Women in the Bible: Eve – A Woman that Shares So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and…
Women in the Bible: Eve – A Woman Who Shares
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. – Genesis 3:6
Our lesson from Eve today will focus on her sharing quality. She was a giving woman who did not hoard from her husband. How was that good? Please read along.
It takes love to give (John 3:16) and it takes a good heart to share what you could have kept for yourself alone. Eve demonstrated her love for her husband, Adam, by sharing the fruit she ate with him rather than kept it to herself alone.
Hindsight has helped us to know that she really did not do well by eating the fruit in the first place. However, without the benefit of knowing the consequences of her action, one can see the good heart of Eve as she demonstrated her affection for her husband by giving him the fruit to eat.
How is this so? The Bible says she ‘saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise’. These are all positive features that she decided to share with her husband instead of holding back. No matter what we think of her, she meant well by sharing what she thought was good stuff with her husband.
If the whole fruit-eating scenario had turned out well and hadn’t boomeranged on she and her husband’s faces, she would have been commended for her good nature. But because it did not end well, it is easy to castigate and blame her. However. the fact remains that she meant well for her husband by sharing the good, pleasant and desirable fruit with him, rather than kept it for herself alone and be helping herself to it secretly.
Another point is that, knowing that the said fruit would result in enlightenment, as it would make her wise and help her know what was good and what was evil, she wanted this for her husband as well, and that was why she shared it with him, so that they would both be wise and enlightened together. She could have opted to be the enlightened one in the family alone while the husband languished in ignorance. But she did not choose such privilege for herself alone. She wanted it for herself, and she desired it for her husband as well.
Men in the Bible: Adam – A Man of Understanding And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of…
Men in the Bible: Adam – A Man of Understanding
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.” – Genesis 2:21-23
Another attribute of Adam was understanding. Despite being a lonely figure with no forbear for him to study or a mate for him to hobnob, he was nonetheless enamored with mental acumen that helped him to make a sense of his world.
We read yesterday how intelligence helped him to appraise and name all other creatures in accordance with his assessment of their nature and characteristics. We also established how his verdict was so accurate that neither God nor any of the creatures he named contested the names he assigned. Today, we will be exploring another mental acuity that he displayed, which is understanding.
Having been presented with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of creatures to name, Adam found no connection with any of them. But when the last creature that God brought for him to name was presented before him, he had his “Aha’ moment. He knew this was it.
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” He exclaimed. Note the emphasis on the word “now”. That confirms that he had mentally eliminated all the other creatures that were brought to him as potential partner. it also affirms our earlier note that he had to refuse God by not choosing any of those creatures as his mate.
However, immediately he saw this latest creature, he did not hesitate to identify her as one more closely associated with him than the other creatures he had seen (‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’) and in labeling her in association with himself (‘she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man’). That is understanding at work.
Understanding helped Adam to both describe the nature of the woman and her unique identity. Another word for understanding is insight. While knowledge is common, as anyone can acquire knowledge by reading, listening, or being exposed to useful information; understanding is not so commonplace. It is a step higher than the realm of knowledge. But that does not mean it is not attainable for anyone who desires it. You just need to be more attentive to develop understanding and grow in it.
Thankfully, the first man had great understanding, and we all share the same DNA with him. Therefore, this presupposes that we also have the potential to develop understanding beyond the basic level.
Men in the Bible: A Blind Believer After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your…
Men in the Bible: A Blind Believer
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. – Genesis 15:1-6
Another lesson we can learn from Abraham and imbibe for a lasting walk with God is blind faith. Abraham was a blind believer with an unquestioning belief in God’s promise, even without proof or evidence to validate it.
From the scenario that played out in the reference passage above, God came to assure Abraham that He had his back and would protect and reward him. These were desirable attributes enough, but they were not the priority of Abraham at that time as he was still without a child, even in his late 80s. He did not hesitate to bring this to God’s attention, but what happened next marked a turnaround in their relationship.
God asked Abraham to come out at night and count the stars in the sky, which Abraham could not do. God then replied by saying that was how the descendants of Abraham would be uncountable.
For someone in his early 20s, that would sound like a harebrained promise, even if he were to give birth every single day of his life. But for Abraham in his 80s at that time, that must have sounded far-fetched. However, he chose to believe God, not minding how impractical or unreasonable His promise was. And this pleased God greatly.
The fact that Abraham, who had seen enough of the world and could not be easily fazed by certain developments, would hear that, even in his advanced age, he could still father children who would give birth to several other children without number was enough to impress God. That was blind faith at its best. God said it, and Abraham believed it, without doubts, questions, or debate. God was impressed.
God was so fascinated with Abraham’s disposition that He attributed it as righteousness to him. Righteousness is the state of being that one must attain to relate with God, and by exercising blind faith or being a blind believer, Abraham attained this height. Although he had many other sterling qualities as a person, some of which we had considered in this series, they did not qualify him for righteousness. But by believing the seemingly impractical promise of God, without doubt or question, he attained righteousness. We all can learn from that.
Men in the Bible: A Responsible Man Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in…
Men in the Bible: A Responsible Man
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. – Genesis 14:14-16
Another sterling attribute we can learn from Abraham’s character is responsibility. He was a quintessential responsible man, as we can see in our reference passage today.
We had previously discussed how mature and large-hearted Abraham was in contrast to his immature and unwise nephew. Although they were from the same family and related by blood, the characters of the two men were poles apart. Abraham was everything Lot was not: mature, wise, reverential, and more.
We also saw Lot’s brazenness in the saga of his workers clashing with Abraham’s; he did not just seem to care that his workers might be disrespecting his benefactor by so doing; he also did not do anything to redress the situation until Abraham himself made an overture of peace to him. As if that was not bad enough, Lot also chose the better portion of the land as a settlement for himself without much regard for his uncle’s preference.
All this notwithstanding, when Lot fell into trouble as a result of his choice, Abraham did not hesitate to mobilize forces to go and rescue his nephew from the invaders who had taken him captive. Abraham could have said it served him right. But he neither said so nor acted it. Rather, he was quick and earnest in his desire to rescue Lot from the marauders who seized him and his assets.
Abraham demonstrated an unusual sense of fraternity and responsibility by going all out to fight with the group of kings and their soldiers who took Lot captive. That was a war he had little or nothing to do with. But he got himself involved all the same because of his nephew. A more responsible behavior we may yet find.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Peace Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South….
Men in the Bible: A Man of Peace
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel… Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock… So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” – Genesis 13:1-9
Another sterling quality that we can learn from the man, Abraham, was his maturity and peace-loving nature. He was a man of peace, full of maturity and wisdom.
We had earlier considered how largehearted Abraham was in accommodating his young nephew through his own personal evolution and in all his journeys. We also saw how Abraham was the primary benefactor of Lot, through whom the latter also came into opulence and had vast means of his own. Meanwhile, there came a time that Lot’s and Abraham’s livestock got so big that the land they occupied could no longer sustain them both, as their livestock and herdsmen kept increasing to the point that the two parties started bickering over available resources to feed their livestock.
This bickering must have continued for a while. However, when it got to a boiling point, Abraham demonstrated an unusual sense of maturity and wisdom in the way he handled it all. Firstly, he was the one who seized the initiative to reach out to his younger relative about the friction boiling between their workers.
For context, it is good to state that Abraham and Lot were not close in age. Abraham was the firstborn of three children, and Lot’s father, Haran, who died at a young age, was the youngest of that family. So, there was another son, Nahor, between Abraham and Haran, Lot’s father. Although Nahor did not follow his father, Terah, on the journey to Canaan. He preferred to stay in Ur of the Chaldeans instead.
This background is to help us appreciate the distance in age and stature between Abraham and Lot. However, when quarrels broke out between their workers, it was Abraham who made the overture by initiating peace talks with Lot. He did not wait for Lot to make the first move. After all, everything that Lot had was either acquired directly or indirectly through him. Yet, Abraham did not use this to browbeat Lot or manipulate him. On the contrary, he made the first move and offered that Lot be the first to pick the side of the land he preferred so that he, Abraham, and his own people would head in the opposite direction and settle there.
Moreover, recall that Abraham was also the one God promised the land of Canaan as an inheritance, not Lot. But he did not cite this at any time during their discussions either. He also did not castigate Lot as to why he was not grateful for everything he had, as to be now jostling for ownership of the land that God exclusively promised him, Abraham. He was too mature for that.
All he wanted was for peace to reign between him and his nephew, and between his own workers and the workers of Lot. He was a man of peace indeed. Surely, we can all learn from that.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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