Beyond the Ballot: Eve, the Mother of All Living

For the next ten weeks, I am participating in an online book study of Beyond the Ballot:  A Call to Pray for Your Nation written by my colleague, Pam Russell.  As I work through this study, I thought I would put here what I write and post on the Facebook study group.  So here is what I learned from chapter 1:

Eve:  The Mother of All Living

Given that sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, one might think that the meaning of Eve’s name is contrary to her life example.  But in actuality, what transpired in the Garden at the moment of the temptation ushered in God’s plan for redemption and ultimately salvation for the human race. 

After God confronted Adam and Eve for their eating the forbidden fruit, he first addressed the serpent with prophetic words of judgment:  “I will put enmity between you and woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”  (Gen 3:15-16).

We all know that these words refer to the Promised One  - the Messiah, Jesus Christ – who would victoriously conquer sin and annul the curse brought upon mankind.

So even in words of judgment, there were interwoven promises of hope and  eternal life.

God then addressed Eve, and as this chapter highlights, she was told of pain in childbirth.  Bringing forth another life would require great suffering and sacrifice.

We know, however, that Eve also heard the words of God spoken to the serpent.   In Genesis 4:1, Eve gives birth to Cain and makes this statement, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”  If one goes back to the original Hebrew, this phrase is literally translated,  “I have gotten a man, the Lord.”  

Though we all know that Cain was not the Promised One referred to in Genesis 3:15-16, Eve’s statement reveals that she not only heard but also believed the promise spoken by God, that he would send One to crush the serpent. 

So in essence, even as Eve experienced great pain in bringing life into the world, she found great hope in the promise of God to reverse the curse of sin.

Eve, as the Mother of  All Living, represents not only physical life but also points to spiritual life as promised in the Person of Jesus Christ.

As I ponder these things in relation to praying for my elected leaders, I am reminded of the importance of praying for their protection from the Evil One, who is alive and aggressively seeking to bring destruction and death.  I am also exhorted to pray that our leaders come to a knowledge of the truth, that they will acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior and experience the everlasting life promised to those who place their trust in him.