When you think of the most famous women of all time, who comes to mind?
(show pictures) Maybe Oprah, or Madonna; perhaps the recently deceased Queen of England. Maybe Mother Theresa, Joan of Arc, or Cleopatra.
Perhaps the most famous would be Mary the mother of Jesus (we’ll talk about her later in this sermon series).
However, one of the most famous women of all time has to be Eve, the very first woman.
Today, as we begin a new sermon series called, “The Women of the Bible,” we’re going to start at the beginning by studying Eve.
Now, before the men in the room turn off their hearts and minds because we’re talking about the women of the Bible, let me remind you of two factors: first of all, we’re studying the Word of God; second, we all can learn some stuff from women. God has designed us so that we can all learn from one another and benefit from one another. Every person in this room, man, woman, and child, can learn from the study of women in the Bible.
So, join me now in prayer as we begin this sermon and this sermon series.
(prayer)
Let’s begin at the beginning.
In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we learn that God created the world out of nothing. He created the earth, He created the animals, and He created man.
However, after God created all that, God said this in Genesis 2:18 “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”
So we learn that God created a woman from one of the ribs of the man.
This is how the man responded in Genesis 2:23, “This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken from man.”
So, this is how women came into the world, and thank God that we have women in the world.
We know that there is more to the story, right?
The Bible tells us in
Genesis 3
that the man and the woman would go on to sin, starting with the serpent (the devil) deceiving the woman, and then the man choosing to sin also.
So, sin comes into the world through the man and the woman choosing to reject God’s way and go their own way; they disobeyed God’s plans in favor of their own plans.
After sin came into the world, Adam gave the name “Eve” to the woman.
We see sin take immediate effect on Adam and Eve and their future family. However, we also see redemption in this story.
So, let’s see what we can learn about Eve, the first woman.
First, we learn that . . .
I. Eve was a helper
Of course, the Lord Himself said (as we read earlier) that Adam needed a helper. The animals all had someone corresponding to them, but Adam had no one corresponding to him.
So, God created the woman to be a helper. The Hebrew word used for helper is ezer, which means someone who renders aid.
You know, sometimes people think that because Eve was called a “helper” she is somehow inferior to Adam. That’s not the case at all.
Although God clearly has a design for the relationship between a husband and a wife, the fact that Eve was created to be a helper doesn’t mean that she was somehow weaker or inferior. In fact, helpers are generally there because the other person needs help.
It was not good for Adam to be alone; he needed help! Men need help from their wives!
What’s more, the same word, ezer, is often used to refer to God Himself as the helper for His people. You better believe that God is not weak or inferior. He is the greatest and most powerful helper of all!
Jacki King says in her book, The Calling of Eve, “ . . . women are created for God’s purposes to work with and strengthen those we come alongside as we reflect the image of our Creator.”
So, when Eve was helping Adam, she came alongside Adam to work wi
