"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:15-18
I noticed something today in the story I have read hundreds of times. Maybe you have noticed it before but I hadn't.
God gave Adam the command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before He created Eve. So obviously it was Adam's responsibility to share that important prohibition with his new helpmate.
Based on her answer to the serpent in 3:2-3 that she had found out about it, so we would assume Adam told her.
Therefore, it begs the question, why didn't Adam jump into the middle of the conversation with the serpent and take the lead? Why didn't he intervene when he saw her beginning to waiver? If it was his responsibility to tell her in the first place would it not have been his responsibility to help her obey God's command? I think so. It tells us in Genesis 3:6 that Adam was with Eve in front of the forbidden tree.
Why were they in front of the prohibited tree? Why did Adam not make sure they stayed away from the tree?
The fact that they were in front of the tree and the fact that Adam stood by silently while Eve was being enticed by the devil, and the fact that he never intervened and allowed her to act upon the temptation shows a major failure of leadership on Adam's part. If Adam had "manned up" in that moment, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Although Adam later blamed Eve for their failure (and indirectly blamed God) it was clearly his responsibility to keep her from being in the wrongs places and to protect her from danger and evil.
Husbands clearly have a role to play in protecting their wives spiritually and provide godly leadership. If Adam had done that how different our world would be today!
Guys, what are you doing to keep your wife safe from the attacks of the enemy? Are you providing good spiritual leadership for your wife? Are you teaching her and praying for her and standing guard over her soul?
I Wish to God Adam would have! What a different world this would be today if Adam had simply provided Eve with the moral and spiritual leadership. God expected it. Eve needed it. Adam didn't give it. That was his first failure that lead to the devasting act of disobedience.
You are responsible for the spiritual climate of your marriage and your family. To fail to do so can have serious ramifications.
Just ask Eve.
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