創世記3：亞當和夏娃 Adam and Eve

紅樓夢裏的寶玉說男人是泥做的，女兒是水做的，不知道他怎麽琢磨出來的，就衝他的這一點見識，我當了他多年的粉絲。他說對了至少一半呢！

正版是這樣的，神讓泥做的亞當沉睡，從他貼心的部位取了一塊肋骨，用它做了一個女人。神把她領到剛睡醒的亞當麵前，他立刻就認出了這是他生命的一部分，有了她生命才完整，他脫口作了一首充滿愛意的情詩給她，“這是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉,可以稱她為女人，因為她是從男人身上取出來的。”

我從沒見過更能打動人心的情詩，把一個男人對女人的嗬護珍惜，認可尊重，表達得如此充分。他既表達了對女人的愛，也表達了對上帝以此方式賜他良人佳伴的感恩。男人啊，你的女人才是你的骨肉，別再搞錯了！

接下來這兩個人成為一體，赤身露體，並不羞恥。簡單直白的幾個字，道盡了上帝對婚姻的祝福，也描述了夫妻的彼此相屬。古今中外的婚姻，再也沒有如此美妙過，以後的夫妻們，多多少少要遮掩了。文學作品，藝術作品中鮮有描寫亞當和夏娃的愛情故事，因為太妙不可言，被罪玷汙的人無從體會。

他們那時不僅彼此親密，和上帝的關係也和諧密切。他們在上帝的慈愛注視下，一天天成熟，但不會衰老，他們越來越會享受上帝賜給他們的自由意誌，選擇做一些有創意的活動，上帝也樂見他們喜樂。

上帝隻給了他們一個限製，就是不許吃分辨善惡樹上的果子，這是上帝宣告自己的權威，不是不許他們知道善惡。他們的善惡標準必須從上帝那裏接受,因為隻有造他們的上帝知道什麽對他們是好，什麽是不好。上帝要讓他們自己體會到順服上帝旨意所帶來的完美結果。上帝給他們機會運用及培育自己的意誌，以配合祂不斷祝福他們的旨意。上帝為了他們的益處，嚴嚴地警告他們吃那棵樹上的果子必死。這兩個人此刻連衰老都沒見過，更不知死亡是何物。我們現在把死亡當成自然現象，亞當夏娃要憑信心來揣摩上帝提到的“死”。上帝允許他們吃生命樹上的果子，他們知曉吃了後可擁有永不終結的生命，可是他們從未見過終結，難生對永遠的渴望，再加上園子裏果類繁多，一時半會兒吃不過來吧！

他們沒著急吃生命樹上的果，可他們的後代，我們現在的人們，可是無所不用其極地想找到吃了後可以長生不死的仙丹靈果，因為我們怕死。可惜大部分人都在亂找，白耽誤功夫。這果子是有的，就是我們的救主耶穌，祂是生命樹，也是生命果。到祂麵前承認祂是救主的，都得到永遠的生命。

這對天作之合的神仙眷侶就這樣天長地久地過下去多好啊！那才是真的歲月靜好，可惜呀！害他們的家夥要登場了。

In the book of the Dream of the Red Mansion, the main character, Baoyu, said that man was made from mud and woman was made from water. I don’t know how he figured this out, but at least what he said was half true. I was a fan for many years.

The official version is as following: God caused the man who was made by mud to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping God took one of the man’s ribs, a bone near his heart, and used it to make a woman.

God presented her to Adam when he awoke. He immediately recognized that this woman was part of his life. She would make him complete. Immediately he uttered the most romantic love poem, “this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called woman, for she was taken out of man.”

I have never read a poem so moving, that so fully expresses a man’s feelings towards a woman, full of care, respect and appreciation. Not only did he express his love to the woman, he also expressed his gratitude for God to use such a method to introduce a matching being into his life. Men, do not be mistaken, it is woman who is bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh. Then the man united with his wife, becoming one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. Those simple but direct expressions fully display God’s blessing towards marriage, and also fully express the belongingness of husband and wife. Of all other marriages in human history, there is none more beautiful than this one. Not only did Adam and Eve not need to cover their body, they did not need to cover their minds, emotions, and desire. Future couples cover themselves, both physically and mentally. There is almost no depiction, whether in art or literature, of Adam and Eve’s love story, because it is so beautiful that sinful people simply cannot comprehend their relationship.

Not only were Adam and Eve close, the relationship they had with God was harmonious and intimate. Under loving watch of their heavenly father, they matured and flourished, but never getting old. They enjoyed more and more the freedom that God blessed them with, choosing to do all sorts of creative activities. God was so pleased to see their happiness and joy.

God set just one boundary for them. “They must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This was God’s declaration of sovereignty and authority, not a forbiddance for Adam and Eve from knowing good and evil. They must accept the standard set by God for good and evil, because only their Creator knew what is good for them and what is not. God wanted them to experience total surrender and obedience under Him, which would bring about the perfect outcome. God gave them more and more opportunities to choose to submit to Him. For their benefit, God solemnly warned them that “if they eat of the fruit of that tree they would surely die.” Adam and Eve did not even have the slightest understanding of death, for they had never seen it! We now think of death as a natural phenomenon, but Adam and Eve needed faith to grasp the abstract concept.

God allowed them to eat the fruit from the tree of life, and they knew that if they ate it, they would enjoy everlasting life. But they never saw an end, a termination of life. Eternity was natural for them. Plus, there were so many other fruits in the garden, there was no hurry to eat the fruit of the one tree of life.

They had no urgent desire to eat the fruit from the tree of life, but their descendents, people of today, we use every possible method we have to find the “fruit” that will grant us eternal life. We are so afraid of death that we don’t need faith to believe in “death”; we are all too familiar with the sad reality: everyone will die. Unfortunately, people are searching for all the wrong places to escape death. However, their own efforts are fruitless. Yet, there is a fruit of life: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the tree of life. If we accept Him as our savior, we can have eternal life. If only this blessed, lucky couple could live forever! Life was wonderful for them. But alas, an enemy was waiting in the shadows, waiting to bring about their downfall.