We tend to remember Eve for her sin in the garden but I imagine she, like you and I, had many facets. What sets her apart is the fact that her first sin changed the life of every person who came after and was recorded for eternity. Lets look at some of what the Bible tells us about Eve.

First, she was called woman because she was taken out of man. Genesis 2:23 (Woman is a generic description as to Eve’s relationship to Adam. Literally man-ess.)

Second, both Eve and her husband are called Man (Adam in Hebrew)
"He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, He called them man." Genesis 5:2
This was God’s plan for marriage. He made them equal and of one flesh. This is the divine ideal for man and wife and what makes a home run in perfect order.

Finally, Adam named his wife Eve. "because she was the mother of all the living." Genesis 3:20
Eve means "life," "life giving" or "mother of all who have life."

Eve lived in a perfect world, created for her and her husband. We might wonder why she would do anything to disturb such a blessed existence. It started innocently enough - just a stroll through the garden.
Eve’s mistake. She listened to the serpent as he twisted and contradicted God’s word even though she knew what God had said about not eating from that one tree in the center of the garden -the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The serpent said, "Did God really say, ‘ You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’
Genesis 3:1 and 3:4 "You will not surely die, ...for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Eve’s temptation. Eve was enticed by lust... for food, pretty things and personal gain.
"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..." Genesis 3:6
She decided to believe the serpent and her own desires above the command of her creator.
She ate some of it and then gave it to Adam.

Eve’s Consequences
From the time of the sin, her bond with God was broken. She and her husband were ashamed and afraid and they hid from God. Genesis 3:10
Eve’s bond with her husband was also broken as they passed the blame for the transgression.
...The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit'...The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate...' Genesis 3: 12,13

In His mercy, God performed the first sacrifice to cover their sin, killing animals for the skins He gave Adam and Eve to wear.
Even forgiven sin has consequences. As punishment, they were shut out of their perfect garden.

Hardship then became a part of life. Hard labor, pain in childbirth, even murder. Eve’s son, Able, was killed by his brother Cain. Eve must have experienced extreme sorrow at the loss of her two sons as Cain was condemned to wander the earth.
Even in her sorrow, Eve acknowledged God’s majesty, for she named her next son Seth, saying "God has granted me another child in place of Able, since Cain killed him."
Genesis 4: 25 (Seth means 'granted.')

I think that we are very much like Eve. Her sin is all too familiar.

We face similar temptations and fall into sin in the same way. We listen while God’s word is twisted or contradicted or we disregard it when it seems illogical. We are tempted by lust for pretty things, food, and personal gain.

Like Eve’s, our sin reaches further than we can see at the time.
Hidden, or un-confessed, sin breaks our close relationship with God, our spouse, family and friends. It continues to grow and is far reaching.
In His mercy, God gives us a way out. The Bible tells us that if we turn to God and confess that sin and believe in Jesus’ sacrifice, He is faithful to forgive us. Our fellowship is restored. We can return to the life that God plans for us.

Adam was right to name her the mother of all the living. Some of Eve is in each of us. We are family.


Facing the metaphorical empty nest, Beth Moore writes, "The first morning I awakened to a house with no children, my home was quiet, but to my surprise it wasn't empty. Suddenly it felt full. Full of memories.