Are You Like Adam?
Adam, you know, THE Adam. The first man. God’s creation. He was given dominion over all the animals, and the land, God gave him the crown of creation, Eve, as his wife and God asked him to “shamar” the garden. “What’s shamar, Dave?” In layman’s terms, it means to cultivate, protect and/or defend. [If God asked a guy to shamar his prized hot rod, would anyone drive or touch it? Probably not. Certainly, no one would have the opportunity to scratch it or damage it in any way.] Why didn’t Adam shamar the garden?
The serpent made his way in (Genesis 3) and began speaking to the woman. Often times, it’s portrayed as if Eve were alone in the garden and that Adam was somewhere else. The serpent, being cunning as he is, began to call into question what God said to them. Eve tried to correct him, but was unsuccessful in her explanation. (Read the passages in Genesis closely to pick up on this.) Eventually, Eve gave in and ate the fruit from the tree. Adam ate it too. See, Adam was there the entire time. He sat back and allowed the serpent to twist God’s words and confuse Eve. Had he been shamaring, as asked by God, the serpent would have never had the chance to even speak to Eve.
Shamar… do you do it like Adam or the guy with the hot rod?
Man up!
Great post Dave. It seems to me that most people see the fall of man as an “its her fault!” thing. However, Adam failed at safeguarding his own wife, and had a responsibility to ensure Eve’s spiritual safety. We too must guard the women in our lives. It is our duty.
Have you seen “Australia”? I really enjoyed it, most especially because it PERFECTLY recapitulates this exact theme! Hugh Jackman’s character totally falls into the “shamar trap” and has to redeem himself by rescuing his family. The film is long, but I loved the story. Besides, men galloping around on horses is always manly AND fun to watch! 🙂