HEART LESSONS - #1

EVE – THE LESSON OF OBEDIENCE

Are you a quick learner? Can you learn from someone else’s mistakes or do you have to experience it yourself? I
always thought it would be so much easier if we could just read about the mistakes of others and then live our lives
without making the same mistakes ourselves. There is so much to be learned from the men and women of the Bible.
Just as in life today, some lessons teach what we should do and some…what not to do.

In the next several months, we will look at some of the women in the Bible and the lessons we might learn from
their experiences. We will call these lessons “Lessons of the Heart.”

The first woman in our series of studies is Eve. She was the first woman, created by God from man. Through her
act of disobedience, we learn the lesson of Obedience.

It was an ideal situation: a man and his wife living harmoniously

together in a lush, beautiful garden that God had created for their
pleasure. They each enjoyed a perfect relationship with God and
with each other. When Adam and Eve gave in to temptation they
overstepped their God-given boundaries and plunged the human
race into sin. Harmony was broken. Shame and guilt penetrated
their lives and created an invisible barrier between them and God.
The consequences of their disobedience and lack of self-control are
with us to this day.

Adam and Eve knew they had gone against God’s plan – a plan that was created with their best interests in mind.
And the consequences of their sin followed immediately. Right away they became afraid of the God who loved them
so much, and they hid from His presence. They also became ashamed of their nakedness and set out to cover
themselves. The relationship between Adam and Eve began to show cracks and strains. Accusations were made.
Blame was shifted. Neither of them wanted to be held accountable. Both of them refused to admit that they were
wrong. Needless to say, their relationship was damaged. Their sin had separated them from each other and God.

What do we read about life in the garden where Eve lived? Read Genesis 2:8-20 to find out the details of the world
she lived in.

The Garden of Eden, perfect in its idyllic setting, could not guarantee a
happy life. God provided the perfect environment for them. We often
blame our outward circumstances for our difficulties. It is important to
note here that in spite of their ideal surroundings, our first parents fell –
they failed.
 Although the environment we live in can certainly add to our problems, they are never entirely at fault. We need to
take responsibility for the mistakes we make – for our own failures. No blessings of environment can substitute for
the depth of happiness that comes only when we are submissive to God’s will.

Not only were Eve and Adam given a perfect world, but they were also given the power to choose – to make their
own decisions. Eve chose to be disobedient. We like to reason that she was deceived and it didn’t really count. But
the bottom line is, for whatever reason, no matter what, she did not trust God enough to be obedient.

We read again and again in God’s Word of men and women who were faced with a choice. God instructed them to
do something and they had to choose, “Will I obey, or will I have my own way?” Let’s just take a moment to look at a
few. Not only will we look at what they were asked to do and the choices they made, but we will look at the results of
their decision.

Noah – (Genesis 6:11-21; 7:1-4)

What were God’s instructions to Noah? (Genesis 6:13-21)

What was Noah’s response? (Genesis 6:22 & 7:5)

What was the result? (Genesis 8:15-19)

Moses - Exodus 3 - 12

What was it God wanted Moses to do? (Exodus 3:10)

What was Moses’ response? (Exodus 3:11; 4:1; 4:10)

And what did Moses choose in the end? (Exodus 5:1)

What was the result? (Exodus 12:41-42)

Naaman – II Kings 5:1-14

Through Elisha, what instructions did God give to Naaman? (II Kings 5:10)

What was Naaman’s initial response? (II Kings 5:11-12)

What wise counsel did he receive from his servants? (II Kings 5:13)

How did he respond to their counsel and what was the result? (II Kings 5:14)
 Esther – Esther 2-10

What was Esther asked to do? (Esther 4:8)

What was Esther’s initial response? (Esther 4:10-11)

What did Esther choose to do in the end? (Esther 4:15-16)

What was the result? (Esther 8:11)

Jonah – Jonah 1-3

What was it God asked Jonah to do? (Jonah 1:1-2)

What was Jonah’s response to God? (Jonah 1:3)

And what did Jonah choose in the end? (Jonah 3:3)

And what was the result? (Jonah 3:6-10)

Simon – Luke 5:4-11

What was it Simon was asked to do? (Luke 5:4)

What was Simon’s response? (Luke 5:5)

What was the result? (Luke 5:6)

As you can see, not all God’s children are immediately

compliant. Moses struggled with feelings of inadequacy, Naaman
with pride and Jonah with rebellion (as he did not feel the people
of Nineveh were deserving of another chance), and Esther with fear
of her life. Noah and Simon chose to immediately obey. Their trust
in God’s wisdom and grace was sound and unwavering. Their
struggle with doubt or fear was short-lived if it existed at all.

Today, some of us, like those who have gone on before us, struggle with the issue of obedience. We too struggle
with issues of inadequacy, pride, fear and rebellion. We would throw a tantrum as Naaman did, or maybe even run in
the other direction as Jonah. Or perhaps, like Eve, we twist the truth so that it fits our desire and we try to second
guess God and what He really means.
 It all boils down to one thing – making good choices. What are we asked to choose in the following Scripture
verses?

Deuteronomy 30:19

Joshua 24:15

Psalms 25:12

Proverbs 8:9-11

Proverbs 16:15-17

Isaiah 7:15

Webster defines obedience as, “to follow the commands or guidance of; to conform or to comply with,” and
defines disobedience as “refusal or neglect to obey.” They both represent deliberate acts. Either we comply or we do
not. Eve’s lack of obedience was deliberate. She refused to be obedient, she neglected to obey. As a result, a whole
race was plummeted into darkness. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Thus, one might think that our ability to choose was taken from us.

Romans 6:23a tells us that the consequence of Eve’s choice was death. God was not satisfied with that. He had a
plan to restore our ability to choose life, but it came at a great price. We read in Romans 6:23b that “the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So what’s the secret to obedience? How can we make the right choices? To be obedient, we must have a
“Submissive Heart.” I don’t know what it is about the word “submissive,” but it tends to raise the hairs on the back of
a woman’s neck. Perhaps it is the connotation we have placed upon it that it means we must “lay down and take it!”
Or, perhaps it is our misunderstanding of the word.

My sister had a difficult time with the phraseology of traditional wedding vows. She was willing to repeat every
word except “I promise to OBEY.” Back in 1980, at the young age of 18, she was adamant that my father (who was
marrying them) not use those terms in her vows. She did not want to concede that her husband could “tell her what
to do” and she was “obligated to obey”. They just celebrated 30 years of wedded bliss. I recently reminded her about
that story. After we had a good laugh, she reported she has a new perspective of what submission means in the
context of marriage. I am happy to report she is not only a submissive wife, but she has found contentment in that
place.
 What does the word submissive mean to you?

Webster defines it as: “submitting to others.” Submit means “to yield to governance or authority.” When we put
that into the context of our relationship with God, it is to say that we recognize God’s authority in our lives. When we
accept His gift of salvation, we yield to His authority in our lives and we submit, or yield governance of our lives to
Him. We become obedient.

Read the following Scripture passages to see what God asks of us:

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Deuteronomy 11:1

Samuel tells us that there is nothing that delights the Lord more than an obedient child (I Samuel 15:22-23). He
says that our obedience “is better than sacrifice.”

So how can we live obedient lives? What is the key to submission? The answer to these questions can be found in
Psalm 119:9 (NIV) “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you
with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not
sin against you. Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from
your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and
consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

The truth is this, in surrendering our will to Him we place ourselves in the will of God. Jesus was our example in
surrender to the God’s will against our own will.

Read Matthew 26:39, what words did Jesus pray to His Father in Heaven regarding God’s will and His own will?

We want to follow the example of Christ as He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, agonizing in prayer, “I don’t
want to do this God (“…let this cup pass from me”), but it’s not about me (“…Thy will be done”). Jesus felt so strongly
about it that He prayed that same prayer again in Matthew 26:42.

When it comes to obedience in our lives, we may share this same sentiment with Christ. “I don’t want to do this…”
The important thing is that we come to the same understanding that Christ did, “It’s not about me…’Thy will be
done.’”

Think about your own life. Is there an area of your life that you have not yielded to God’s authority?
 In making this choice – the choice to be obedient in the end – we are in good company! Moses, Esther and Jonah
and many others said “I don’t want to do this, God!” But in the end, they followed the will of God, and because of
their obedience, nations were saved. God may not ask you to save a nation, but who’s to say your obedience will not
save the one who will be the one who saves a Nation.

God wants a willing and submissive, obedient heart! God wants you!!!

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