'Brothers in Color'
24 x 36 Oil on Canvas
© Laurie Justus Pace Graphics One Design 2009
The Painting: This one has 15 layers of paint... no joke on that one. To get the continued softer translucent affect it required more than the normal... and it is mystifying in person when you look at it. I am not sure the camera was able to capture the thickness or the light weaving through out the composition. Holbein Duo Oils of course on Canvas.
The Thought: Yesterday Mom and my youngest daughter and I decided to skip church. Instead we spent the morning in my garden room in a bible study on women of the bible and began of course with Eve. I had brewed some Chai tea, the waterfall was on, and the bibles were open as we sat and began.
The daughter was amazed at somethings she had not caught on to in this first woman of the earth. We emphasized to her that Adam was made from the dirt of the ground....yes, dirt. Woman was fashion from his bone (flesh and blood) and carefully designed by God to be perfect for Adam. She was designed to be high in intellect to be equal to Adam and his helpmate for life. She was fashioned to be beautiful from the basic core of her heart on out and a delight for Adam. I don't have the book next to me, but one of the quotes said she was fashion NOT from a bone from Adam's head to be more intelligent than him, or from a bone from his foot, so that he could step all over her, but she was created from a bone under his arm next to his heart, so that he could hold her close in protection under his arm and close to heart to love and care for her. I liked that.
To fast forward the next surprise to her was that Adam was with Eve in the garden when the conversation occurred with the snake. Adam never stopped her. Adam's responsibility was to be her caretaker and protector. By not stopping her or watching over her, Adam failed Eve. When she was tricked by the snake to try the apple, and then she offered it to Adam, did you see him hesitate?
We laughed at the part when God arrived and they were hiding....Who did this? Adam points to Eve... I didn't do it, she did it. Eve points to the snake, I couldn't help it, he made me.... Nowhere is there confession from either of these two that they have sinned and messed up. Adam is quick to talk and blame Eve. He sounds sad and he acknowledges they did wrong, but it wasn't his fault. Eve is very scared and sad but she also points the finger somewhere else. Isn't that normal, to scramble and blame someone else?
Despite all of this where they saved? We decided they were based on the fact that God then gave them His grace. He provided clothes for them and He shed the first sacrifice of blood of an animal to feed them. He taught them survival skills and then sent them on their way. God gave to each of them a part of their new life as a result of their actions. Man would have to work his way to provide for his wife and family by toiling the soil and working. Woman was given the task to bear children, keep the home fire burning and provide comfort for her family. The snake was banned to belly crawl across the lands and be under the heel of man.
There is so much in this story and trying to learn more of the mother of the earth, Eve, is not easy. There is not description of her physically and her name is only mentioned four times in the entire bible. From bare facts we assembled a description of Eve's character and from there we talked about the encounter with God and how it showed more of her character and showed how we all lie every day. The daughter was quick to say, "I don't lie at all, I always tell the truth." I am not sure she got it all. We all lie every day. We lie to ourselves and we hide things from ourselves (which is from God, no different than Eve hiding in the garden from Him) and we attempt to cover things up to bury them from the eyes of others. We all do it.
I went away from the morning and two hours of sharing with a new respect for the first woman of the earth, and feeling a connection I never thought about before.
Question... was this "downfall of man" part of God's original plan?
Laurie
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