Friday 1 November 2013

Genesis, Message 8: The Type of Eve as the Counterpart of Adam


My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 8

The Type of Eve as the Counterpart of Adam

There are four items that appear both in the first 2 chapters (Genesis 1-2) and the last 2 chapters (Revelation 21-22) in the bible: the tree, the river, the precious materials, and the couples. We are going to explore the last item in this message.
It cannot be wrong to say that the bible is all about a love story. Genesis 2:18-25, which perhaps is the first obvious love story in the bible, tells us about the first couple in human history. Adam searched for his counterpart. He tried his best to find one, but none was appropriate for him. Finally, God gave him a perfect counterpart, Eve. His counterpart must be originated from Adam himself.
I'm sure that God did not inspire Moses to record this just for giving us the knowledge of how Eve was created from Adam. This short story comes with many spiritual implications. It gives us a big overview of what the rest of the bible is all about. It is about a Man searching for His counterpart. It is about Christ looking for His counterpart. But none was good enough to be His counterpart. None was compatible with Him, because His counterpart must be originated from Christ Himself. He therefore built His Bride with His own flesh and blood on the cross. He eventually found His perfectly matched counterpart, who was originated from Christ Himself!
Now let us go into more detail about the first couple as the type of Christ and the Church.

1. Eve is a type of the Church

In the New Testament, it is obvious that Adam is a type of Christ.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned ---
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (Romans 5:14 NKJV)
Through Adam, all are doomed to death. Through Christ, all are delivered form the eternal death, and predestined to the eternal life.
Even though Adam and Christ are much different, it is clear that Adam, particularly before the Fall, invariably is a type of Christ.
If Adam represents Christ, Eve therefore represents the Church. The relationship between Adam and Eve was linked to the relationship between Christ and the Church by Paul in the book of Ephesians. He taught about husband and wife with a quote from Genesis 2:24, and said it was a great mystery about Christ and the Church.
31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32 NKJV)
Therefore, in the light of this concept, we can learn some spiritual implications about Christ and the Church from the story of Adam and Eve.

2. Eve is produced during Adam's deep sleep.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. (Genesis 2:21 NKJV)
Genesis 2:21 tells us that to build a wife for Adam, the first thing He has to do is make Adam sleep. Only when Adam slept can God build Eve with his rib. Sleeping was crucial for the building process.
The word "sleep" is frequently used as a euphemism for "death." Jesus told His disciples when Lazarus was dead that "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." (John 11:11 NKJV) Paul also used this word for death when He gave a comforting word to Thessalonians about Christ coming, saying "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NKJV) So could it be that Adam's sleep represents Christ's death?
Yes, in order to build the Church, the death of Christ was necessary. If there is no death, there is no resurrection and no life.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24 NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3 NKJV)
With love, Christ died on the cross for the redemption of our sins. But that was not all. His death also resulted in the other equally-great thing. It resulted in life!
The Gospel is not only about deliverance of sinners from the eternal death, but it is also about the precious promise that everyone who believes into Him has eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV)
And only by having this life can we be His counterpart!

3. Eve is built with Adam's rib

It is also interesting that Eve was built with Adam's rib. Why did God specifically choose this part of the body?
Some have impressively explained that God did not create Eve from skull, because He did not intend a wife to be the head or leader of her husband. And He did not create Eve from a foot bone, because He did not make wife inferior to her husband or under the control of him. Instead, He created Eve from a rib, so that a wife would be the partner of her husband who stays beside him, facing all the situations with him, either good or bad, all her life. I like this way of interpretation. It is so romantic, is it not?
However, there is one big similarity to consider about. God took one of Adam's rib, which is at the side of his body. And Christ was pierced at His side on the cross!
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:34 NKJV)
Could that be just a coincidence? I don't think so.
In order to build Eve, Adam's side had to be opened. In order to build the Church, Christ's side had to be pierced, flowing out blood and water. The blood represents redemption, and the water represent regeneration. We need both in order to have life. We need both to be united to Him. We need both to become His perfect counterpart!

4. Eve is Adam's bone of bones and flesh of fleshes

23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24 NKJV)
When Adam saw Eve, he gave a great speech that she was the bone of his bones and the flesh of his flesh. Eve was not created out of nothing. She was built with Adam's bone and flesh. Eve came out from Adam, and she ultimately would join to Adam again. Even though they were 2 persons, they should not be two. The should become one flesh.
In parallel, the Church is not created from nothing, but built with Christ. We are the bone of His bones, and the flesh of His flesh. We are taken out of Him. And we are joining to Him again. Christ and the Church shall become one!
In Revelation, we our destiny is revealed. Like how most, if not all, fairly tales end, the bible as a love story has an extremely happy ending. Christ and us, the Church, will be together, living happily ever after in the New Jerusalem. What an amazing promise it is!

Further reading


Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)
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