A Matter of Time

A few years ago I participated in a women’s Bible Study called the People of God. The first week we looked at Eve. I think she has always gotten a really bad rap. I mean, yes, she should have been a little less impetuous and thought through the potential worldwide consequences before lunging for the forbidden fruit at the first sign of temptation. But, honestly where was Adam in this mess? And, it really irks me that as soon as they are confronted by God, the first thing out of his mouth is “That woman you gave me made me do it!” Please — I would have thought Adam would have a little more back bone and own his part in a slightly more manly way. I can almost picture her rolling her eyes — the original “trouble in paradise.” Of course, if they look the way I have always pictured them — which is basically a version of Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins in Blue Lagoon — he probably would have capitulated eventually. All it would have taken was for Brooke/Eve to raise one of those beautifully unplucked eye brows in a suggestive manner and he was done — fruit picked, peeled, diced, and fed to each other before he licked the last drops of juice from her fingers.

But, the question that has dogged me really since I looked at this story with fresh eyes is, how long were Adam and Eve in the garden before they actually ate the forbidden fruit and got permanently kicked out? I have a theory — hence my reason for posing this question to several varying groups of friends and family recently; and I have to admit the responses have been one of the most surprising results. While a few have quickly rattled off definitive answers with theological reasoning, the majority have met this question with a stunned, almost shocked silent stare, sort of quizzically calculating what my motive could be in bringing up such bizarre table conversation. I can only assume that, like me, they were brought up with the admonishment that it is “vulgar to discuss money, politics, or religion at the dinner table.”

But the most unexpected response actually came from one of the spiritual giants in my life. After considering this question for several moments with a slightly odd expression, he looked at me, shook his head and said, “I don’t understand why that matters.” And then turned back to his drink and his dinner. Ha! Case closed — and certainly an honest response. I get it. But — I do think it matters, not from a salvation perspective. It just seems that there are some interesting implications that can be applied to our own journey of faith.

Let’s put aside opposing views on whether the Biblical story of creation is a literal account or an allegory representing the birth of the human species. Let’s assume for the moment that this is a true, literal account; that there was a man that God named Adam and a woman He created from his rib named Eve and they lived at 777 Paradise Lane, and who may or may not have looked a little like the stars of Blue Lagoon, only better — because before the Fall they would be perfect. Imagine Brooke/Eve waking up every day and not worrying if she had a breakout overnight or if her hair was a mess, or if eating too much granola had caused her to get a little thick. She had no need for a run, except for the pure pleasure of exploring her beautiful world.

And what a beautiful world it must have been — floral blooms beyond Djordje Varda’s wildest designs, canopies of lush greenery and water that is crystal clear because no pollution has yet entered the atmosphere. But aside from the physical beauty, a world without sin means that when she woke up there were no lingering bad dreams, no dread about what the day would bring, no fear or anxiety over getting it all done, just the pure unadulterated pleasure of exploring her giant garden estate with the perfect man.

I’ve always wondered if they actually had an actual house, or just slept on the beach, or in a lush meadow under the starry skies. If they had a home, was it similar to every child’s dream tree house in Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson, with a rope for Adam to swing off as he set out to a day of “work” in the garden? And if work wasn’t a curse at that point, then really he was in the truest sense, living the dream, using his super powered brain and God given passion to fulfill his purpose of cataloging the wildlife and cultivating the grand piece of real estate God had created just for them. So is that where he was while Eve was wandering around observing the trees and chatting with crafty serpents?

As I re-read this account, a thought occurred to me that perhaps this wasn’t the first conversation Eve had, had with the serpent/ Satan that most likely looked nothing like a snake at all, but a friendly angel of some sort who was a good listener and seemed like a friend she could trust. Isn’t that the way it starts with all of us when we realize we have taken a wrong turn? Rarely have I looked at disaster in the face and thought, “Hmm, this looks fun, let’s jump on in and see how bad this can get?” Usually, my mistakes start off with what seems like an innocent or benign curiosity, something that seems like a good idea, or at least not harmful. So, I’m just speculating that this wasn’t their first encounter. In fact, I bet he had laid some really good groundwork, pointing out beautiful secret undiscovered points of beauty — areas that weren’t off limits, but possibly hidden gems like a trusty tour guide who knows the area well and can show you the places no tourist gets to see. So, when he starts opining about the tree, maybe she didn’t see the danger coming? After all, he was her friend, her garden mentor, the one who was on her side, making her the better version of herself so she could be the woman who has it all.

And this is where the original question begins. How long before this actually took place? How long does it take when we have everything we’ve ever dreamed of, and more, to glance at the one thing we don’t? Who doesn’t remember begging their parents at some point for a prize toy or pair of jeans, or other item that we “literally couldn’t live without” and promising, “if I get this I will NEVER ask for another thing for the rest of my life!” And then, a week later, the jeans have faded, the toy is boring, the house needs redecorating, there is a cooler, faster, newer car, or a better looking guy/girl, and on and on. So can we really blame Eve for wondering about the only off limit fruit? I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t take me long to wander over to the forbidden tree — reaching out, pulling back, reaching out, walking away — and then climbing the thing, sampling the fruit the whole way up.

So I can’t throw stones when they would boomerang onto me. But again, I’m just curious on the time frame because until I gave this some thought, you would get the impression they were there for a while, good and established, putting down roots and having regular weekend vegetarian cookouts with God after their afternoon stroll through the garden.

BUT — if we take the premise that Adam and Eve were the TWO people meant to become FIRST parents of the world population, and they are in PRIME, as in perfect, condition for procreation, which they were told in Genesis 1:28 to do by God as a way of blessing, why aren’t there any baby Adams and mini Evies running around playing with the bears and bunnies? At the end of Genesis 2, Adam goes so far as to poetically describe his gorgeous bride as “bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, .. they are naked and felt no shame.” With that said, one could safely assume there wasn’t an attraction issue and that they are truly married in every way. This leads back to the math part of the question, how long was it before temptation tripped the “fall of man?” Days, weeks, months? If we assume the original premise, it couldn’t be long, certainly no more than 40 weeks, the gestational period for humans. It seems too ironic that the number is 40, but that is just fun food for thought because it doesn’t say. It’s all speculation. But, the point is, does it take long, even when we at the pinnacle of success, living in our dream home, surrounded by friends and family, at the prime of our life, living out our greatest adventure, to take a glimpse at what’s on the other side of the fence, or in the middle of the garden, at the one thing we don’t have?

The dearest part of the story is God’s response. I can only imagine His face as He tells them the consequences. I bet he glared at the serpent and then smirked as the flying beauty dropped to the ground and slithered away. But I wonder if He had tears in His eyes as He told Eve and Adam the hardship they would endure for the choice they made. I wonder if He was sad that this honeymoon was over for them, and for Him. And I wonder how He felt when He killed the animal to make them clothes so they wouldn’t feel shame now that their eyes were open and body image issues became a thing. I wonder how Adam and Eve felt as they watched one of the animals that they had named and knew, die because of their folly, and guilt glided in. As I consider this scene playing out, the image that keeps coming into my head as God looked out and selected the right animal to sacrifice so they could be covered, is the distinct possibility that He chose a very white, very perfect, unblemished lamb.

Kathy Paukune