Character Study #1: Adam and Eve

So, I am rereading the Bible and while doing so, I'm using a different perspective. This time, I am really focusing on the characters. I wrote a post on my personal blog about how God uses people, you can read it here. God uses weak people to do great things. So I have decided that I am going to post character studies about some of the most fascinating people in the Bible, discuss their strengths, weaknesses, how God used them, and how we can relate to their stories today.

What better place to start than right at the beginning?

The first humans. A story you've probably read and heard a dozen times. Adam was the first man, made in God's image. God decided it wasn't good for him to be alone, so he created Eve, a helper.

Before God created Eve, He gave Adam some very important instructions. Instructions that would shape history:

Genesis 2:16-17 God commanded the Man, "You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don't eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you're dead."

We all know what happens next. The devil uses a clever disguise to tempt both Eve and Adam to eat from the forbidden tree. The devil knows exactly what we want and he uses that against us to tempt us and lead us astray from God. In this case, what Adam and Eve craved was power. How absolutely human this is! People still crave God's power and knowledge today and this impossible desire still leads humans to sin in our generation!

Adam blamed Eve and Eve blames the devil. Also, a very human characteristic. Point the finger at someone else rather than accept the fact that you are the one who sinned.

Genesis 3:

12The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it."God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

13"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Through the years, a LOT of blame has been put on Eve for the situation. While yes, she did eat from the tree first, Adam did not try to stop her. In fact, he couldn't resist the temptation either, and he at from it as well. Both characters are to blame for the consequences that we still face today.

Genesis 3:16 He told the Woman: "I'll multiply your pains in childbirth; you'll give birth to your babies in pain. You'll want to please your husband, but he'll lord it over you."

17-19 He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, 'Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

So, what do we learn from this story? It demonstrates the free will that humans have. We are given choices and a brain that helps us to make these choices. But we must be able to obey God, or accept the consequences that go along with disobeying God. We are faced with temptations on a daily basis. How we handle these temptations may not affect mankind as much as the "first sin", but it will still affect YOUR life, and possibly those around you. God gives us a guideline to live by in His word, and when we go against these things, we are sinning. How do we handle the decisions WE face?

The story ends well, because ultimately, Adam and Eve DO fulfill God's purpose. They reproduce which leads to the start of the human race.

God used two sinners to begin the human race. He can use low, mistake-making people to do great things and in the end, serve a pretty big purpose!