The Faith of Eve
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:27
Many Christians dismiss Adam and Eve, believing them to be fictitious characters made up by Moses. We need to understand that the narratives, historical accounts, prophecies, and commands in the Bible are all built on Jesus, and that Jesus affirmed their truth. He is in all of God’s Word, for He is the Word (John 1:1), which is health to our bodies (Proverbs 3:8) and renewal for our minds (Romans 12:2)
Eve’s Faith
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” – Genesis 4:1
For the first time in history, a woman, Eve, became pregnant. How challenging it must have been for her to go through this unknown process of pregnancy and childbirth. She didn’t have any friends with children. I wonder what Adam and Eve did for a nursery without an Ikea store !?
Even though Eve had sinned against God, we find that she had faith in God and acknowledged Him to be the author of the precious gift she had received. How many times have you heard people “write off” Eve as worthless? It takes a lot for God to do that. He is the God of second chances.
Eve’s Hope
The name Cain (Hebrew: קַיִן, Qayin) means to “acquire” or “possess.” So, we see that Eve understands God is at work in her. Cain is the firstborn son, a type of Adam. As the firstborn son, Cain occupied a special place within the family.
Here in chapter four of Genesis, we find Jesus! Eve is looking toward the fulfillment of God’s promise for her offspring to bruise Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15). She may have hoped Cain would fulfill God’s prophecy, but that was the job for Jesus. She doesn’t know when God will fulfill the promise God made to her, but she’s looking for God and, unbeknownst to her, to the man Christ Jesus.
It is likely that Eve hoped Cain would regain what was lost. Some of us have had hopes for our children that were unfulfilled. It’s painful. I’m sure Eve felt that pain with Cain.
Learning from Eve
We can learn a lot from Eve. She was used by Satan to commit the first sin (1 Timothy 2:14), bringing sin into everyone. Perhaps, no one has committed a greater sin. Yet, God did not give up on her. He gave her a promise of hope, and she believed in Him. She testified that God had helped her in childbirth. Her baby was named Acquire (or Possess), perhaps pointing to God’s promise to her.
If God didn’t give up on Eve, then He hasn’t given up on us. We, too, have hope, even a greater hope than Eve, for Jesus has now paid the price for our sins. God’s love still pursues us. We are never too far away from God for Him to restore us. Trust in Jesus, for He is our mediator to our Father (1 Timothy 2:5).
Photo by Alex Hockett on Unsplash