GOD DID NOT CURSE EVE

So over the past couple of months we have been talking a lot about the roll of women in the Bible and in ancient mythology. I find myself always going back to Genesis to look at what exactly happened there.  There are still things I am trying to figure out.  I have talked a bit about the fact that God did NOT curse Eve. {He only cursed the devil}I've talked about the Sumerian goddess Inanna and the myth of her garden tree. Now I want to put everything all together. I'm not totally sure on all my thoughts but really just thinking out loud and working some ideas out. As we approach good Friday I think it is important to see what Jesus accomplished and fulfilled on the cross in regards to women. So here are my latest thoughts on the subject.

In my research yesterday I came across a woman named Katharine Bushnell. She was a bible scholar, doctor and missionary in China in the early 1900s. She helped translate the Bible into Chinese{Mandarin or Cantonese; I'm not sure}. She has come across several interesting findings that co-inside with what we have been discussing. I have just begun to uncover her writings. So far I am in agreement with what she has to say about what happened in Eden and especially the mistranslation of Genesis 3:16. Which we will get to in a moment.

First let's recap some of the things that we have discussed in the other posts on Eden. I think that Eve was the one tempted by the Devil because of her dominion and her ability to bring forth life. I also believe that Eve could see in the spirit differently than Adam. This could of been part of how she was to "help" Adam, just as the Spirit a "helper" of God and those that yield to him. It's curious that Adam never mentions the serpent and I think that is because he couldn't see him. Notice it wasn't until after Adam ate the fruit that "both their eyes were opened" maybe Eve's eyes already were.

The Emperor's {and Queen's} New Clothes

Many, many years ago there was a king and queen who were exceedingly rich and wise. They lived in the most beautiful kingdom of Edemshire. They had everything they could ever want and were totally content.

One particular thing the king and queen of Edemshire were known for were their glorious clothes. People from all over the kingdom would come to banquets and parties just to see what the master tailor had created for them. Their style set the stage for the kingdom. Everyone wanted to dress as gloriously as they did.

One day a swindler came to the kingdom posing as a tailor. Upon entering Edemshire he demand that the guard at the gate take him to see the king and queen. He told the guard that his name was Planos. He went on to say that he was a master tailor from a far off kingdom and that he had been summoned by the king and queen. The guard obliged. He thought the new tailor must have been summoned for the upcoming Jubilee.

Planos was taken directly to the king and queen. They were both very excited to meet this new tailor. Planos declared to them that he could make clothes even more magnificent then they had ever seen. Not only would the colors and patterns be splendid, but the clothes would have a special power. Planos the swindler tailor went on to explain that the clothes that he would make would be invisible to anyone that was stupid or unwise. The king and queen had never heard of anything like it. They were sold! Their curiosity got the better of them. So the king and queen gave Planos a large some of gold to get started on the new invisible clothes.

Knowledge Is Not Wisdom {Part One}

I love history! I love to find out how different cultures existed in ancient times. I enjoy reading about past great leaders and how they changed the world. I love biology. I think it is so cool to see how living things work. I have always had a love of human anatomy with all the intricacies and inter workings of the body. I love poetry. I love literature and ancient texts. I think they are a window to that particular time in history. Oh and art...I really love art and photography. Really you could say that I love knowledge! I am an information junkie. The more the merrier. To some that that would sound so un-spiritual even carnal. But the thought that God did not want His created to have knowledge is misguided. He is the one that created our brains with the capacities for such things. We did not gain these things from the devil and his tree of knowledge.

There is no good knowledge that we gained from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The only knowledge that we gained was the knowledge that the devil existed. The tree was simply a publicity stunt of the devil to peddle his falsehoods. The devil made it sound as though we would gain some hidden mystery of the universe or wisdom greater than God. All we gained was lies, disappointment, destruction and death.

How did we ever get the idea that an omniscient God created us in his image but lacking in knowledge. That doesn't make much sense does it. Moreover why would God give dominion over the entire earth to a total idiot? Simple answer. He didn't. He created our intellect. He created it so that we would use it. We were not created as a little pet for the Almighty. We are not suppose to be mice running around a little maze trying to figure out if the red button means food or electrocution. All while God is sitting in heaven having a good belly laugh because we can't figure out it is the green button not the red. God created us with an intricate, intellectual brain capable of making decisions, learning new things and problem solving. He made us in the image of His mind so that we could have a personal relationship with a omniscient God. So that we would live in the fullness of His wisdom and have understanding.

Before we go further I want to give four definitions so we will all be on the same page.

KNOWLEDGE---awareness or information from study or experience.

WISDOM---ability to make sound judgements; insight; extensive or accumulated body of knowledge.

UNDERSTANDING---comprehension, reconciliation of differences; compassionate.

CONFUSION---unable to think with clarity or understanding; disorder, bewilderment, embarrassed.

So let's start at the top. God created us with a wealth of knowledge. He did this in part so that we might take dominion of the earth that He also created. Now right off the bat I think that it is safe to assume that God the Creator knows best about His creation...man and all that is in it. Let's not forget the celestial either. God created all the angels and where they reside. Angels includes the devil and all his helpers. More on that in a bit.

In Genesis chapter 2 it tells of Adam naming all the animals and birds that God had created. It tells of Adam tending and working the garden. So here is Adam already on his path to being a zoologist, botanist, ecologist and environmentalist. When God created Eve he told them to be fruitful and multiply. Sex Education 101. Adam and Eve didn't learn about sex from the devil. God gave this command before the eating of the fruit. How would man have known how to multiply if God hadn't told them so? I believe they engaged in sex long before the fall. Why wouldn't have they?

I have heard people say that Adam and Eve didn't get a fair shake because they never had a childhood. That they didn't get to "experience" things. First of all they got to "experience" the actual presence and fullness of the Creator God and all His wisdom. Second it would not be wise for God to give dominion of the earth to a child. Which further makes the point that we were not created with lack of knowledge. Third there is NOTHING that you can experience outside the fullness of God that is truly fulfilling. The notion that you can is a lie from the devil. A lie that has ruined countless lives or has plunged people into deep deception. Moving on...

After Eve is created Adam says "this is bone of my bone; flesh of my flesh..." Gen. 2:23. Sounds like Adam has some understanding of the body and how it works doesn't it? They had an understanding of relationship with God and each other. They had an understanding of physical beauty all around them. They ate and tasted good food, they smelled sweet fragrances. They saw colors and patterns. They could feel textures of plants and animals. They could hear and distinguish voices and sounds. This was all done with comprehension and understanding; not with instinct like the animals.

So here we have Adam and Eve prior to the fall. For all intents and purposes they had the makings of zoologists, ornithologists, botanists, ecologists, environmentalists, biologists, horticulturalists, and sociologists. They must have had tools for working the garden. They must have had some place to sleep and keep dry. It was your quintessential educational, vegetarian, nudist colony. It was a perfect, intimate and full of life. They had a God given understanding of themselves, creation and how to be good stewards of both. True Bliss. Really we don't know how long this lasted before the devil showed up; the bible doesn't say. Ah yes! We forgot about the devil and how he ruins everything.

The devil and his incurable pride was jealous of man. So he set a trap in the garden to snatch Adam and Eve from their intimacy with God and each other. (More on this here.) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was simply a publicity stunt of the devil to show that he existed. Moreover that he knew better than God and that God was hiding knowledge from them. The father of all lies. There was no good knowledge in this tree. The only reason it was called the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" was so that there would be a comparison for understanding. Think about it. If God had just called it the "tree of the knowledge of evil" Adam and Eve would have had no clue what evil was. At this point there was no evil, destruction or death. But because God does not hide things; He named in a way that man would understand. He had to make a comparison between good and evil even though the tree was only evil.

Matthew 7:18-20 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

So there we have the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil's big, gaudy billboard announcing his "more knowledgeable" existence. A fruit of lies, deception, confusion, pride, unrighteousness, falsehood and death. But what of the other significant tree in the garden? The tree of life. It doesn't say much in Genesis about this tree. Except that after the fall God does not want Adam and Eve to eat of the tree and live forever. Meaning that if they eat of the tree of life in their sinful state that would mean eternal separation from God; just like the devil. So God had to protect the tree of life until after Jesus had paid our debt. Now the tree of life is available to all who believe.(Rev. 22:14) But what else does the bible say of this tree?

Proverbs 3:18 "She [wisdom] is a tree of life to those who embrace her;those who lay hold of her will be blessed."

Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life..."

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Proverbs 15:4 "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."

So there we have two very different trees. While in the garden God only warns not to eat of the devil's tree. But spirit of pride entered the heart of Eve and she believed the devil over God. Adam was only moments behind. They both choose the useless knowledge of the devil over the wisdom of God. Knowledge was never a problem. It was never that God didn't want us to have knowledge. But it is how that knowledge is given and in what spirit. God seeks fulfillment and understanding for us. The devil seeks destruction. We must filter knowledge through a humble God fearing heart. Not through the prideful heart which Satan gives such grand example of. Take a look at this graph. This will be our guide as we move on.

Click here for Part Two.

The Tree of the Knowledge "of the Battle Between" Good & Evil

I happened to be in Borders book store yesterday. I thought I would check to see if they had R. Crumb's new comic style book on Genesis. To read the blog on this book click here. I have been spending a lot of time in the book of Genesis for my studies. I thought it would be interesting to see what translation he used and how he depicted the events in illustration.

Moreover I was curious as to how he had specifically depicted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the event of Eve's temptation. I have recently written a blog in which I suggest that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed in the garden by the devil, not by God. Not that the devil necessarily created the actual tree, but that the devil distorted or manipulated the tree for his own purpose. I base this on the fact that Eve looked on the fruit of the tree in lust. In the NIV the word used is "delight" which is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word "ta'avah" meaning lust or covet. God would have and never does tempt us. (James 1:13-14). Nor would He create something that would cause us to do so. I also believe that a more appropriate name for the tree is "the tree of the knowledge of the battle of good and evil". Click here to read that blog.

To my delight when I read Gen 3:6 in R. Crumb's "Genesis" he uses the correct translation! He writes "And the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and that it was lust to the eyes and lovely to look at." Well I was sold! Not by any means to replace the Word of God but just to have for reference. Upon reading some of Crumb's commentary in the back I found some more interesting facts. One being that upon writing this book he had used the King James version of the bible and "The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary" by Robert Alter for reference. Alter has taken the Torah and translated it into a more Hebraic friendly English and added his own commentary to the tune of 1064 pages! I bought that one too. BTW Alter also uses the word "lust" in Gen. 3:6.

Back to Crumb. In the back of his book he had added a footnote to Gen. 3:6. He made note of an old Sumerian myth about Inanna and the Huluppu tree that is very similar to the Genesis account. I had never heard of it. So when I got home I began to check it out. It is an ancient text that co insides with "The Epic of Gilgamesh". This is part of the text concerning Inanna and the tree. If you wish to read the whole text click here.

"A young woman who walked in fear of no man,
and would not be owned,
Plucked the tree from the river and spoke:
"I shall bring this tree to Uruk.
I shall plant this tree in my holy garden."
Inanna cared for the tree with her hand.
She settled the earth around the tree with her foot.
She wondered:
"How long will it be until I have a shining throne to sit upon?
How long will it be until I have a luscious bed to lie upon?"
The years passed; five years, then ten years.
The tree grew thick,
But its bark did not split.
Then a serpent who could not be charmed
Made its nest in the roots of the Huluppu-tree.
The Anzu-bird set his young in the branches of the tree.
And the dark maid Lillith built her Home in the trunk.
The young woman who loved to laugh wept."

Here is part of a commentary by Diana Wolkstein that I found here...

"The snake, because it sloughs off its own skin, has long been connected with rebirth. Both because of its regenerative aspect and its phallic likeness, the appearance of the snake suggests rebirth and sexuality.
Moreover, the text states that the snake “could not be charmed.” Inanna will not be able to appease, tame, or disregard it. The snake is immune to the laws of the land.
The Anzu-bird was known to the Sumerians from the story “Ninurta-turtle,” in which the Anzu-bird unsuccessfully attempts to steal the Me, the attributes of civilization and knowledge, from Enki, the God Of Wisdom. The mature Anzu-bird, depicted in Sumerian art with the great wings of an eagle and the face of a lion, craves power and knowledge.
Lilth does not appear in any other Sumerian texts. In Zoharic texts, she has dominion over all instinctual, natural beings, over “every living creature that creepeth.” Lilith forms with the Anzu-bird and the snake a triad of sexual, lawless creatures who live outside the bounds of the Sumerian community and seek power only for themselves. These are Inanna's unexpressed fears and desires , which have now been “named.” "

Here is a desripition of Inanna...

"Inanna is the goddess of love and is one of the Sumerian war deities: She stirs confusion and chaos against those who are disobedient to her, speeding carnage and inciting the devastating flood, clothed in terrifying radiance. It is her game to speed conflict and battle, untiring, strapping on her sandals."
Enheduanna pre 2250 BCE "A hymn to Inana" ETCSL translation: t.4.07.3.

And of Lilith...

"Dark is she, but brilliant! Black are her wings, black on black! Her lips are red as rose, kissing all of the Universe! She is Lilith, who leadeth forth the hordes of the Abyss, and leadeth man to liberation! She is the irresistible fulfiller of all lust, seer of desire. First of all women was she - Lilith, not Eve was the first! Her hand brings forth the revolution of the Will and true freedom of the mind!...Look on her in lust and despair!"
—Lilith Ritus, from the German by Joseph Max

Now I am in no means wanting to glorify the devil or any other demon here. But I do believe this information is very interesting concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the bible. Also concerning the spiritual warfare that has been in play since the devil decided to leave the presence of God because of his own lust for dominion. To me it personally confirms my thought that the tree was not placed there by God. There is no where in the bible that I know of that says God put that tree there and I don't think He did.

I think the tree was placed there by the devil as an act of warfare against God for our dominion. I am beginning to entertain the thought that part of the reason that we were created by God was to defeat the devil. See the devil was created with free will just like us. God has the power to destroy the devil. But he won't cross the lines of freewill. So God needed to created another being(mankind) with freewill to destroy the devil. A fair fight shall we say. I think the devil knew this and that was why he tempted us. If he could get us to follow him then we wouldn't destroy him. I think this is why God is so frustrated with us in the garden. If we as humankind would have stayed in the will of God in the garden I think the fight would have been quick and to the point. But we fell for the trick of the devil and gave him some of our dominion.

Now even today the battle rages on. Think of all the suffering, war, disease and death that this creation and humanity has been exposed to over the last few milinia. Both in the spiritual and the physical. Now we know for sure that in the end God has the victory. But the question is How do we live in victory while we wait for the end? How do we bring victory to others? This battle isn't only for those who believe it. We ALL are effected by it whether we like it or not.

One simple thing that we can do is make choices rooted in the principles and truth of God. One of the greatest acts of warfare against the devil is worship. Now I am not just talking about singing. I am talking about doing things in our everyday lives that are edifying to the Lord. Choosing NOT to to things that edify and really in turn worship the devil. All sin is is edification of the devil. We don't want to do that! We must seriously think of our choices as battles in the spirit. You have the choice to give allegiance to God or the devil in all that you do. And it really does make a difference. Remember YOU have dominion over creation, humanity, the devil and yourself. (Ps 6:6-8) Every choice you make effects those things.

The next few blogs I am going to be discussing the concept of sin and punishment in the old testament. Why sacrifice was needed. Why God insisted on a tabernacle. And how all of this is related to the battle we still fight today. Don't be a victim, rise up and fight!