How’d she get here?
(First Lady of earth)
Origins, originals and how they have developed throughout history helps our understanding of the things, the circumstances, the effects of the circumstances we live with. The origin of words helps our understanding of literature, legal documents, even the nuance of modern slang as used by the young around us. Knowing how things began helps in ‘decoding’ what people are saying around us. I recall making a sales call with my employer, Eddie Lofton, on a jewelry store owner. We were selling his line of jewelry repair and maintenance items as well as buying their scrap gold, silver and platinum. We were in a store in Chicago owned by a Hispanic family. Their daughter was working in the store during her spring break from college. She wished to speak to her mother, in Spanish, about negotiating with us. During their conversation her mother broke in, chuckling tell her daughter that ‘the man understands Spanish’. While laughable, Eddie’s ability to ‘decode’ her conversation could have been quite helpful in negotiating their business.
Currently we are being bombarded with nonsensical theories of science concluding an existence of multiple – even dozens – of genders. Here we grew up limited to responding, corresponding and relating only to male and female genders. Whatever else might materialize, i.e., a baby born with both male and female genitalia, was considered abnormal and requiring specialized recognition and relatability. Now I’m about to pull ‘scripture’ on you and if you have limited respect for biblical knowledge and less trust in God and what I purport to be His Word, then you are on notice what follows is not ‘your cup of tea’. Should you want to read on to extend your personal critique then you are welcome to continue and you are welcome to your opinion. I will not, however, debate these issues with you or anyone. My script is declarative only. There are any number of apologists taking up the mantle of research necessary to uncover evidentiary proofs of Biblical writ – claims – declarations.
Biblically it is declared that God created man – male and female created He them. This man God created FIRST He called Adam. Adam was created physically mature. He, Adam, was created with the genitalia and capability of procreating – but with one glaring omission discovered by Adam ‘at work’. Adam’s initial assignment was to catalogue and categorize (meaning it was up to Adam to NAME) the animals God had created). That would include anything living, developing and growing on the earth and was, to some extent, ambulatory. This ‘chore’ underscored to Adam what was missing. Apparently, God created his animal kingdom in pairs. The buck deer had a doe. The canine had a bitch. The stallion horse had a mare horse. The bull was companioned with a cow. Are we getting the Biblical picture here? So Adam must have had a sense of relief – as well as understanding – when God made the declaration that ‘It is not good that man be alone.’
What happened next is the account of God’s creation of ‘woman’. It could easily have been the answer by Ketanji Brown Jackson when asked to ‘define’ a woman in her confirmation hearings for the supreme court to simply refer to God’s declaration that He created man, male and female created He them. To cite that reference would have drawn such vitriol from ‘the left’ that it would pale in comparison to the mockery over a Supreme Court nominee who doesn’t know what a woman is. Her answer, shocking to many, was that she could not and declared she did not carry the credentials of a ‘biologist’. In many ways I defend her answer and mock her critics. When a question is posed to a nominee for appointment as a justice on the Supreme Court of the USA it is generally asking for a legal opinion – or, in this case, a legal definition. The reason I defend her response is the Senator asking that question could not – in all probability – present a satisfactory ‘definition’ either. But we all know man is divided by gender as male or female. Plumbing divides its’ fittings into male and female fittings. Hopefully you see the significance of the plumbing terms. In plumbing fittings have to come in one or the other ‘gender’ (category).
One thing we need to know about ‘gender’ is it is specifically related to procreation – actual or potential. What biology teaches us is the male of any species produces the seed (sperm) and the female of any species develops an infertile egg. Procreation is triggered when a male sperm penetrates and fertilizes the female egg. Now, enough biology. We’re talking about Adam and earth’s first lady (woman), Eve.
The term ‘human’ combines the term ‘humus’ (not hummus) and man. The visual is we originated as man made from dirt – earth – soil. We are on solid ground here (okay, pun intended) both Biblically and scientifically. Eve is the female of the human species, yet Eve was NOT extracted or formed in soil. Eve was extracted from ‘soil man’, Adam. One might say Eve was the first person ‘born’ by Cesarean Section. The only details we have of the account of Eve’s creation is God ‘took’ a rib from Adam and formed/fashioned this woman Adam named ‘Eve’. We’re told this was accomplished while Adam was asleep and, at first glance, appeared to be earth’s first surgical procedure done under anesthetic. Now, let’s walk through some things here and see if we might have alternate or accompanying conclusions:
1) All creation came to be by God speaking a declarative manifestation of what was contained within Him – including Adam and Eve.
2) With respect to Adam there was a process God took in his (Adam’s) creation He deemed it necessary to reveal to Moses so Moses could include it in the Genesis account of creation(s).
3) Fast forward to the virgin birth of Jesus, the Word (from the beginning) made flesh and living among us – His (God the Father’s) ONLY begotten son – born of a ‘virgin’. Don’t make me explain ‘virgin’ to you.
4) Concluding from all the above I believe it safe to say God’s removal of Adam’s rib to create Eve was not a surgical procedure at all but another miraculous WORD from Him that removed something close to the heart of Adam to create his forever ‘mate’ in order for ‘man’ to be complete.
(We’re not through ‘concluding’):
5) Adam, Eve and Jesus are the only humans recorded on the earth whose beginning was in complete, total and unmistakable ‘innocence’.
6) Eve and Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil WITHOUT REGARD for the WORD from God about the fatal consequences of doing so.
Let’s see something basic, fundamental, true and absolutely essential from all these facts: ALL of humanity, from Adam to this day, is the result of the male reproductive organ introducing male sperm through the female vaginal canal to the ovum to fertilize her egg and approximately 39 weeks of gestation results in the birth of a baby. However else one comes up with a way to alter the sexual experience it will NOT result in the birth of a baby. There is ample precedence in scripture that when this male to female sexual experience occurs that male and that female are intertwined and, thereby, considered mated for life. It is this basic concept from which we derive our concept of marriage.
The virgin Mary is exceptional. When she became impregnated with the ‘seed’ from God it was a supernatural phenomenon brought about by the WORD from God through the angel who appeared before her and was the miraculous work of God, the Holy Spirit. Catholicism correctly describes the incident as ‘immaculate conception’. Here is the eternal truth and the most powerful act of God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son ever declared by God and man. Mary and her firstborn – whose father is God, the Father – presents to all humanity past and present a DO OVER of the failure of Eve and Adam (respectively) in the garden of Eden. What happened there is commonly – and scripturally – referred to as ‘the sin of Adam’ for good reason. Although Eve allowed herself to be deceived, it was given to Adam the responsibility to keep evil out of the garden. Adam was responsible FOR Eve. That entire exchange between his wife, Eve, and that slick-tongued serpent given over to satan was witnessed by Adam. At any time, Adam could have stepped between them and declared their conversation over. He did not do that, and the curse of ‘sin’ has been on man, and all that over which man was given dominion, since that day. This submission of the virgin, Mary, and the birth, the life, the ministry, the crucifixion (death and burial) of Jesus and, subsequently, His resurrection and Ascension nullified Adam’s failure and subsequent curse.
The most important facts of these origins are that Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. Jesus brings an abrupt end to the curses of Adam’s and Eve’s disregard for God’s Word. This truth is expressed in some detail in Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth: I Corinthians 15:42-49 “42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
In this passage God presents Adam place alongside Jesus as FIRST MAN (Adam) and SECOND MAN (Jesus) and as FIRST ADAM and Jesus as LAST ADAM. There were NO men in the sinless and innocent state between Adam before his fall and Jesus at His birth forward. NOT ONE man. Now, this is most powerful. Adam is, physically, the father of all men, living and dead. Jesus, though, is presented to us as THE FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN! This is in complete harmony with what we were shown by John in his gospel account, first chapter, twelfth verse: That AS MANY who received Him (Jesus) TO THEM He, the Father, authorized, energized and through grace enabled them to BECOME the children of God. Adam and Eve are our origins – both of physical life and spiritual death and depravity. Jesus is our EXCLUSIVE origin of restored position as a SON of God the Father. As many would encourage those in proximity to the profound: LET THAT SINK IN!