June 7

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”    —GENESIS 3:6

In Genesis, Chapter 3, sin entered the world and the fall took place. As a result, there came a destructive effect on the relationship of men to women. God first asked Adam what happened and he replied, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). Adam is basically saying, “Don’t ask me. It’s Eve’s fault, and if it’s not her fault, it’s yours for giving her to me in the first place.”  

This response was unjustifiable for two reasons. Adam had been told that he must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God did not tell Eve that, though Adam had told Eve that. Adam’s task was to provide and protect her, but he stood by passively, and was present in the Garden. “She also gave some to her husband, who was with her and he ate it” (3:6). Adam then has the audacity to say, “It’s not my fault; she took it.” 

The second reason why Adam’s response was unjustifiable is because Eve had been deceived by Satan. God had given Adam the responsibility of protecting her and Satan had cast enough doubt in her mind to disobey God. We are not excusing Eve, but Adam refuses to take accountability, and abuses Eve by blaming her and giving her the guilt. God pronounces a curse on the serpent, and on the ground, which has consequences for Adam and Eve, which is the fruit of their sin. God said to Eve, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (3:16). In other words, you have now become vulnerable to your husband, and this is going to become the pattern of fallen and broken humanity where the law of the jungle is going to operate and in their sin, men are going to dominate women.

Now if the fall, instigated by the devil, broke the gender relationship, the Son of God’s purpose was to destroy the works of the devil. Part of the plan of salvation and sanctification is to restore the relationship between man and woman. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, firstly we are reconciled to God, and then to each other. Our salvation is about being reconciled to God, but our sanctification is about relationships and how we live in the world. The Gospel restores the oneness of the male and female that has been  destroyed in the Garden of Eden. When we have been reconciled to God and made one in Christ, the brokenness of our relationships now have the possibility of being restored.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to get to know You better, and to reflect what You are like in my marriage. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: Do I understand God’s plan for reconciliation, firstly to Him and secondly to each other?