered to jump into the waters first. Chivalry is great unless sharks are involved. They patiently waited until their wives slipped into the water, and I'll tell you this much, there is great fear in going first. It takes courage. Eventually, everyone ended up in the water, but someone had to go first.
Well, I don't know why Eve was approached. I have my thoughts and maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. But according to 1 Peter, God gave women the ability to have a quiet influence. We don't necessarily have to say anything. Our behavior alone can be convincing. It can win people over - to the good side or the bad. Our actions have the ability to speak volumes over our words, and as our behavior is observed, it can lead people down a path toward God or away from Him. It can cause others to act, and it can cause others to follow where they might have never dared to go otherwise.
And so it's a challenge. It's a good thing, but it's a slippery slope. And if we truly want to be used by God, we have to remember that it's not simply our words that will lead others to him, it's also our behavior. Others may very well base their choices off of ours, and ladies, that's quite a responsibility. Our families, our friends, our co-workers, they're watching. And so we must keep our eyes on Christ, we must be imitators of His commands, believers of His word, bearers of His light. It just takes someone going first. Others will follow.
I was preparing for tomorrow's lesson, and as I read through the story of Adam and Eve once again, I wondered why the serpent intentionally targeted Eve. Why did he specifically call her out and challenge her? Why did he choose to tempt her? Because, if you read carefully, you see that Adam was with her. He wasn't off meandering around the garden while she was backed into a corner alone with the serpent. They were together, and yet the serpent chose to speak specifically to her.
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’?” - Genesis 3:1
You may be thinking, "Who cares? Why does it matter?" But maybe it says something about Eve that we might be overlooking. Good or bad, maybe there's a reason why. After all, the serpent was crafty, and he had a plan. He didn't stumble across the two and just happen to strike up a conversation about the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had a crafty plan that he was intentionally carrying out.
Was Eve misinformed? Was Eve more approachable? Was she easier to talk to? Did she seem more gullible? Was she clearly the weaker of the two? Or did the serpent know that if he could convince Eve to disobey God, Adam would follow?
Well, we don't know. But what we do know is that Adam watched her, and then he ate the fruit that she handed him. Adam had just as much free will as Eve, so no one forced either one of them to eat the fruit. In fact, Genesis doesn't tell us that Eve said, "Nom, nom, Adam! You have got to taste this stuff. It's amazing! I mean, this is better than anything I've ever eaten!" It appears that she didn't have to say anything. We just see two people eating the forbidden fruit without question, and I am challenged to think what might have happened had Eve refused.
"Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives..." - 1 Peter 3:1
Maybe they didn't really believe God's word. Maybe they weren't truly convinced that what God said was truthful and was for their good. But whether or not that was the case, we see that Eve's actions influenced Adam's. Her behavior had an effect on his. Would he have refused if she had? Did he feel safer eating of the fruit since she had chosen to take the first bite? Was it that whole, "you go first and if nothing bad happens to you, I'll follow" mentality?
While Aaron and I were on our honeymoon, we went on a snorkeling excursion. I don't like snorkeling, and I really dislike being more than waist deep in the ocean. I've never been a big fan of water, and I'm not a strong swimmer. I don't have many irrational fears, but oceans and lakes rank at the top next to spiders. Little did I know, this excursion would lead us into the middle of the ocean, a few miles away from any land, and we would be expected to jump into water that went on for days. As the tour guide roped our boats together, everyone began reluctantly strapping on their snorkeling gear. The guide said, "Ladies first!" About 5 other couples joined us on this excursion, and as I looked around at the other wives, I could tell that none of us felt comfortable jumping into the unknown. Of course, our husbands looked about as confident as we did, and I noticed that none of the men offered to jump into the waters first. Chivalry is great unless sharks are involved. They patiently waited until their wives slipped into the water, and I'll tell you this much, there is great fear in going first. It takes courage. Eventually, everyone ended up in the water, but someone had to go first.
Well, I don't know why Eve was approached. I have my thoughts and maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. But according to 1 Peter, God gave women the ability to have a quiet influence. We don't necessarily have to say anything. Our behavior alone can be convincing. It can win people over - to the good side or the bad. Our actions have the ability to speak volumes over our words, and as our behavior is observed, it can lead people down a path toward God or away from Him. It can cause others to act, and it can cause others to follow where they might have never dared to go otherwise.
And so it's a challenge. It's a good thing, but it's a slippery slope. And if we truly want to be used by God, we have to remember that it's not simply our words that will lead others to him, it's also our behavior. Others may very well base their choices off of ours, and ladies, that's quite a responsibility. Our families, our friends, our co-workers, they're watching. And so we must keep our eyes on Christ, we must be imitators of His commands, believers of His word, bearers of His light. It just takes someone going first. Others will follow.
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