By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
When a colleague asked me to be part of a devotional series focused on women in the Bible and the lessons we can learn through their example, I immediately sensed that God wanted me to focus on Eve.
While preparing what to share, God reminded me that Eve was the first woman (lady) to ever walk this earth. And as the first woman, everything Eve did was the first time it had been done. Eve was the first wife, mom, homemaker, and helpmate.
We’ve all have first-time life experiences: First steps… First day of school… First time to drive a car… First love…. First heartbreak… Life has much to teach us through experience.
And like Eve, the choices we make can impact generations to come.
God offers wise counsel to help us navigate life. He says, “I have set before you: life and death, blessings and curses, now choose life so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Although Adam is often blamed for the first sin, it was Eve who sinned first, before her male counterpart. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6).
Can you imagine being most remembered for your sin?
As I studied the life of Eve and the many lessons we can glean through her example, I began to see her in a different light. She became less Bible-character and more real-person, someone with whom I could relate and identify. How many times have I been duped by the enemy? How many times have I been in the wrong place at the wrong time? How many times have I wished that I could go back and undo my actions? I bet you can think of a few temptation experiences of your own.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but on this side of the cross, those who have put faith in Jesus, have been set free from sin, forgiven, and given a clean slate (1 John 2:12). Our sins are remembered no more; they are as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
As I thought about the story of Eve and how the book of Genesis is just the beginning of God’s story with His people, I thought about another “first lady” and how God brought His redemption story full-circle.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance… Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her” (John 20:1, 11-18).
Do you see the significance of this passage?
While Eve (a woman) was the first to sin, Mary Magdalene (another woman) was the first to see our resurrected LORD who paid the price for sin. And not just Eve’s sin or Mary Magdalene’s sin. Jesus paid the price for your sin, my sin, and the sins of all who put their faith in Him.
Was it just a coincidence that God allowed Mary, a woman, to be the first to see Jesus? I think not. This was an intentional, spectacular, and loving move by our LORD and Savior. Absolutely amazing!!
The lives of Eve and Mary are like bookends in God’s redemption story. I am blown away at how the LORD brings these two women and their individual stories full-circle in such a beautiful way. God’s Word is so deep and so incredibly beautiful. We will never get to the bottom of it, but I sure do enjoy trying. Discovering truths and treasures such as these never gets old.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for making a way for us by saving us from our sins, and thank you for wonderful treasures hidden away in your Word, just waiting for us to find. Amen.
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