And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and called his name Seth, for God, saith she, hath appointed me another son instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. Genesis 4:25
We read very little about Adam after he and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. And we read perhaps less about Eve. But in today’s text, she reveals her great faith in the promise of God to provide a seed that would bruise the serpent’s head.
Eve was no doubt broken hearted at the tragedy that occurred with her first two sons. Cain had proved to be a rebellious non-believer, self-righteous and unfit for the role of carrying on the line toward the Messiah. Abel proved by his faith and his wise choice of an acceptable sacrifice that was undoubtedly suited for the role, but he was a victim of his brother’s anger and envy. But Eve did not give up; when Seth was born, she had the insight to see in him the first link in God’s great promise. First Abel, and then Seth, was the answer to her prayer and for the rest of her life she could appreciate that God had kept His promise to her in providing such a son. For the rest of her life, Eve would keep Seth before the Lord in prayer. She would quickly see in him that he was not the promised Seed, because like her first two sons he was a sinner and displayed his sinful nature. But he represented hope to her that God would eventually bring forth one who would be the promised Seed.
Many of us are answers to prayers of mothers like our first mother, the results of careful upbringing by mothers who drew upon Eve’s example. We represented hope to our mothers, even as they saw disappointments and tragedies that might rival that which Eve saw. And yet, our mothers kept praying and trusting God for Godly children. Even as godly parents today bring forth children in hope and faith, seeing beyond the sinnership of those children to the potential for great blessing if those children are saved and become the faithful of the Lord in the days to come.
God has made great and precious promises to us, and some of us are hoping to see those promises fulfilled in sons and daughters, or even grandsons and granddaughters. Like Eve, we may not see the richest blessings in our own day. But blessing is coming.
Can you, like Eve, see beyond the tragedy and disappointment, to reach out in confidence to God for blessing that He has promised? -Jim MacIntosh