The Eve Bible story in Genesis 3:1-13 is a great warning about how not to respond to eating temptations.
Since having a strong appetite for food is my natural tendency, I’ve discovered that I need supernatural help for self-control.
Before, I tried to control myself through my natural willpower. But there was only one problem:
My natural self did not want to do the right thing!
As soon as I saw a food I desired, resistance was futile.
I ate it.
The desire to eat the wrong thing was birthed in Eve, the first woman ever created.
In spite of God’s direction to Adam not to eat of a single tree, she tempted him to disobey God’s instruction:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:1-6).”
Let’s examine Eve’s descent so we can learn from what happened to her.
1. Consider Carefully
In Proverbs 23:1-3, the scripture tells you that it is wise to ‘Consider carefully what is before you’ when it comes to food.
Even though Eve considered carefully, she did not need to consider that particular tree for food at all!
God has already told Adam not to eat from it. Why did Eve even consider it?
To do so would cause her to be a stumbling block to Adam – the very one God created her to help.
With a clear focus on helping her husband, she should have just focused on the other trees they could eat from freely.
In our case, we are advised:
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (1 Corinthians 6:12).”
So it is clear that while we can eat anything, we shouldn’t eat everything.
These scriptures tell me that in my careful consideration of food, I should consider whether the food I intend to eat is:
- Helpful to me
- Would not hurt me nor hijack my brain
- Whether that food would improve my body or health in some way
We human beings tend to take the path of least resistance (do what is easiest and convenient).
With this truth in mind, it is wise to keep the foods that are helpful to us, close to us.
In that way, we make it easy and convenient for us to do the right thing.
On the flip side, it is wise to keep the foods that are harmful to us, far away from us!
In that way, we structure our environment to support us, rather than hinder us.
2. Beware of Lies
Eve concluded that the tree was good for food, even though God said that it was not.
That shows she did not believe God. Adam must have told her God said that they would die if they ate from it.
Imagine that! Eve was willing to risk death to eat from that tree.
Eve clearly had a strong appetite if food could tempt her in that way.
And it wasn’t just mere hunger either.
Eve had many trees she could eat from at any time to satisfy her hunger.
Instead, Eve had a fatal attraction; she fixated on the one tree God kept from her – all because He did not want her to die.
God knew that disobedience would usher sin into the world. The wages of sin is death.
God wanted to do Eve and Adam good and keep them safe from harm.
Unfortunately, Eve chose the path of disobedience.
Since she couldn’t remove the tree, then she should have removed herself!
But Eve decided that the tree could give her what she wanted, which was wisdom.
What has always puzzled me is this: If Eve wanted wisdom, why didn’t she just ask God for it?
God is the Source of all wisdom. She had free access to Him.
James 1:5 says,
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
I am confident that if Eve had gone to God to ask Him for wisdom, He would have given it to her freely.
I am also sure that He would have answered if she had asked Him: “What is evil?” Because up until that point, Eve had only known good.
But instead Eve “leaned on her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).”
Her actions showed that she did not trust the Lord. You may wonder why.
I am thinking it is because she did not know Him. She was in His presence, yes, but she couldn’t have known His character nor His ways.
3. Heed the Right Voice
Why would Eve obey a stranger’s voice (the serpent) above a loving, all-wise God?
Let’s say my husband had asked me to do something, but a stranger came along and told me that my husband lied to me.
Instead, according to the stranger, I should do the exact opposite.
Would I do what that stranger said?
No!
I would not do that because I love my husband. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loves me.
I trust my husband and believe that he has my best interest at heart.
Even if the thing my husband asked me to do was difficult, I would still do it because I love and trust Him.
Plus, I know my husband’s character as a Godly man. My husband would not ask me to disobey God’s word.
I think Eve’s Bible story highlights the importance for us to know God. We need to know His character and His ways so that we can better recognize His voice.
In the Bible, Jesus compares us to sheep:
“And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers
– John 10:4-5
Jesus also said later:
“But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
– John 10:26-27
I LOVE this video on YouTube that illustrates this point vividly.
In summary, what Eve believed is a great warning for us. We need to be sure that we are listening to and following the right voice!
We can only know the truth through studying God’s word.
Then once we hear God’s voice, we must be diligent to obey it and no longer follow a stranger’s voice – especially when that stranger is our enemy who lies and seeks to steal, kill and destroy!
But Jesus died so that we might have abundant life. We must learn to treasure the words of God’s mouth that bring life above our necessary food.
Want to learn more about avoiding making wrong decisions about food?
Then check out my followup article: What Esau Believed.
Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Weight Loss Community
P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!
Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.
In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple Community), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple Christian Weight Loss Community.
Thank you for your inspiring story!
You are welcome, Gail – God’s grace is truly amazing!
Powerful…thank you, Kim! I have learned a LOT from this post.
I never considered Eve’s thoughts/actions in this way and how they apply to my thoughts/actions.
The better I know Him, the more I can trust and lean on Him for wisdom and direction.
If I know and trust Him, I will want to obey His commands because I know He loves me and wants the best for me. Thanks again!
Terrific Rick! How people responded to situations in the Bible can teach us so much, which is why God’s word is a treasure to help us make choices that glorify Him each day!
Thank you Kimberly. Great way to learn to TR U S T F A T H E R G O D, and truly get to know how much He loves us! !
Kimberly, Thank you for sharing your great wisdom. It has made me want to get to know even more the character of God. He wants us aware so we can draw on His ways.
The devil would love for us to think we’re in the effort alone. God has put Himself out there for us. And ladies, at the age of almost 75, don’t overlook His willingness to walk alongside and be the best friend you’ll ever have. Now may everyone have a beautiful fall season.
I appreciate your feedback, Rita – God’s wisdom is available to all of us, just for the asking! Like you said, He is willing to walk with us through every trial. What higher blessing do we have than that? May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in all your ways!
This is a wonderful way to interpret this story and gain a valuable lesson from it and insight. How often do we eat when we are not hungry, but from stress, boredom, because it looks and smells good? Eve did know, from Adam that the tree was not to be used as food, not to touch it. We are told by those people in our world that potato chips are not healthy or cakes and cookies. So, yes, she knew it was wrong, just like we do when we are eating something not in our est interest. Or just too much of something.
God does promise in His word that with every temptation, that He provides a way of escape. We need to turn to Him when we are tempted to eat too many cookies. Or second or third helpings of anything.
And yes, the stories of the mistakes that our ancestors made in the Bible made are there so we can learn from them and not make the same mistakes.
Thank you so much, my sister in Christ, for sharing an amazing and refreshing lesson from the Bible. So perfect for me. A wonderful reminder to run to God when tempted, not after when feeling miserable for giving in. I can avoid the feeling miserable bit that way. Thanks!
You are welcome, Susan! I am grateful for the lessons of the Bible because it is relevant to what we go through today – and God in His great grace gave it to us for our learning and benefit. God is patient with us as we are learning a new way to respond to temptations. Best of all, He gets the glory when we overcome – no us! Stay blessed, Sister 🙂
I love to read your emails. Your Godly wisdom is priceless! I am still struggling and really just need to surrender my food addiction to God for deliverence. Please pray for me.
Hi Janet – the Lord will honor your decision. Ask Him in prayer – “What is 1 small step I can take right now to support my decision?” Whatever He tells you to do, do that 🙂
Thanks so much for this! Kimberly, I am so grateful for you and that you are so willing to share your journey and wisdom with everyone. God bless.
I meant to say that “he did eat” and not “she did eat” the second time. Sorry.
What I don’t get is that I have always been told that Eve had wandered off from Adam and wasn’t suppposed to. Then after she did eat she went to her husband and he did eat cause he didn’t want to live without her. The scripture only says she had the conversation with the serpent and did eat and then gave it to her husband wither and she did eat. Why, if Adam was with her, didn’t he speak up as the spiritual head of the household? If he was there he was silent and did not speak up against what the serpent was saying. Seems odd somehow.
I’ve always wondered why Adam didn’t stop her myself since he received the word directly from the Lord mysel. But in the end, we are each responsible for our own actions and truly I am sure the regret, not to mention the punishment both received for their disobedience, weighed heavily upon them.
Hi Kimberly,
What a wonderful insight! Thank you for being faithful to The Lord. Your obedience is helping me greatly.
Just a note about Eve. God did not directly tell her but she knew because when the serpent asked her about it she replied. Verse 2 “The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle if the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” I have always found it interesting that Eve had added to what God had told them. She added the idea that they were not allowed to touch it. I am now considering the idea that when we tell ourselves we can “never” have a particular food we may also be sinning in the same way Eve did. You rightly quoted the scripture that says, “everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. ” When we tell ourselves we can never eat something again we are adding to what God has said which can reinforce a negative view of God’s word. We “can” have anything we want. I have to learn to want what God wants for me.
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for your uplifting and encouraging messages. I look forward to your emails.
I wonder if you would allow me to suggest an alternative reason for Eve giving in to temptation? Adam was the first human being (a soul – a spirit and body together) and he was placed in the specially prepared Garden of Eden – A place like heaven on this earth where God could visit with him. Then, according to God’s plan, Eve was created and she and Adam were given to each other. They were innocent in that they had no recollection of their pre-earth time in heaven, they knew nothing about sin or the devil. God showed Himself to them and taught them about the Garden. They trusted Him because they felt His love for them and His council was sound. Yes, He said that to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would bring death. And being Omnipotent He knew that Eve would choose to disobey His command. God’s plan is for all of His spirit children to come to earth, to receive a mortal body, to prove ourselves capable of choosing the right despite temptation and to return to live with Him in heavenly glory. However, God knew that His children would make mistakes and sin. And so He provided a Saviour, Jesus Christ. This was all planned in Heaven before Adam and Eve came to earth. When Satan tempted Eve with what the fruit represented, i.e. knowledge and to become like God, he thought he would be destroying God’s plan for His children. Eve made a considered choice. I am sure she spent much time thinking it over. To abstain from the fruit and continue to live in the Garden. Or to eat of the fruit in order to progress – to have knowledge, to have children, to prove herself. I humbly ask you to consider that the Garden was full of fruits that Adam and Eve were able to eat. They weren’t hungry. However, this particular fruit represented something great, terrible and wonderful! And so she ate of the fruit. As we know she then went to Adam and asked him to partake. I am sure that Adam was upset at her disobedience to God. But I believe that he understood and comprehended her reasons and saw it was right. And so he partook also. Adam and Eve were sent from God’s presence, from the Garden of Eden, into the world to live by faith, repentance and belief in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer who would come. I am a Christian. In my church we recognize that Eve was tempted and she was disobedient. However, her choice was in accordance with God’s plan – so that all His spirit children could come to earth and receive physical bodies and walk by faith. In my mind Eve was given the task of making a huge decision, that would impact on all of eternity. She is the “Mother of all Living”. I thank her for her courage in making such a difficult choice. She chose exile from God – for us!
I agree with you that we must carefully consider what we eat and why. So often we give in to food temptations without thought of the consequences. Please know that I humbly submit my belief with regard to Eve to you. Eve is God’s wonderful, first daughter on earth. I have a testimony, a witness from the Spirit, that it is the truth.
With kind regards,
Paula
Hi Paula, I respect your thoughts. However, I disagree and here is why: I don’t see disobedience to God’s word as ever the good and right thing to do, even if the person thinks that what they are doing is right in their own eyes. Consider all the death, disease, and destruction that sin has brought to mankind. I do not believe God ever wanted mankind to experience that pain. So I can’t believe Eve did the right thing by introducing sin into the world.
In addition the scripture says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death (James 1:13-15).” So I believe Eve was drawn away by her own desire and so brought all of the terrible things we experience in this world because of sin.
Paula, I don’t have all of the answers and don’t pretend to. But I do receive your comments as a fellow sister in Christ, in love: “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known (1 Corinthians 13:8-12).”
Thank you, Mrs. Kimberly for that message. I feel like that message was for me. I needed to read that. I believe that’s my trouble. I have trouble listening to the right voice. I have to ask God for wisdom, to help me with this sickness I have.
How often we see people who are drawn to foods that destroy their health and body and they are Aware of this fact but deliberately continue to choose death rather than life in their food choices. I never want to follow that path again, making those bad food choices. I want to be teachable and obedient and live a long healthy life. I believe that I am now doing so. I believe I have been healed both spiritually and physically thank to Gods Word. I have struggled for years over this but now I am delivered and Free through the power of Gods word. Things are so much easier these days. He tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light! ( that’s because it is custom made just for us individually)
HI. Thank you for this wonderful article. God did not tell Eve not to eat of the tree. He actually told only Adam. Which is why God called out to him Genesis Ch 2 V.9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, “Where art thou”?
Genesis Ch. 2 v. 15-17
15Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
God bless you!
Michelle
Thanks Michelle – you are right. He did not tell Eve directly. I will correct the article. Appreciate the correction 🙂
I have been truly blessed by your knowledge and wisdom of Gods word and experienced in weight loss. You are my hero and I am thankful to have you to encourge me on my journey to a healthy lifestyle. I woud love to meet you some day and just talk and hug your neck! Ive let all my friends and family know where I get my strength.
My husand enjoys you too!
May God bless your sweet soul! And I just want to say..I love you!