Lessons from Ladies of Faith: Studies in the Lives of Select Women in the Bible That Teach Us Lessons of the Life of Faith for Us Today

By Barbara Ellen Houston McCain

Lessons from Ladies of Faith is a book that demonstrates that the ladies we read about in the Scripture were real women, living actual lives. God gave us a record of their challenges, struggles, and victories as lessons that we can apply to our lives today. From the ladies chronicled in this guide, we can learn lessons about courage, commitment, submission to God, dedication to new challenges, and so much more.

As we study Eve, Sarah, Mary, Dorcas, and the other women, we will learn that the paths they walked are not so different from the ones we tread today. Through their stories, we can gain insight into the victories of faith that God desires for the modern day Christian woman. Some lessons teach us of His majesty, others of His grace, while others encourage us to explore new levels of spiritual adventure. Whether you are an earnest Christian believer or someone who is curious about the Christian life, there is much to learn about the journey of faith on this path of exploration.

Lessons from Ladies of Faith chronicles thirteen different areas of a life of faith illustrated by the lives of different women in the Bible. By application to our present day lives, hopefully, we will come to understand our own life journey through those of these women.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512705362

Barbara Ellen Houston McCain

Barbara Ellen Houston McCain is a pastor’s wife who, with her husband, Dennis, served for thirty-three years as missionaries. They retired to stay with their last church plant in California. They have three grown children, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please visit her website at www.barbaraellenmccain.webs.com.

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Copyright © 2015 Barbara Ellen Houston McCain.

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Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-8886-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8887-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0536-2 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/04/2015

CONTENTS

Introduction

Lesson 1 Eve - Faith in New Beginnings

Lesson 2 Sarah - Submission to God’s Will

Lesson 3 Leah - Victory in Acceptance

Lesson 4 Miriam - A Servant’s Heart

Lesson 5 Ruth - Total Commitment

Lesson 6 The Proverbs Woman - Godly Living

Lesson 7 Esther - Courage of Convictions

Lesson 8 Mary - Unwavering Faith

Lesson 9 Mary Magdalene - A Changed Life

Lesson 10 Priscilla and Dorcas - Leadership in Life

Lesson 11 The Young, the Old and all the Inbetweens

Lesson 12 The Woman of the Future - Glorified Rewards

Lesson 13 Me, Myself and I - God’s Challenge for the Present Day

I dedicate this book to my wonderful husband, Dr. Dennis E. McCain, Sr. It has been a joy to walk Faith’s Journey with you for so many years. From high school sweethearts to senior citizens, the path has been exciting and sweet. I am so grateful to the Lord for the burden He gave you for your teenage girlfriend and for you carrying through on witnessing to me, asking others to fast and pray, and then sitting by my side as I asked the Precious Lord Jesus into my heart and He became my Savior. Thank you for asking me to marry you the same day! What a blessing to watch your life as a husband, father and grandfather, my love and my friend. What an encouragement and challenge to have you as my pastor for over 30 years and to have sat under your teaching. I marvel at the way you love the Word of God and open it to others as the True and Living Word that can be effectual in their lives. Thank you for being consistent with your life verse:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

INTRODUCTION

Life is a series of lessons. We live in a schoolhouse of experience. For each of us, many of the lessons are common, but other lessons are unique to our own experience. They make us who we are and, in a large sense, determine what lessons we will pass on to others.

God has given lessons to us to instruct us as we walk this pilgrim pathway. Some lessons teach us of His majesty, others of His grace, some impel us to new levels of spiritual adventure, others warn us of pitfalls along the way. But all the lessons are for our benefit: to direct us and to mold our characters into that which will please our Creator.

Many of these lessons are found in the unfolding biographies of women in the Bible. Each one mentioned in the pages of Scripture represents a real, living female, one who breathed earth’s air, ate earth’s food and lived her life under God’s heaven, just as we do. Each life was unique, just as is each of ours. She may have had brown hair or black or blonde or red. She may have borne children or remained barren. She may have lived in luxury or in the depths of poverty. Whatever her character, whatever her situation, her life, too, was lived in the school house of experience. She, too, passed lessons on to others. Of these women, certain ones have dynamic lessons for us today that have been enshrined in Holy Writ by our gracious Master Instructor, God.

Come study some of these lessons as we learn them from the lives of a few of the women in our Biblical record. These recorded lives often show victories, but also sometimes failures. They were women, not unlike us, walking life’s pathway, making choices, leaving lessons for others on the way. You are invited to journey down the pathway of each of their lives and gather the examples they have left for us, learning from these ladies of faith.

Dear God,

Help us as we tread this pathway of instruction that we might learn lessons from ladies of faith that You have preserved in your Word. Help each of us to listen in our hearts, learn with our minds and allow You to build in our lives the resources of learning that will mold our character into ladies of true faith. Let our lives be epistles for other’s learning as we show forth Your grace. Amen.

Format      Instruction on the instruction!

The format of our study in each lesson will follow this simple plan:

1) Self Study: Read the verses cited at the beginning of each chapter. Allow God to introduce you to each lady of faith.

2) An introduction and overview of that lady’s life.

3) The gleaning of lessons we can learn.

4) The application to our lives today.

5) Questions of challenge.

Read this book with the Bible by your side. When there are references, refer to them. When you have a question, research it. Let the Bible be the main instruction manual for your study time in this book. While I have prayed over each lesson and sought to know God’s instruction in each aspect of the book, I am just human. The only Divine Instructor is the Lord God Himself. He is the only One who can open our spiritual eyes to truth, instruct our minds in His ways and apply godly lessons to our hearts. This book is only a tool that can be used to introduce us to the marvels of God’s Word. It can help us to get a reading of the pulse of the living Word of God, to expand our understanding of the depths of God’s wisdom, and serve as a compass to focus our direction of study. But used without God’s Book, the Bible, this book will fall short in accomplishing any of the goals that were envisioned for it.

Thirteen different areas of a life of faith were chosen that are illustrated by the lives of different women in the Bible. The majority of each of the chapters focus on one woman’s life and the application of that life’s lesson to one specific area of a life of faith. Of course, each lady studied was complex, just as are we, and her life exemplified other lessons as well. However, when viewed as a whole, we will come to understand the principles of each avenue of our journey through that one chosen woman. When we think of Eve, we will remember the lesson of new beginnings, when we think of Sarah, we will think of the lesson of submission to God’s Will. With each lady, we will glean lessons for our own lives that will, hopefully, strengthen us in our walk of faith.

The different lesson titles should serve to direct our thinking toward that one area of life. With that focus will come self examination and self application. Just as faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17, so study without application is empty. Certainly, this book can be read quickly and for diversion, but it is meant to be studied with a purpose. The purpose is to listen to the instruction of our Lord through the lives of women that He created. We must listen with intent, we must listen with a heart to learn, and we must be still enough to hear His voice. Often times, that will take true quiet time with the Lord in thoughtful prayerful attentiveness. Even when studied in a group, that individual attentiveness must be there. Our study leader can guide us, but, still, only God can truly instruct. Whether studied by the individual or in a group, the design of this book is to allow each of us to see the hand of God in other women’s lives and in our own.

May God grant each of us His wisdom as we study these lessons from ladies of faith. May we be open to learn many other lessons from the additional ladies in God’s record that are not included in this book, but are in His Book, which is, indeed, our Textbook for life.

CHAPTER ONE

EVE - FAITH IN NEW BEGINNINGS

Read: Genesis Chapters 1-3

Introduction

We do not often think of Eve as an example of faith but of failure. However, a closer inspection of her life will show that we can, indeed, learn lessons of faith from this woman of new beginnings. In the book of the beginning, Genesis, we learn that Eve was created to be a person of perfect faith. Her first years were spent in idyllic relationship with God and with her mate. She walked each day in perfect harmony with her Creator and with His creation. Perhaps that is the most stirring example of what a life of faith should be: perfect companionship, perfect peace, perfect harmony, perfect dependence. Each morsel she ate was a provision from God’s own hand, each drop of water she drank flowed from His rivers, each duty she performed was directed by Him.

In Christ as our new Adam (I Corinthians 15:45, 47), we can walk the path of perfect faith, as long as we don’t take a detour into the serpent’s corner of the garden.

How like Satan to plop himself into the midst of the garden, into the middle of Eve’s environment (Genesis 3:13). There he was right in the thick of it, right in the midst. Despite the location of the temptation, even that place was where she should have recognized God and His call on her life to walk in faith.

Just as in the Garden of Eden, Satan will often plop himself into the midst of our environment, into the midst of our trials. We must be careful to recognize him there. We must be even more determined to recognize God there. We must pay close heed to each life situation to make sure we have not followed the tempter but are choosing the path of faith and trust in our Creator.

Do we lose Eve as our example after the Fall? No, because she shows us the lesson of the faith of new beginnings as she trusts God’s provision of redemption, His offer of renewed fellowship, His new goals and purposes for her life. She constantly affirms: God is directing me, I am submitted to His will, trusting in His plan, I have faith in Him. In our life of constant change, we need that same anchor of faith to be steadfast in our commitment to trust the God of new beginnings.

Overview of Eve’s Life

We do not have a daily diary of Eve’s life. How marvelous if we did! Can you imagine some of the entries?

Day 1   Opened my eyes and looked on a slumbering form in the midst of a place of great beauty. I had the calm knowledge that the One whose hands had just formed me was close beside me. The voice of my Creator woke the man and led me to his side. The one whom the Creator called Adam, gently touched my face and said, You are bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, I will call you Woman. I knew I was home.

Day 4   Adam and I explored more of the Garden today. What beauties we beheld! I was brought to laughter by the little chipmunks tumbling amongst the flowers. What a good name Adam had picked for them!

Day 7   We rested today but our eyes could not stop taking in all the beauty of this place God prepared for us. How wonderful to feel the splash of the cool water on our faces this morning and the warmth of the noon day sun. The animals seemed to be resting, too. The tiger even laid his head in my lap. I softly rubbed his throat and he rewarded me with a happy purring sound. In the evening, Adam and I walked hand in hand to the quiet part of the Garden where we had met with God the day before. The scent of the flowers was as sweet as the soft sound of His voice while He talked with us. I love Him so.

Eve was a real woman. In fact, she was The Real Woman, for in her creation she was all we are meant to be. It is not often that we think of her as a person, more often she is just a name in the story of Creation. As long as we view Eve, or any woman in the Bible, as only a name, we will fail to grasp all the lessons her life can teach to us. So travel back in time with your imagination and let your mind envision this real living person, the first woman. Let us get to know her and be introduced to what we know of her life.

As we study the life of Eve we will examine some basic concepts: Why was she created? Why did she fail? What new beginning did God grant to her? What lessons can we learn from her life? We will also see that her life was one of constant new beginnings. That may seem obvious when we talk of the first woman, the beginning of our kind, but as her life progresses we will see that each stage was one of new beginnings. In view of these new beginnings, we could give her life the following outline that will be filled in with information as we study:

1. Creation, Genesis 1-2

Purpose

Fellowship

Enablement

2. Fall, Genesis 3:1-7

Beginning of life of need

Beginning of life of change

3. Restoration, Genesis 3:8-24

Renewed fellowship with God through the blood

New limitations but added dimensions

4. Birth of children, Genesis 4:1-2

5. Seth the symbol, Genesis 4:25

When my daughter was expecting her third child, I traveled to be with her in the last months of her pregnancy. I found a great deal of preparation going on for this new little girl. The room she would share with her sister had been painted a lovely lavender with a sweet wallpaper border. Soon there was a new crib to match her sister’s bed, with a soft white eyelet coverlet and clean sheets in place. There were stacks of diapers and carefully folded clothes. Every detail was thought of and much of our planning went into being ready for baby. We knew she was coming to join the family and we wanted all to be in readiness for her. When Eve’s arrival was on the threshold of time, God, Himself, prepared for her entry into the human family. First, He had prepared the perfect environment of Eden. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8. In that place, God planted and caused to grow every tree and plant that the humans would need. There He watered what He had planted and provided the exact conditions that man and woman would need for growth, nourishment and joy. The earth had already been populated with every living thing, but this place was different, it was to be the habitation of the ones who had been formed in the image of their Creator. The rest of creation is seen as the expression of creative power, but, uniquely, man and woman are the express creation of God’s love. Their creative forming was with the hand of love. For these objects of His special affection, God provided every detail needed for successful living. The dwelling place was ready.

God also made the perfect provisions. Food was prepared that was pleasant to the sight (Genesis 2:9). Think of the implications of that statement. All that God had provided in the Garden was pleasant to the eyes. This was already a fact before the temptation. We will find that Satan’s counterfeit lie made Woman imagine that which was forbidden was pleasant to the eyes, when everything that was allowed already was! God caused rivers to flow their pure water into the Garden. All was in readiness.

God provided for Woman a perfect companion. Of all the handsome men that ever lived, Adam was surely the most handsome, for everything that God had made was perfect. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31. Adam’s voice was the clearest, his singing the most on key, his thoughts of the purest quality, his intentions all full of wonder, joy and kindness. When he looked first on Woman, his eyes were perfectly focused and his thoughts completely formed with intelligence. He was the perfect companion. It was into the perfect environment of Eden that God took man and then woman. Even the order is important in relationship to Eve, for God provided in that place the one human person she needed to be fulfilled in her purpose. Man was to till the ground, to be a living soul, to be in the image and likeness of God, to have dominion, and to have fellowship with God. When Woman was brought into the world, she was to share in those purposes.

Then God gave Woman her own perfect purpose. This is stated in clear, precise terms. She was created so that Adam would not be alone: And God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18. She was to be a help meet for Adam, perfectly fit to walk and work beside him. She was perfectly designed to join in with his duties and to share in his fellowship with God. Beyond the companionship of all the other creatures of the earth, Woman was to be uniquely joined to Man as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. 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. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24. Woman alone had the unique purpose that God planned for her. Think of the moment when God brought her to Adam. There is an awe and gratitude in his recorded response at first seeing this one that God had formed for him. Truly they had been formed for each other and the wonder of that moment almost catches our breath. If we are married, there should be no less wonder and awe when we consider how God brings each of us to our life mate. We should be filled with a daily gratitude to God for the one He has created to dwell with us in marriage. Our awe should increase each day as we behold the plan and purpose God gives us in our union. There is an even greater awe and gratitude we should have when we consider how God brings each of us to Christ, our perfect Adam, to be joined to Him in salvation.

The purpose and intent of Adam’s companion is highlighted by the meaning of her name, for this created being was first called Woman. Her name of Eve was not until after the Fall. She is always called Woman until that time. She was called this because she was taken out of Man. Genesis 2:23. She was to be part of everything he was designed for. She was to labor with him, worship with him, learn with him, live with him, for she was taken out of him and, because of that, was uniquely a sharer in who he was. From the beginning of her life, she was to be a perfect partner for this life companion. There was to be a total cleaving between them, with no shame, only pure joy and satisfaction.

The Fall

Reread Genesis Chapter Three before going any further.

We asked the question in our outline: Why did Eve fail? There are some very basic reasons for the Fall that we can see from close examination of the situation.

In considering what was to happen in that event, we should remember that Eve already had full knowledge of God’s rules concerning the Garden and, in particular, the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16-17. The fact that Adam would have communicated that to his wife is evident. They were of one flesh, goal and mind. He would have openly shared with her all things. Secondly, God communicated with them both every day in their special time with Him. God will not withhold any good thing from His children: For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11. Then, Eve gave ample evidence of her knowledge of the command in her response to the first question of the serpent: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:2-3. Much is often made of the fact that she appears to have added to God’s command in this response. His prior recorded command did not include the fact that she was not to touch the fruit. But it is a very good spiritual principle to not touch, approach, or think about that which we know is forbidden to us by God. The moment that we start to handle that which is wrong for us, part of the battle is already lost. The married person who places themself in an unguarded situation with someone of the opposite sex, may do so without thinking they will fall for temptation, but the possibility has been given a probability. The dieter may not think they will eat the chocolate cake they are making for their family, but find it is a different story when it calls to them from the cake server left on the counter. Eve may have been speaking the thought of her heart. She may have been communicating something God had shared with them concerning His rules. Or, it may even have been that her husband had added, Eve, it really would be better for us not even to touch that fruit since God does not want us to eat of it. Let’s trust Him completely in this matter.

She knew the rules and she also knew the Rule Maker. She knew that He was a God of compassion and love. She knew that everything He had given them was for their benefit. Everything should have included His prohibitions. That is a tremendous lesson for us in our own lives. So many people rebel against God’s restrictions without seeing His wisdom and goodness. Whatever is against His revealed will for us is sin. All sin is harmful to His children. The God who wants only the best for us gives boundaries that we must not cross over if we are to have victory. His prohibitions are consistent with His character, and Eve knew Him in a way that we can only dimly glimpse. She actually walked and talked with Him each day. We can do that spiritually in our devotions, prayer life, meditations and service, but think of the enormity of her privilege each day. Oh, that we could walk out into our garden in the cool of the day and find God there in His full presence, be able to hear His voice and ask Him questions that would receive verbal answers! The thought is overwhelming. That we can even approach to that in our daily walk is a blessing of such proportions that it is not to be diminished in this respect. But to realize that she had that extra privilege of the tangible presence, illustrates how well she should have known her Creator.

With the knowledge of the rules and the Rule Maker, was the knowledge of her surroundings. She knew there was other fruit and how well it provided for her, she knew the location of the Tree in question. To think of Woman as an ignorant babe in the woods of the garden is to have a very slanted opinion of God’s creative ability! Everything that He made was very good! It was very mature and very perfect. Her mind must have had an intelligence we would not know how to measure on an IQ test of today. Think of it, a mind with no sin or inhibitions to limit its usage or potential. She was a daily student of the Master Instructor. She was the one who possessed all the genetic material of untainted quality. She not only knew much, she had the ability to know new things every day, those things that God had already provided for her growth and learning. This was no small Fall for Woman. What we read in a few verses, was an enormous act of willful disobedience.

The following outline will highlight some of the reasons that Eve fell for temptation and partook of the forbidden fruit.

1) She was on her own, alone in the Garden. This was in opposition to God’s revealed plan for her life. She was created that Adam might not be alone. She was to be a constant help meet for him. Conversely, she was not to be alone if her purpose was being exercised. Also, she was alone from God in her mind. She answered for herself. The serpent approached her when she was alone. The enemy of our soul often approaches us when we are alone. We need to remember his devises and also remember that, indeed, we are never alone from our Savior.

2) She failed to see the beauty of God’s provisions. She desired something else outside of His revealed will, and it became more beautiful and beguiling than the sparkling fruit all around her on other trees. To think of how much greater the beauty of the fruit on the Tree of Life must have been then that of any other tree, makes us draw back in amazement as she chooses that from the forbidden tree. Nothing is more lovely than the fruit of God given to us in salvation! All else pales in comparison. God had created every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.. Genesis 2:9. When Satan dangles his temptations in beguiling beauty before our eyes, we should turn away and see the true lasting beauty in that which God has already provided. A broken marriage and a ruined life are often the outgrowth of what looked pleasing to the senses. A marriage of duration and purity is a thing of great joy and beauty. Temptations of smoking and drugs are often succumbed to in order to make the teen look more glamorous in her own eyes, but result in stealing from her the real beauty even of physical appearance over the long run.

3) She did not follow through on commitment to God’s Word. She failed in this even though she knew His Word concerning the specific situation. A knowledge of God’s Word does not guarantee us victory. It is the tool that we need to be equipped with in order to fight the battles. The sword left laying on the study desk cannot be used unless we exercise the muscles of faith, take it with us into our daily life, and put it into action! She had doubtless made the commitment to follow God’s will and way, yet she failed when the test was before her. True commitment would have resulted in her looking the serpent full in the eye and saying, You cannot make me doubt God. I will not do that which He has commanded me not to do!

4) She did not identify the enemy. There he was right in front of her. It is safe to say that all the animals in the Garden were companions for Adam and Eve. Even in Sunday School visuals for children, we often see the couple with their hands laid gently on the back of a beautiful tiger. There had been no danger for her there in the Garden. Perhaps her familiarity with the serpent was an outgrowth of that experience. But his first words should have betrayed him. Even if she had never experienced an enemy before, to hear something contrary to God’s will and a question of God’s character should have signaled something intense within. Satan knew her inexperience and he knew where her weaknesses would be. That is why the serpent is called more subtil than any other beast. It is why Satan chose it for the job. Subtil means cunning and crafty in the most negative sense. It would not be impossible for us to envision this creature slinking up to her and using a voice of most liquid tones. Why was she not surprised when the serpent spoke with a voice to be understood? Did any of the other animals speak to her? It is not recorded that they did. It would be natural for us to imagine that the animals did not speak but were as they are today. When the voice of another, outside of our realm of experience speaks to us, we ought to have a warning signal go off inside our minds. It may be the voice of a critic of God’s Word, a teacher of another doctrine, even an acquaintance who says something that feels strange to us. If any of those voices speak strange things to us, words that try to cast doubt on the wisdom of God or His goodness, the enemy has spoken.

5) She did not exercise godly hesitations. In script writing, hesitations are often used to build suspense and to develop a plot line. Countless times, I have watched a drama when the vulnerable character hesitated and I felt like yelling out, Just do it! The moment is prolonged, the plot thickens. Dramatic pauses may build suspense in fiction, but in true life godly hesitation can often result in dynamic receptivity. When we pause, we often allow God to communicate with us. When we hesitate, the alternative action is often brought to mind. Godly hesitation would have caused Woman to question the course of the serpent’s proposal. When we feel a question about our course of action in a life decision, we ought to exercise godly hesitation. What if she had hesitated and said to the serpent, I really don’t know what to think about what you say, but I’d like to discuss this with God tonight. Hesitation often draws back our hand from an act of disobedience.

6) She made the decision on her own. Eve did not tell the serpent, Let’s go ask Adam his opinion on this matter. She did not confront the attack on God’s motivation, by saying, Why don’t you come with me this evening and God will explain all this to us. She did not ask for her mate’s help in the decision, nor did she call out to God who was ever available in intimate access. While every other potential decision of note in the Garden had probably been rehearsed with God each day, Eve did not even ask for help in this decision. The decision was made on her own. What a lesson for us in life decisions today. Any decision we make should be made in the counsel of the Triune God. A wife must never forget to involve her husband in her decisions of life. Is there any decision too small to need godly counsel? How large did the fruit on the tree appear? No matter is too small for the attention of our God. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7. One misstep and a climber falls off the side of the mountain cliff. One small decision can affect a chain of events that change our lives. We should not be afraid to enter the decision making process, but we must realize our need for counsel. While God wants decisive Christians, the decision making process should never be made on our own.

7) She did not say, No. Such a small word No is. Even shorter than Yes in English. In every language that I know, the term for No is short, clear and easy to say. We major much on the act of faith in saying Yes to the claims of God. It is no less an act of faith to say No to ungodly demands and temptations. Yes often can be thought about and deferred for deliberation, but No is more likely to be that decisive declaration that seals the matter. It is of no matter how far a temptation goes, there is always that point at which we can say No. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. I Corinthians 10:13. Many a young person who said yes to the temptation of beginning in a situation, wishes they had said no before a disastrous act was done. Up to the very moment Eve put the fruit to her mouth, she could have thrown it down and said, No. The no would have been a declaration as much to herself as to the serpent. Godly determination to not transgress the will of our Creator requires that we often say No without fear, without hesitation and often without full understanding of the situation. Did Eve know the enormity of the consequences of the act she would perform? Most likely she did not, even though she had been warned. But this she did know: God had instructed her to say No to the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Much of her sin lies in the fact that she did not say No, either at the beginning, the middle or the end of the temptation. God help us to say No at the right time.

In all these areas, Eve failed. The sum total of her failure was the enactment of the first sin. It was lack of faith that resulted in the fall. ...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23. An overwhelming abiding faith in her Creator would have lead her to never doubt, never wonder, never acquiesce to the temptation, never partake of that which was forbidden. In our example of the Woman of New Beginnings, lack of faith made her fail the test of the beginning of temptation. That test goes on to this day. Only faith’s armor can give us the victory.

In the Fall, Eve sought another provision, another purpose and another environment. All those things that God had perfectly provided for her were sacrificed in a moment of time on the altar of betrayal and sin. Her lack of faith resulted in a new beginning of shame, fear, denial, and division. That division was between her and Adam as well as between her and God. Read Genesis 3:9-15. There was an immediate change in her relationship with her companion. Can you hear the future conversations they could have had: Adam, why did you blame me when you were talking to God. You could have said no. Ouch, these thorns hurt! Eve, if only you hadn’t eaten that fruit! There was also a division between her and the serpent. He was the very one that she had trusted in her transference of loyalty, the very one she had followed in her most momentous action. There was an immediate division. We can almost see her shrinking away from him as her eyes are opened to the knowledge of good and evil, for then she knew the intent of his deception and its affect on her being. How like us today when we follow someone’s temptation that leads us from God’s chosen path. So often this results in us turning from the other person who becomes the embodiment of our temptations. This is often seen in infidelity in a marriage. After the destructive act, the other person often becomes loathsome, where before he was an object of interest.

In this new beginning, Woman was also given a new role: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Genesis 3:16. Into a life that had been lived in perfect harmony, perfect joy and perfect faith, were brought sorrow and contention. Where once the two had walked side by side in perfect partnership, with perfect understanding and mutual affection, now there was a new emotion, that of desire, or intense longing after, her mate. While before this their union was so uniquely entwined as to be bone of bone and flesh of flesh, with one common desire, one common thought, one common goal, now there was a difference. She would have to reach out for him, stretch herself in her mind and thoughts to understand all that he wanted and meant when he spoke. Often she would not understand, often there would be confusion, but still the desire would be there. Here was a woman who had lived in perfect harmony, finding and giving perfect satisfaction to her mate. After the Fall, she must have thought: I want to please him, but it is not so easy anymore. Have you ever been there in your marriage relationship? Most likely you have, for now as women we must all reach beyond ourselves and try to understand the needs of our mate. Once the two created ones had ruled side by side in their dominion over the things of the earth, and now the man was to rule over the woman. Her lack of faith had resulted in a new beginning that seems to be a demotion of rank.

She was also given a new name: And Adam called his wife’s name Eve: because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:20. There is a contrast to her first name of Woman. That name spoke of the fact that she was taken out of Man, out of that which was perfect and uniquely carved by God. Now that she was no longer the perfect ideal, she needed a new name. That new name spoke in part of her new purpose. The wonder of it all is that this new purpose is one of honor. To be the mother of all living is the high position that only Eve can claim. The honor that we have in giving birth to our own children must give us a glimpse of the high dignity this name implies. Even in the midst of the punishment for the Fall, there is the new beginning of direction by God.

In tender love and purposeful action, God provided for Adam and Eve a new provision. It was the provision of redemption. First, God gives the promise of a future Redeemer in Genesis 3:15, One who would bruise the head of Satan, the One who is Christ. Then God does a unique act. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21. With the deliberate act of illustration, God slew animals of His creation to make a provision for the couple. The provision was not just for warmth, but to cover their shame. In the beginning, they had no shame when they were naked before each other and before their God. In this new beginning, their new feeling of shame needed a new provision: that of a blood sacrifice and its blood bought clothing. It was the only way that Adam and Eve could walk forth from that Garden into the world that they would now inhabit. They needed clothing that only God could provide. The clothing that God provided with the sacrifice of animals was a picture of our redemption, the only way that we can have a new beginning with God. The shame of our sin needs a covering that only the sacrifice of Christ can bring. We must be covered with the clothing of righteousness and salvation that only comes from God.

Now God gave Eve a new environment, out of Eden. From the perfection of a Garden watered and planted by God, she was sent forth into a now often hostile world. It would be a place where the labor would be by the sweat of their brow, when once it was done in joyful ease. There would be cold, there would be drought, there would be sickness and there would be death. Eden was lost to them. They were now to live a life of a new beginning and often it would be most difficult. They could not go back. The flaming sword barred the way. They could only go on. The only way they could walk in victory in that new life was to find a new walk of faith. Perhaps, much of that walk was based upon the experiences that they had with God in the Garden before the Fall. They doubtless would have remembered His conversations with them, tried to implement His directives and imparted wisdom He had given there. The foundation of their new beginning was found in the God of their own beginning, the source of all that they were. We are all out of Eden today! Only Christ’s redemption can still the flaming sword that keeps men and women from the tree of life.

The Genesis record moves swiftly on with an immediate change for Eve. She has a new beginning in the new land. She starts to fulfill her new purpose. She gives birth to a son and names him Cain, saying, I have gotten a man from the LORD. Genesis 4:1. The name of Cain means to procure, to attain, combined with the word for a lance. Eve knew the child was from God. Had she thought he would be the promised one who would win the battle over the serpent? Had she thought this man child would wield the lance of victory over sin and give her another beginning? How little could she know that he would wield another weapon in a destructive way and forge the issues of sin even deeper in humanity’s record.

God multiplies her conception as promised with the birth of another son, whom she names Abel. It is interesting that his name means empty of expectation. If she had thought Cain might be the redeemer, did the birth of the second son point up to her the fact that this deliverance would not happen quickly, that there would be a certain mournfulness to life. The expectation’s soon fulfillment was empty, the thought of reentering the Garden was vain. Did the name come back to haunt her when her life became emptied of the son, the one whose sensitive heart