“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” Genesis 3:6-7
We’re all familiar with the story of the Fall; I merely want to point out the role that the woman’s desire had in it. She saw that the tree was “good for food", and that it was “a delight to the eyes”, and that it was “to be desired to make one wise.”
Let’s contrast this last phrase, “to make one wise”, with the Biblical definition of wisdom found in Proverbs. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
What was Eve thinking when she decided to take the fruit, and thus seal the fate for all of humanity for all of time? She had decided to let desire win out over wisdom. Let’s just sit on this thought for a moment.
What does a woman desire? As women, we desire beauty. We desire to own beautiful things, to have a beautiful body; we desire to have a well-kept and peaceful home; we desire to have gardens and rooms and spaces in our lives that are full of beauty, order, and excellence. When we walk into a room, we talk about the throw pillows, the gorgeous rug, the vintage lampstands…all observations and exclamations of beauty. When we walk into a backyard or a garden, we notice the flowers, the vines, the little bench inviting us to come and sit for a while. Our eyes, ears, and senses are all trained to notice beauty in its various forms. This is a wonderful thing, because God made and wired women specifically for this! He didn’t give the same desires to men. (If you don’t believe me, just drive by a house where only a man lives.) Men are amazing in so many ways, but they don’t have possess the care and attention to detail that women have because we are always seeking to make things beautiful. We turn a house into a home. We turn dirt into a garden. We turn a seed into a baby. We are co-creators of life and beauty. This is a woman’s good, God-given role.
But our desires can also turn us away from God. Just like Eve, we can be deceived. Our desire for beautiful things can lead us down a path of deception. Notice how many times Eve’s senses are engaged in Genesis 3:1-10. Words like “eat,” “touch,” “eyes”, “saw”, “ate,” are all mentioned or repeated. I believe the Biblical author wants us to see potential pitfalls of relying only on our five senses to try to discern truth. Rather than relying on our physical senses, we must rely on Christ as our wisdom (Colossians 2:3).
“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the market she raises her voice: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” The writer of Proverbs is setting up a contrast between those who hate wisdom — those who are simple — and those who “call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding.” But to those who seek it, Wisdom says, “Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.”
We can see that Wisdom is another name for Christ, who pours out His Spirit and His Word to those who seek Him. Eve didn’t choose wisdom, she chose desire. She chose the beautiful thing she could see, over things that are unseen but are more precious than silver. And in doing so, she condemned the entire race of humanity to hell here on earth.
“Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:3-4.