I never realized before that God didn’t tell Eve to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told Adam. Not only did he tell Adam, but he told Adam before he even CREATED Eve! She didn’t even exist yet when he gave Adam the one simple restriction! I guess I always assumed they were both told “no” at the same time. Let’s read Genesis 2 and see the order of things. First he creates man, then he tells him to not eat from the tree, then he creates Eve.
Genesis 2:15-18
15The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
But Eve is the one that Satan tempted. She took the fruit. And she gave it to Adam and he ate it too. Adam was there with her and he KNEW the exact words God said, whereas Eve only knew what Adam told her, which Satan twisted back to her, “Did God really say…?” She didn’t know. She wasn’t there! She had to trust her husband’s account of that information. But he was there. And he was silent. He watched her take that fruit and eat it. Then he followed suit.
There are some MAJOR points here. Let’s explore a few:
1 – Adam’s responsibility for his family
2 – Adam’s path to sin
3 – Satan’s temptation taking the weakest route
First off, I think it means something major that Adam was told before Eve even existed. God may have told Eve later, but the Bible doesn’t mention it, so let’s assume not. This puts a major precedent in place that Man is responsible for his family and their decisions. He is the head of the household and the spiritual health of the family rests on his shoulders. It also says a lot about communication between a husband and a wife, or even that of a friend to a friend.
Takeaway 1: As a husband and a father I need to make sure I communicate with my wife and family and lead them as well as I can to follow God’s commands. My failure to act may result in their moral or spiritual failure.
Second, I found it interesting that Adam watched his wife get told a lie… but he sat back and watched her reaction. What was he thinking? “I know that’s not what God said… but I’m listening. I’m curious about that fruit. Eve might try it. She’s reaching for it… I should stop her… no… She touched it and she’s OK… Maybe one taste. She took a bite! She’s still OK! Well it can’t be bad. I should try it too.”
His path to sin wasn’t one of immediate disobedience. It was slow… step by step… one small move at a time. Much like our temptation and sins. One small decision to listen longer, to watch longer, to talk longer, to NOT REMOVE YOURSELF from the situation. Slowly the decision starts to sound more and more acceptable. You acclimate yourself to that choice until you are no longer seeing it as such a bad idea. Adam and Eve had authority over all the creatures in the world, including the serpent. Instead of telling the serpent “God didn’t say that!” they listened and took the authority they had and handed it over to the serpent to be led by him. That choice resonates with us even today. Satan has authority over this world… for now.
Takeaway 2: Sin attacks in muddy waters. It’s never a black/white clear-cut issue when in the middle of it, so be sure to stay at arm’s length from sinful situations and flee when the waters get muddy before you make a bad decision.
Last but not least, it says a lot that Satan’s approach was to tempt the weakest link (I’m not saying Eve was weaker than Adam because she is a woman). He chose to talk to the one of them who was furthest removed from the original truth. God didn’t tell Eve, He told Adam. Thus Eve was more apt to doubt what the original command was… “Maybe Adam misunderstood. Maybe God didn’t really say that… and that fruit DOES look good.” Does Satan tempt us at our weakest points and from the best strategic angle? Absolutely. So how can we combat that? We need to do what Eve should have done. She had the direct line of communication to both Adam AND TO GOD, but she didn’t stop to ask them. She processed the decision and made her own choice apart from seeking wise counsel. She should have conferred with her husband and with God. God likely would have given her what she asked for (an explanation), but she never asked.
Takeaway 3: Don’t be alone. Have wise friends you can confide in. Seek Biblical counsel. Don’t assume you know what’s best because you want to avoid hearing you might be wrong. God’s very nature is community (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) so who am I to think I can be an island?