November 25, 2007 AM

"Eve: Mother of All Living"

Genesis 3: 14- 20; text: v. 16, 20

When I young, many in our country feared that we would get into a nuclear war with the Soviet Union and in so doing destroy the world.  Some people even built shelters in their back yards, stockpiling them with food and supplies.  The fall of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union almost 20 years ago have led to a lessening of those fears for a time.  But, that didn't put an end to our fears did it?  We are constantly reminded that another terrorist attack may be imminent.  Many also fear the threat of global warming and the major weather disasters that may result.   I recently read of the slight yet real possibility that the earth might be struck by a meteor.  While it is true that these fears may not keep us up at night (unless maybe you make a habit of watching the National Geographic channel), for many of us they are concerns.  Yet, our more immediate concerns are probably those that involve us and our families, particularly if we have experienced tragedy or have received some worrisome news. 

I'd like to ask you to do something.  Think about the things that concern you the most.  Take a moment and write them down.  From now until Christmas make those things a matter of prayer.  But, also listen carefully from Sunday to Sunday to what God is saying to you in the scriptures we read and through these messages.  Both my Sunday morning and evening messages will be about women who were ancestors of Jesus.  All were sinners; most suffered; many lacked faith.   Yet, in their sin, suffering, and doubt God's gave his promise and grace to them and used them to be his agent of grace, carrying the seed of his promise. (If are unable to come in the evening and would like a copy of that message I will make it available in print form on our web site.)

The woman I will focus on this morning is Eve.  The promise given to her is found between the lines in verse 16,

To the woman he said,

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

Now, I'm certain that some of my sisters in Christ at this point might think that I've totally flipped.  A promise?  It certainly looks and feels like a curse!  Where does the promise come in?

Granted the promise is tainted by pain and death and sin.  But the promise is there.  It's found in those words "you will give birth to children"

Let's not forget what the curse of sin was.  Genesis 2: 17,

"but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Death: the end of life:  Not only has all of life been tainted by death, but people decay and die.  In the words Psalm 103: 15- 16

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

Yes, death is a reality in our world.  But, by God's grace so is life.  Turn with me to Genesis 5.  Here we have a chapter that probably many of us skip over.  There doesn't seem to be much here except names that might help in Bible Trivia.  That is not so.  These verses contain both a teaching of the reality of death and of God's promise of life.  Let's read some of them.

This is the written account of Adam's line.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man."

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father^„T of Enosh. And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

And this same pattern continues for each succeeding generation. Do you see what is the Lord is telling us here.  Yes, death is a reality. "And then he died."  But so is life.  Before each man dies he has sons and daughters. And the human line continues.  The wise poet Carl Sandburg once wrote, "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." 

Notice too how chapter 5 begins,

This is the written account of Adam's line.  When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them

And now look at verse 3,

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image

Not only does humanity survive, but so does the quality that makes us human.  The "image of God" is passed on from father and mother to their sons and daughters.  We people are still born with the capability of having a special relationship with God, with others, and over the creation of which God had made us caretakers.  Without going into a lot detail, let's just say the fact that we were made God's makes these special relationships possible and by God's grace sin has not completely taken that away.  We have capacity and a need for a relationship with God:  Even today, almost every culture around the world acknowledges that there is a god.  Around 90% of people in our own country do. And throughout history the one true God has indeed had relationships with human beings.  We have a special relationship over creation.  Even after sin we people remained in charge of this planet, caring for it and shaping it to serve our needs and purposes.  We are capable of relationships with others.  Certainly, our relationships with others as well as other relationships were affected by sin.  That's why God says to the woman,

Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.

But, the good news implied in this verse is that close human relationships are possible.  And out of these imperfect relationships between men and women God enables each new generation of his image bearers to be born.

Now this should give us comfort as we consider all of the dangers that our world faces.  Yes, there will be suffering and death.  But, God in his mercy has also purposed that there will be life.  Each new baby is evidence of that purpose.  Even in Genesis 6 when God destroyed all living things with the flood, he preserved Noah and his wife and family along with 2 of every living creature.  It was God's purpose to preserve life.  And what did God say after the flood waters subsided and Noah and his family exited the ark,

"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

People of God, when you hear doomsday forecasts of terrible things happening always remember this verse.  Whether we face super viruses in our bodies or in our computers, whether the earth faces global warming or a new ice age, whether Muslim terrorist blow up parts of the world or we fight a nuclear war, we must remember As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."  Certainly as God's appointed caretakers we have a responsibility for the welfare of our planet.  But, as Sandburg said, "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.  And no one or nothing can thwart our great Creator's purpose.

It is important to note through whom this life comes.  Certainly the husband and father has a role.  But the primary role in bearing and nurturing children has biologically and historically rested on mothers.  How did Adam put it in verse 20?

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

Before I go on I should say this:  Although we have been talking about motherhood and bearing children, we should note that this is not God's purpose for every woman.  It is not God's purpose that every woman get married nor that every married woman give birth.  Clearly that is the case, because not all women can.  But, we shouldn't forget the wonderful role that Christian women without children of their own have played in helping to nurture and tenderly care for children and others in our community.  Mother Theresa was certainly a case in point.

Now as the end of verse 16 points out, even though women share God's image with men, throughout much of human history we men have not always treated women as our equals.  The reason for this is that we men, because we are sinners, have misused our role as heads of our families for our own self-centered purposes.  But, the really good news is that in spite of the way women were treated, God had a special place for them in his plan of salvation.

In Galatians 4: 4,

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

God sent his Son, born of a woman.  The doctrine of the virgin birth should tell that the humanity of Jesus came from a woman.  And not a powerful mighty queen, but a young woman from a little podunk town in Galilee called Nazareth.  "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" 

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

And those whom he chooses, he honors.  Listen again to how Galatians 4:4 ends,

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Concentrate on those words, "that we might receive full rights as sons."   Now, Paul was writing these words to both men and women.  So, why didn't he write "sons and daughters?"   If you understand the culture of that time the reason is clear.  Greek society was very patriarchal.  Daughters could not inherit the property of their fathers; only sons could.  That is not so with God.  He will treat his daughters as that society treated its sons. Believing women will be given full inheritance in heaven along with believing men.  Together we will share in the glory of the first born Son, our Lord Jesus.  Peter points this out clearly when he says

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker [or more vulnerable] partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life

So far we have looked at Eve as a representative of women.  But, it is important to also see who Eve was a person.  Not only was she a sinner who had rebelled against God's command; she was the doorway through which sin came upon all humanity.  She gave Adam to eat and he ate.  As our representatives they brought sin and death on us all.  Eve gave birth to the first sinful babies; her firstborn son was the first murderer.  And yet from this sinner and her polluted line, God in his wisdom and mercy caused his own Son to receive flesh and be born as our Savior.

And as we saw a few weeks ago, this happened according to his promise, another promise wrapped up in a curse, the curse he gave to the serpent,

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

And after years of struggling with Satan, sin, and death, Mary, a daughter of Eve, would bear a Son who would destroy their power over us-one who would crush Satan's head.  And the name that Adam in faith gave his wife came true.  Through Christ Eve, the mother of death truly became the "mother of all living'-indeed the mother of God gift of eternal life for all who believe.

People of God, all of the things that trouble us in this world result from human sin.  Sometime it's easy to see the link with sin: for example, when an individual or group does something cruel, murderous, or destructive.  Sometimes it's not so easy to see that link:  For example floods, earthquakes, fires, and other natural disasters are really not "acts of God" as much as they are results of human rebellion and sin.  No, they are often not the results of individual sins on the part of victims; but, they do result from the death that has come to this planet because of all our sins.

Yet as Paul writes in Romans 5: 17,

For if, by the trespass of the one man [and we might add one woman], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

God's grace is greater than all our sins and all the results of our sins.  Sadly, even Christians who suffer sometime forget this.  

On Bethany Christian Services website, I found a beautiful story by a girl who identified herself simply as Ashley.

I was a young student at a Christian college facing a nightmare -- I was pregnant!  I felt confused, torn in two directions. It was as if the forces of good and evil, right and wrong, were battling to control my mind, my emotions, and my will. Two weeks later, I had an abortion.

My story didn't end there. Two months later, I was pregnant again. I knew in my heart that this was my "replacement baby." I thought that my second pregnancy would help me forget the doubt, guilt, and torment I experienced when I aborted my first child. I called Bethany again, and when they asked me to come into their office, I agreed.

The counselors cared enough to tell me the truth; even if it was something I did not want to hear. They helped me consider my options and offered wise counsel. This time I chose life for my child -- I chose adoption.

I began my second pregnancy by confiding in a woman from my church, a dear, longtime family friend. I asked her to help me do something I had not done during my first pregnancy -- tell my parents. With her help I shared my situation with my parents, and they responded with love and support. Strangely, that left me feeling so confused. Why didn't I tell them the first time I was pregnant? I could have spared myself so much of the shame, grief and regret I was now experiencing.

The unconditional acceptance and love from my parents gave me the strength to admit my mistakes and take responsibility for my actions. During the weeks and months that followed, I found forgiveness and -- for the first time in a long time -- an inner peace that confirmed my choice of adoption.

The path I had chosen would not be easy. I was planning to carry my baby to term, give birth, and then release my baby for adoption. I prayed for the strength and courage to follow through with my plan, knowing that I would experience a sense of loss, even with this life-giving decision. I took great comfort in the ongoing support from my family, friends, and pregnancy counselor.

When I met the couple I had selected to parent my child, I experienced a certainty that is difficult to describe. Despite my pain, I knew that God had a plan for my child, and that this couple was part of His plan.

Despite her pain and sin, Eve also knew that God had a plan and his plans never fail.   Trusting him, Adam named his wife, not mother of death, but mother of all living.  Today, in spite of our sin and fear and doubt, God calls us to faith.  Let us answer his call and know his peace.  AMEN