The Oklahoma City Art Museum has a new exhibit on loan from Wellesly College museum. One of the pieces is a marble sculpture of Auguste Rodin (sculptor of The Thinker) called Eve After the Fall. The picture is of Rodin with the sculpture in his studio.
The piece evokes a lot of thought about what Eve must have been feeling at that moment. She became very self-conscious of her naked-ness. It is as if she is trying to somehow disappear within herself.
What must have been going through her mind?
Did she know what had just happened to her? to Adam? to all of mankind after them?
Could it have been .... What was I thinking? .... That serpent was a real snake!
Why do I feel so ashamed? .... I thought I would feel better after eating the fruit.
Adam should have stopped me..... It's his fault..... Why didn't he do something?
God can't see me like this.... I'll tell him that it was the snake's fault.
Would it be like living out one of those nightmares where you are undressed in public?
Did Eve feel an immediate loss of the glow of God's glory surrounding her?
Did she feel an immediate distance from the comfort of His presence?
After God talked to her about her sin, did she have the hope for her Redeemer to come?
She had a perfect body, lived in a perfect environment, enjoyed a perfect communion with God, married to a perfect man. They must have had the only perfect marriage. Now it was all gone.
She probably didn't feel the decay of the body for a while, but she must have known everything was different. Her emotions must have overwhelmed her. She and Adam were probably never the same again. God said told her that she would have a desire (to control) her husband but he would rule over her. That struggle for "who's in charge here" rose to the top of their relationship.
It all happened because she fell for the lie the enemy told her "you won't surely die" - you can sin and get away with it. How often does that lie take over each one of us? It won't affect anyone else... I deserve it.
God must have grieved over Adam's and Eve's choices, just like we do as parents today. It is comforting to know that Adam and Eve had a perfect parent and they still disobeyed. Makes me feel better about not being responsible for my kids choices.
Why isn't the wonder of God's presence enough for us today?
The snake stood up for evil in the Garden. Robert Frost
