Knights Becoming and a Lady in Waiting

Genesis 3:6

I am slowly (ever so slowly) going through the Bible studying all the verses pertaining to woman/women, wife, mother, and daughter.  Sometimes I learn something new; sometimes I relearn something old. 

Today, one of the more familiar verses in Genesis jumped out at me so hard that I only studied this one verse. 

Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat."

Oh, the layers!

First, let's ignore who is at fault here (for now). Honestly, that's not the main point of this verse as I see it.

This verse has THREES in it. The tree is:

(1) good for food

(2) pleasant to the eyes

(3) desirable to make one wise

Three in Jewish lexicon is:

completeness, as three lines complete a plane figure. Hence, three is significant of Divine perfection and completeness. The third day completes the fundamentals of creation-work. The fourth, fifth, and sixth days are the counterpart and repetition of the first, second, and third, and correspond respectively. (See the structure of Genesis 1) The number, three, includes resurrection also; for on the third day the earth rose up out of the deep, and fruit rose up out of the earth.

http://www.biblestudysite.com/10.htm

Does that mean that it was God's will for Eve to sin and take the fruit?

No... the opposite, I think. It was God's will for Eve to see the three things the tree could give her and to CHOOSE God over the false idol of the tree. Instead, Eve saw three and saw a way to become complete. Now, Eve was the most perfect woman who has ever lived. She /was/ perfect-- God made her so. But she desired something to make her more than what God made her.

Ouch. That's definitely a personal note there.

The second thing I note is that none of the things that Eve sees the fruit as being good for are bad things. I mean:

(1) food

(2) visual pleasure

(3) wisdom

None of those things, in and of themselves, are bad things. But they can become bad things when they are our idol, or replacement for God.

(1) food = overeating = overweight = bad health = damaging the Holy Spirit's temple

(2) visual pleasure = possibly coveting something that doesn't belong to us = sin

(3) wisdom = WORLD'S wisdom over God's = thinking we know more than God = pride = sin

[Just as a quick side note, this is the first usage of the word "husband" in the Bible]

The tree was NOT bad. In fact, the word "good" used here is the exact same word, /towb/, that God used when saying His creation was good.

The "food" here is actually used only in this verse, Genesis 2:9, and Genesis 6:21. It signifies edible, food, fruit.

"Pleasant" is a very signifcant word, not used in this way anywhere else in the Bible. It means "a longing; by implication, a delight; exceedingly desirable; inciting of lust."

"Desired" is for "covet, delectable thing, precious, delight, and desire."

"Wise" is "intelligence"... although it is used in Daniel 12:3,10, so it doesn't exclude Biblical/ Godly wisdom.

So, from all that, Eve took every good, complete thing that God had given her and tossed it aside for something that she first justified as satisfying a need (food), then as something fulfilling a lust (pleasant to eyes), and finally as something to make her more like God (wisdom). And this is the same way we do it today when we sin.  

We need something.  We want something.  We want to be more like God.  All good. 

Stop.  Think.  All good.  But all the best?  Always wait on God's best for your life over something good-- merely good can lead to sin as easily as "slightly bad".

One last note... her husband was with her there. Did he say something and she persuade him otherwise? Did he keep silent? Was he equally at fault?

It's odd that the Bible says nothing on this point, but look at the punishments later in the chapter. Woman has to defer to man and her desire (longing, rather than lusting) is for her husband. From that, if I were speculating, I would say that he suggested not eating it and she persuaded him, hence God giving him the upper hand from then on... but that's pure speculation.

And I never knew all that was in there. :)

Genesis 3:6

1:35 PM, Mar. 17, 2006 .. Posted by doehillhomeschool

Wow! I really enjoyed this post! I've been reading a lot more lately on submission and marriage in general, too. I'll pray for you--you pray for me?
Thanks for adding me to your friend's list, too. I appreciate it and am so glad to add you to mine. This is definitely a blog to bookmark and read often!