READ: GENESIS 2:18-25 TEXT: v21-23 EVE OUT OF ADAM'S RIB
And
the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he 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. 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.
There is no debate in our minds:
whether these chapters/general and this text/particular can be taken
literally. They not only can…but they must. There was a literal
first man/first woman called Adam/Eve who lived together: literal
Garden called Eden.
If Adam/Eve is but a figurative teaching device, invented to
weave a story around some moral or other, then our only Saviour from
the whole calamity/sin is also a mythical creation because (Luke 3:38)
Jesus Christ's genealogy is traced back to the said Adam. Furthermore,
if Adam is a myth, then sin is also a myth because it was through Adam
that sin entered into the world (Romans 5:12) and while men cannot
dispute with the reality of death, such low views/Genesis allows them
to introduce another reason for its cause. Anything to allow them to
sin freely without worrying about a Creator God whom they are bound to
obey and to whom one day they will yet give an account. The perceived
problem with the Garden/Eden scenario is not scientific or
intellectual…it is moral: Man tries to deny his appointment with
a Sovereign God and the eternal realities/his sin and impenitence.
So we view these early chapters/Genesis are literal facts. Adam really
was made of the dust/ground (v7) He really did name the animals who
likewise were made of the ground (v19-20) and when it came to supplying
him with a wife for company, God really did cause a deep sleep to fall
upon Adam and He really did take a rib from his side and made Eve from
that rib. It is amazing how people marvel at the great progress of
modern medical science, but won't allow that God/Heaven can match it or
even surpass it.
Having clearly stated my literal belief/historical aspect of this
incident, I am also at liberty to draw spiritual teachings from it.
The OT: full of types/shadows and (having established the literal
truth) we may look for these also, reining in our imaginations and
propounding only what is clearly viable. We can do so here and draw a
gospel parallel: 3 main thoughts:
1) ADAM HIMSELF HAS CERTAIN PARALLELS WITH CHRIST:
A/ I accept: Usual for Christ and Adam to be contrasted rather than compared: 1 Corinthians 15/Romans 5
But they do have some similarities:
B/ Both the Federal Head of their people
They represented their people and their actions impacted them
Words/deeds of one having a direct influence upon the destiny of all whom they represent
[i] ADAM: Whole human race
We are all physically descended from Adam
We are all spiritually fallen in Adam (Psalm 51:5/Romans 5)
bearing his guilt, made in his image and ultimately dying a physical death because of his/our own sin
[ii] CHRIST: His Elect i.e. the Blood bought people/God
Failure to see this distinction leads to all kinds of doctrinal problems in Romans 5 and elsewhere
Romans 5 with its positive language gets reduced to being potential
rather than actual and is totally dependent upon the response of the
wicked sinner for effectiveness
True: Christ has accomplished certain benefits for the non elect but these fall short of securing for them eternal salvation
He did not atone for the sins of the non elect
He did not purchase saving faith/repentance for them
He did not purchase any of the spiritual benefits of salvation for them e.g. pardon/justification/holiness/glory etc.,
But He did do all these things for His own elect people and He will
eventually/infallibly accomplish all He intended to do i.e. redeem His
own people unto Himself
C/ Another parallel between Adam/Christ: Were both husbands
[i] ADAM: Literal sense (v24-25) Soon fruit/marriage: 3:16/4:1
[ii] CHRIST: Not physical (unmarried) but mystical and spiritual:
Ephesians 5:25/Revelation 19:9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:9)
The parallel holds true on two fronts, even though we tend to think more of the contrasts
2) ADAM'S GREAT SLEEP REMINDS US OF CHRIST'S DEATH:
A/ Sleep: Not necessary to prevent fear or pain: As yet unknown
B/ It was to provide an OT picture of Christ's death
Death is often likened to sleep/Bible:
John 11:11-13/1 Corinthians 15:51/1 Thessalonians 4:13 etc.,
C/ If we keep this established link between sleep/death in mind, then there are several parallels between this incident/Calvary:
[i] No ordinary sleep. Deep sleep. Oft used phrase in the Bible
denoting a few things from divine intervention to judgement etc.,
However, it does denote something out of the ordinary.
Christ's death was no ordinary death
The bare details of "How" and "When" are dramatic
The "Who" and "Why" are beyond any compare
On His death hinged the whole redemption package of His elect
[ii] It was a God induced sleep: God caused etc.,
At Calvary, Christ voluntarily went as God wrote of Him
At Calvary, God laid on Christ the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6)
At Calvary, Christ offered Himself without spot to God through the Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14)
Yes, men played their part: Let these sayings sink down into your ears:
for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. (Luke
9:44) But who delivered Him?
[i] Secondary Cause was the traitor Judas (Matthew 26:15)
[ii] First great Cause: God Himself (Romans 8:32)
[iii] It involved the giving up of something:
For ADAM: It was his rib
For CHRIST: His life's blood - His soul was made a ransom/sin
For ADAM: It was painless and entirely private
For CHRIST: It was painful and entirely public
For ADAM: It was totally involuntary
For Christ: It was totally voluntary and void of any ignorance:
John 10:18/Matthew 20:28
This is why we preach so much about the Cross. Central to everything we have in spiritual matters: Galatians 6:14
The opening/Adam's side etc., involved the shedding/blood
3) EVE PICTURES CHRIST'S BLOOD WASHED CHURCH
A/ Eve's very name means: Mother of all living (3:20)
In Literal Eve's case: Mother of the whole human race
In Figurative/Spiritual Eve's case: The elect/God.
Jerusalem which is above is the Mother of us all (Galatians 4:26)
We were dead: trespasses/sins…now we are made alive (Eph 2:1)
B/ Church came into being through Christ's death (great sleep)
This goes for the OT church (Acts 7:38) as well as the NT
OT saints were saved on credit (HA Ironside)
C/ When Eve was formed, she was brought to Adam by God:
Picture of irresistible grace: John 6:44/65 (Not irresistible violence but irresistible grace - she came willingly)
D/ Adam felt himself to be in union with his wife (v23)
This is the meaning of the phrase: "in Christ" i.e. in union with
When Adam/Eve's marriage was consummated: became one flesh
The Christian is in spiritual union with Jesus Christ (John 17:23)
E/ This very incident is referred to in this relation in the NT:
Ephesians 5:30-32
F/ Begs/question: Are you saved? Appeal.