Eve is given to Adam as his “ezer kenegdo”, or as many translations have it, his “help meet” or “helper.” Doesn’t sound like much, does it? It makes me think of Hamburger Helper. But Robert Alter says this is “a notoriously difficult word to translate.” It means something far more powerful than just “helper”; it means “lifesaver.” The phrase is only used elsewhere of God, when you need him to come through for you desperately. “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you” (Deut. 33:26). Eve is a life giver; she is Adam’s ally. It is to both of them that the charter for adventure is given. It will take both of them to sustain life. And they will both need to fight together.
Eve is deceived . . . and rather easily, as my friend Jan Meyers points out. In The Allure of Hope, Jan says, “Eve was convinced that God was withholding something from her.” Not even the extravagance of Eden could convince her that God’s heart is good. “When Eve was [deceived], the artistry of being a woman took a fateful dive into the barren places of control and loneliness.” Now every daughter of Eve wants to “control her surroundings, her relationships, her God.” No longer is she vulnerable; now she will be grasping. No longer does she want simply to share in the adventure; now she wants to control it. And as for her beauty, she either hides it in fear and anger, or she uses it to secure her place in the world. “In our fear that no one will speak on our behalf or protect us or fight for us, we start to recreate both ourselves and our role in the story. We manipulate our surroundings so we don’t feel so defenseless.” Fallen Eve either becomes rigid or clingy. Put simply, Eve is no longer simply inviting. She is either hiding in busyness or demanding that Adam come through for her; usually, an odd combination of both.
Daughter of Eve… I have good news for you. You have been delivered from this tyrannical spiral of emotional confusion. You have been fully restored through the work of Christ Jesus. You are no longer a Daughter of Eve in her deceived, fallen state. The work of Jesus on that old, rugged cross was not an inferior work… it was complete. It is finished.
You can be a Daughter of Eve fully restored to her original glory! Your life is supposed to be fun, deep, rich and wonderful, Daughter of Eve… and it can be, whenever you’re ready. The work to restore you has been finished for 2,000 years. You just need to realize it, and return again to the fellowship in the Garden with your Maker. He loves you… He misses you… and oh, the wonders He has in store for you!
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” ~ John 10:10
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