No Fault Insurance
And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.” Genesis 3:12
You Gave – Sometimes the smallest details carry substantial implications. The story of Adam and Havvah is filled with very small details. Most are ignored by our all-too-familiar readings. What a mistake! When God gives us a story about the beginning of human involvement with the Creator, it’s advisable to search even the tiny nuances. Let’s see what happens when we look at just such an implication in Adam’s shift of the blame.
The story goes like this: God creates Adam. God builds an ‘ezer for Adam. The ‘ezer is deceived by the serpent, steps over the boundary of human dependency and provides an opportunity for deliberate disobedience to Adam. Adam chooses to follow his ‘ezer rather than obey God’s external word. Bad things happen. God confronts all the parties. They shift blame, but not in the same direction.
Adam blames the woman. The woman blames the serpent. The serpent blames no one (it accepts the verdict). But Adam doesn’t imply the woman alone is to blame. Adam ultimately shifts the blame onto God! It isn’t just the woman who is responsible for his condition. It is God Himself who created this woman whom he has followed. From Adam’s perspective, the real design flaw rests with God so God is culpable for the resulting disobedience. Adam doesn’t turn to the woman and say, “It’s your fault!” He turns to God and says, “It’s Your fault!”
Katherine Bushnell notes that Adam’s excuse puts him on the same side as the serpent, in opposition to the Creator. Adam attempts to hold God responsible for the consequences. The woman does not offer the same argument. She opposes the serpent, blaming it for her deception. By the way, she is correct about this. She has responsibility for her act, but she doesn’t say, “You, God, made me an ‘ezer. What else could I do but choose to accumulate all that I can to be an ‘ezer? It’s really Your fault, God. You made me like this.” No, she sees where the line of responsibility lies – with the serpent. In spite of her deflection, she acknowledges God is not part of the fault line.
But not Adam.
There are some pretty significant implications here, not least of which are God’s observations about the differences in consequences for the man and the woman. But there is also a lesson. We recognize Adam and Havvah are both accountable, but do we recognize how subtly Adam changes sides? Do we do the same thing when we offer an excuse to the Holy One of Israel? It’s one thing to say, “Yes, Lord, I have sinned.” That leads to repentance which is ultimately an acknowledgment that God’s perspective on actions is the only true perspective. It’s quite another thing to say, “Well, Lord, I’ve sinned but I couldn’t really help it. The people you put in my life were bad influences. You engineered my circumstances and I got overwhelmed. I mean, You’re the sovereign God, so you could have prevented this if You really wanted to.” We might not be so bold in our accusations, but our actions might be just as audacious.
When it comes to facing our choices, whose side are we really on?
Topical Index: Adam, Havvah, ‘ezer, blame, Genesis 3:12
The blame game.. -Isn’t it funny to see it happening -even way back yonder-“in the beginning”? Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn’t “have a leg to stand on”. And still today, many moons later, this is one of our favorite games to play. The fast fickle finger of Accusation. O, how fast I can whip my finger from my pants pocket and point it at somebody. It doesn’t matter who, -the target can be whatever is nearby or handy at the moment. I am so good at this. It just seems natural and it so easy to do. Just point it and shoot out the lip. Let’s all say it together- “it’s all YOUR fault”. Now didn’t that just feel right? Kinda natural wasn’t it? and oh so easy.. Let’s attach some names now, and see how we might become skilled in this “finger-pointing.” Hmm.. how about.. “it’s all George Bush’s fault!” (One of my favorites..) .. always keep that one handy.. (it works for just about anything including the weather). But then, wasn’t there someone given the name.. “the Accuser of the brethren”. –
The Accuser. Isn’t that what I am doing when I point my “lethal weapon” away from the source of transgression? Who is the guilty party here anyway? -Pogo was right.. “we have met the enemy and he is us..” “If we confess our sins” or “if we say we have no sin” zeroes in toward center. It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O LORD.. standing in the need of prayer. “Father, forgive me, for I have sinned” , is what I must confess. I am the guilty one. I am Adam. Guilty of not remembering the words of YHWH. I have sinned the same sin as my great,great, (not-so-great) grandfather Adam. I have forgotten the words of my Creator and chosen to not listen to His words. -just as Adam did and just as my Grandma Eve. Guilty as charged. Now “the” sinner, before a perfect and holy Creator. What is my response when G-d calls my name? Again.. the same as Adam. I’ll attempt to cover my nakedness and shame. (after all, I’m guilty and know it). And now the good news.. G-d (Himself) provided an atonement (a covering) for Adam and G-d (Himself) provided a Lamb for Abraham, and G-d (Himself) provided a Lamb to take away, to cover, to atone, to redeem, to deliver, to forgive the sins of the world, and G-d provided a blood Sacrifice for me.
Thank you for the cross, LORD. Thank you for the nail-pierced hands. Thank you, Lamb of G-d for the covering provided for me.
“Katherine Bushnell notes that Adam’s excuse puts him on the same side as the serpent, in opposition to the Creator. Adam attempts to hold God responsible for the consequences. The woman does not offer the same argument. She opposes the serpent, blaming it for her deception.”
I think Katherine Bushnell is missing the point.
Adam and Eve are children of God, they disobey God, and they are punished by God.
They both state facts and they both shift blame.
They are both led astray by the snake.
Seems very human to me.
Perhaps you are too quick to read the story without reading the text. First, neither Adam nor Eve are “punished” by God. The text is descriptive, not prescriptive. Secondly, the “story” we usually hear is not quite what the text actually says, and the differences really matter. It is not an accident that Adam blames God but Even does not. Of course, they are both responsible, but they shift blame in very different ways. Adam’s recitation of the “facts” actually include a lie. Finally, while it might seem very human, they are not both lead astray by the snake. Havvah is deceived and Adam is compliant. He voices no opposition. Later he shows no compassion. Makes you wonder about his spiritual sensitivity, doesn’t it?
“First, neither Adam nor Eve are “punished” by God. The text is descriptive, not prescriptive.”
Hi Skip,
With all due respect, I don’t see how you can say that “neither Adam nor Eve are “punished” by God.”
Maybe it is just my translation, but looks to me like all three of the culprits are punished by God:
Gen 3:13 The woman replied, “The serpent tempted me and I ate.”
Gen 3:14 Then Yahweh God said to the serpent, BECAUSE (caps mine) you have done this,
Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts….
Gen 3:16 To the woman He said:
I will multiply your pains in childbearing….
Gen 3:17 To the man He said, BECAUSE you listened to the voice of your wife,
Accursed be the soil….
Seems to me that these responses are clearly punishments.
It also seems to me that the snake is the strongest one who leads “leads” the others astray.
But Eve is also a leader who is not afraid to speak the Truth.
Adam is relatively weak and stupid; afraid to speak the truth and happy to follow the leader, at any cost.
Perhaps we are talking past each other here. I understand prescriptive to be associated with the HEbrew word for curse. God only curses the soil and the snake. He does not curse Adam and Eve. The deliberate language avoiding the use of the HEbrew word for curse with Adam and Eve indicates that they are not “punished” in the same way that the soil and the snake are punished. However, if you mean punished in the sense that there are tragic consequences for their actions, then you are correct. My point is that the consequences they experience are not the direct result of God’s deliberate actions. They are rather the indirect result of what happens to Adam and Eve’s relationship to the soil and to each other. This is why it is so important not to read the usual English translations. Any implication that God directly cursed Adam and Eve is mistaken. In fact, God’s description of what will inevitably occur now that they have allowed their own ethical evaluation of what is good to enter into the picture is the basis for understanding the broken relationship between Adam and Eve. It is the basis for reading teshuka as “turning” rather than “desire.” And I am sure you will agree that Genesis 3:16 read as punishment has been the source of a long history of Christian misogyny.
Hi Skip,
I agree any implication that God directly cursed Adam and Eve is mistaken.
And so was my overreaction to your comment about punishment.
My apologies.
Skip,
Thank you for this. This is very deep and important, while at the same time being simple and straightforward. Sometimes when I read you comments, I feel like Peter must have when reading some of the things Paul wrote (2 Peter 3:15-16). But by God’s grace I press on, not wanting to be counted among the “untaught and unstable.” Anyway, I’m grateful to get this one the first time around.
God bless you in your coming and going and in your ministry.