Old Testament
Eve
mother of earth, wife of Adam
Bible Dictionary - She was the wife of Adam and will share eternal glory with him. Eve's recognition of the necessity of the fall and the joys of redemption is recorded in Moses 5:11. Latter-day revelation confirms the biblical account of Eve and gives us an awareness of her nobility. page 668
While looking on Women in the Scriptures website, I found a great article about the term "help meet." I had always assumed that the word "help meet" just meant Eve was created to help Adam. I love how the article says that Eve wasn't designed to be just like Adam. She was designed to be his mirror opposite, possessing the other half of the qualities, responsibilities, and attributes which he lacked.
click here to read the blog post on women in the scriptures
I love that since the creation man and woman have had separate yet complimentary roles. The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
By understanding Eve role as a "help meet" I better understand my own individual destiny and responsibility as a wife and mother.
* Genesis 2:21-22 - And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, an deep slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Russell M. Nelson said, "From the rib of Adam, Eve was formed. . . .I presume another bone could have been used, but the rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote partnership. The rib signifies neither dominion nor subservience, but a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side."
Again emphasizing that husband and wife are equal and must work together.
* Genesis 3:13 - And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thous hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
The dictionary defines beguile as, "charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way. Satan has a way of making bad things look good and enticing. Satan knows us as individuals. He knows our weaknesses; therefore, knows how to entice us into temptation. Satan mixes truths with lies and makes our us believe what is bad is good. Again, the women in the scriptures have a wonderful article about the world beguile. Click here to read the article
Being more aware of the tools Satan uses to tempt us will help us to avoid temptation. I also learnt from Eve's experiece that the choices we make never effect just us. Eve partaking of the fruit effected Adam as well, and all of us. When we make the choice to be less active, chances are so will our children. On the other hand, if we make the choice to attend church every week, chances are so will our children. Our choices really do effect generations.
* Genesis 3:16 - Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;
That sounds quite intense - multiply thy sorrow - increasing our discomfort and size. 2 Nephi 2:11 talks about opposition in all things emphasizing that we don't know happiness if we don't know sorrow. The opposite of our increased discomfort is the overwhelming joy and love we feel for our newborn baby. I love what Eve says in Moses 5:11 - And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgressions we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. What a beautiful testimony.
* Genesis 3:16 - and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Eve's desire for Adam, I believe, was more than just physical. She would want to be with him, work along side him, and grow spiritually with him. I love hanging out with my husband. No one can make me laugh like he does. I WANT to be around him. Also, if we look at it from a spiritual perspective, we need each other to make eternal life. I also believe the term "rule over thee" would actually mean rule with thee.
* Moses 5: 16 - And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God.
What a wonderful statement to be made about Eve. That she never ceased to call upon the Lord. L. Tom Perry said, “I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come” Calling upon the Lord allows the spirit into our lives. Having the spirit in our lives helps us to avoid temptation and receive relation.
The more I've studied Eve the more I have grown to love her. I know I haven't even begun to scratch the surface on all the lessons she has taught, but I am happy with the progress I have made. Eve had a "perfect" life only to have her whole life change with just one choice. But life goes on and joy and happiness was a part of her life again as she continually called upon the Lord. Each of us goes through difficult times in our lives; however we can overcome them. We can find genuine joy through following the example of our saviour, Jesus Christ.
image from lds.org
these are my thoughts and opinion on Eve
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