And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Gen. 2:18-23)

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Gen. 4:1-2)

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Gen. 4:25)

A lady by the name of Anna May Jarvis is regarded in modern times as the Mother of Mother’s day. Anna May was born on May 1, 1864. She grew to maturity and found employment working for a life insurance company in Pennsylvania. When her mother died on the second Sunday of May in 1906, Anna May Jarvis changed. She was determined that her mother, and motherhood, be honored in a distinct way in America.

This single vision bore fruit. The first Mother’s Day Service was held May 10, 1908, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia where Mrs. Jarvis had taught Sunday school. In 1911, a special service for mothers was held on a statewide basis. Anna May Jarvis continued to work. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed Public Resolution 25. The second Sunday of May would be forever, in America, Mother’s Day. Anna May died in 1948 in West Chester, Pennsylvania at the age of 84. Ironically, having never been married, the “mother” of Mother’s Day was never a mother.

As important as the work of Anna May Jarvis was, attention is drawn to the Bible where a very special person is recognizes as the first mother of all who are living” (Gen. 3:20). We read of this remarkable lady in the book of Genesis, where three names are ascribed to her.

Initially, she is called Woman (3:23).

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

 Our English word “woman” sounds a little harsh upon the ears, but the Hebrew word is very lovely.

Adam called her, ”Ishah” (ish-shaw’).  Like Adam, “Ishah” was made “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27) and received her second name in Scripture, [Adam (Heb. aw-dawn’; ruddy)]. We read in Genesis 5:2, “Male and female God created them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

Because Ishah was made in the image of God, she possessed will, intelligence, and emotions. When Adam first looked upon Ishah, he decided she should have a third name. Ishah should also be called Evah, or Eve, meaning—Life. “I shall call her Eve,” said Adam, “because she will to be the mother of all who lived” (Gen. 3:20), but first, she shall be my wife whom I will love and respect.

Adam understood that  Eve was made from a rib out of his side. Perhaps, he could see the scar where the flesh was closed. Adam perceived that Eve was not made

“from his head to rule over him, nor out
of his feet to be trampled upon by him,
but out of his side to be equal with him,
and from  under his arm to be protected,
and near his heart to be loved.” ~Matthew Henry

And so it was that Eve became the first wife on earth.  

Herein is a lesson for the Church to teach young ladies. If they want to be a great mother, first be a good wife.

Our culture encourages motherhood apart from marriage, but that is not the divine ideal. The design of the Creator is that a man should love the mother of his children.  He should honor and protect her until death they do part. Godly men agree that this is best, for they recognize their own need to love. 

“The world was sad,
the garden was wild,
And man, the hermit sighed,
till woman smiled.”

One evening just before the great Broadway star, Mary Martin, was to go on stage in the musical, South Pacific, a note was handed to her. It was from Oscar Hammerstein, who at that moment was on his deathbed. The short note simply said:

Dear Mary,

A bell’s not a bell till you ring it.
A song’s not a song till you sing it.
Love in your heart is not put there to stay.
Love is not love till you give it away.

Adam needed to give his love away, and so the Creator caused him to go to sleep. While he slept, the Lord worked. Psalm 127:2 teaches us, the Lord still operates this way. He wants us to rest while He works on our behalf. Then we can say,

“When I awake from sleep,
Despair has fled, and hope is near;
The sky seems blue.
And visions clear,
Have banished
all my dread and fear.”

When Adam went to sleep, the Lord worked on his behalf. When he awoke, there was Ishah to love, and he called her, Eve. She would be his wife, his helpmate, and the mother of their children, three of which are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel, and Seth. Their many other sons and daughters are passed over in silence (Gen. 5:4).

Of the three sons mentioned, one proved to be a terrible disappointment, for he grew up and became a murderer. In a jealous rage, Cain slew his brother, Able (Gen. 4:8; 1 John 3:12). If there is a lesson in life, it is that sometimes, a child will disappoint a mother. Cain disappointed Eve. She thought she had given birth to a man of God (Gen. 4:1), but he turned out to be far different. Cain killed his brother, and broke his mother’s heart.

Eve wanted her children to be kind and thoughtful. She did not want her children to hurt anyone else. As a good mother, Eve had taught the children to worship. But the heart of Cain was far from the Lord to the point he was able to kill his brother in anger, one of the most destructive forces on earth.

Happily, Eve’s other two sons which are mentioned, did not disappoint their mother. Abel’s name is forever recorded  in Faith’s Hall of Fame as the first Christian martyr in the Old Testament era (Heb. 11:4).

Abel’s name in Hebrew means “breathe,” or, “vapor.” He lived for only a short while, but brought eternal glory to himself and to his mother. Abel made his mother proud. By way of application, every Christian mother hopes her child will bring the same joy Abel brought to Eve, as did Seth.  

Seth’s name is recorded because he was seen as a replacement for Able. His name means, “substituted”  (Gen. 4:25; 5:3). Sometimes when a child is lost in a tragic way, a mother will want to have another child to take its place. Emotional pain and suffering is often mitigated in this way.

Seth is honored as being an ancestor of Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 3:38).

During his lifetime, Seth brought joy to his mother’s heart in two ways.

First, Seth gave Eve a grandson for  “…to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos” (Gen. 4:26). Like many other mothers, Eve wanted grandchildren to spoil. Usually, grandchildren are a delight. So often they bring much joy to the heart because of their sincerity, innocence, and the bold questions they ask in honesty.

“Grandma, why do you have wrinkles?” asked little Emma.

“Well, honey,” replied Grandma, “wrinkles show all the smiles and laughter I’ve shared throughout my life.”

Emma thought for a moment and then said, “So, I should definitely start smiling less, right?”

No Emma, keep smiling.

The Divine narrative in Genesis mentions a grandson named Enos, and then moves on to note that Seth pleased Eve in a second way. The Bible says that Seth called upon the name of the Lord, and so did his family. “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4:26).

Godly mothers rejoice when their children, and grandchildren, love the Lord, and honor Him. Christian mothers try to bring their children up with reverence and respect  for God (Eph. 6:4) because they want the children to call upon the name  of the Lord.

“As a mother, Susanna Wesley recognized her obligation to instill faith in her children. She accomplished that duty in two ways.

First, she led by example.

Daily the Wesley offspring witnessed their mother engage in lengthy prayer time, at least one hour each day. She struggled to find privacy in a house with many young children. To allow her time with the Lord, Susanna instructed her children not to disturb her if they found her with her apron over her head.

In addition to requiring Scripture reading and memorization, Susanna did all she could to ensure her youngsters understood God’s Word. To that end she wrote meditations and scriptural commentaries, including extended commentaries on the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed.” ~Alice Murray

With all of this in mind, what is paramount, for the moment, is to remember that Eve is the first to give life to a child. She is the original Mother, of Mother’s Day.

As we reflect on Eve as a person, there are some facts and accomplishments that belong exclusively to her.

For example, Eve was the first woman to live upon the Earth. What a startling thought that must have been. It is one thing to be unique; it is quite another to be alone as a woman.

Second, Eve was not born as other women, and so did not know the joys of childhood, nor the turbulent teenage years. Eve was created fully-grown, lovely in form, and without blemish.

Intellectually, Eve was brilliant.

Socially, she was a delightful conversationalist.

In demeanor, she was charming.

Initially conceived in the mind of God, Eve, was placed upon the Earth to be a source of blessing, and amazement, especially when she became a mother.

The American humorist, Erma Bombeck, gave some thought to the day God conceived of, and created Eve, knowing that she would become a mother. When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and spoke.

“You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands….no way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel.

God nodded.

“One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t, but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.

”God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “get some rest tomorrow….”

“I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine-year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly.

“It’s too soft,” she sighed.

“But tough!” said God excitedly.

“You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

“Can it think?”

“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

“There’s a leak,”

she pronounced.

“I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord,

“It’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?”

“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

“You are a genius, ” said the angel.

Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”

There is something else about Eve. She was the first woman to be made from a rib of man. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, but Eve was formed from his wounded side. Liberal theologians and evolutionists have a lot of fun with this fact, but no one should marvel, or laugh in unbelief.

The clay in the hands of the Divine Potter can be fashioned according to His will with ease. Job said to God (42:2), “I know that thou canst do everything.” And so, Eve was created physically from Adam’s rib with spiritual implications that should not be overlooked. There is symbolism in the Mother of All that Lives. Eve represents a Divine mystery, for she was a vague picture of the Church.

Consider the evidence.

“As God created a Bride for Adam,
so, the Lord created a Bride
for His own dear Son, the Last Adam.”

As Eve was very lovely to Adam, so the Church is lovely to Christ.

Initially, Eve was without spot or blemish; so, shall the Church one day be presented to her Bridegroom.

As Eve came into existence from a wounded side, so the side of Christ was   wounded for  His Bride when one of the soldiers at Calvary took a spear and pierced the Lord’s side, and forthwith came there out blood and water (John 19:34).

“See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown.”

For a while in sweet fellowship, Eve lived with her beloved in Paradise. One day, the Bride of Christ is destined to live with Him, clothed in His righteousness, in a restored Paradise (Rev. 2:7; 21:9). The time will yet come, when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Pet. 3:10)

“According to promise,
there will be a new heaven and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

The Bride of Christ will one day dwell with her Bridegroom forever and ever.

When we think of Eve, let us see her as the first woman, the first wife, the first mother, the first grandmother, the mother of all that lives, and spiritually, a type of the Bride of Christ.