Misconceptions Clarified VIII; "Adam's First Wife???"
Welcome to Misconceptions Clarified episode VIII; "Adam's First Wife?"
In today’s current generation, it is quite easy to be swept under the tsunami of information that's available at the touch of a button or at the sound of your voice. The advancement of technology has made it convenient enough that all a person has to do is just ask a question to either Siri on your cellphones, to Alexa on Echo, or to Google’s Assistant for the answer. It’s that simple! The age of information that we live in today is so accessible, so abundant, and so contradicting that if you are not careful, it will have you question your own personal beliefs. That’s why the Bible says in Colossians 2:8 to “see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
For instance, the resurgence of the mythological tale of Lilith has many people second guessing if Adam had a "first-wife" before Eve in the book of Genesis. One of the main reasons why this legend is resurfacing on major social media platforms is not only due to the age of information we find ourselves engulfed in, but it also stems from a lack of understanding of the scriptures regarding how Cain obtained a wife. Since the Bible only mentions Adam and Eve's three sons, (Cain, Abel, and Seth) how did Cain find his wife? Furthermore, how was Adam and Eve going to fulfill the command by God to be fruitful and fill the earth with only sons??? Well, on the surface of this concern, it appears to be a legitimate question to ask considering that the Bible doesn't specifically give the answer to Cain's wife. However, this episode will dig beyond the surface of the matter to provide some clarity to its viewers regarding where Cain found his wife and if Adam's supposedly "first-wife" has any ring of truth.
Unfortunately, one of the most common criticisms of the Bible is that it doesn’t provide all the answers. So, instead of just accepting the fact that the Bible isn’t comparable to the modern devices the world has at its disposal where a person can ask any question and it gives them the answer, some have tried to “fill-in-the-gap” themselves. Fortunately, there are a couple of explanations why the Bible may appear to be silent or lack certain details on specific situations, people, or events. First, the authors of ancient scripture more than likely didn’t have the critical methods of the twenty-first century on their minds when they were recording or transcribing their accounts. Meaning, Moses probably wasn’t thinking about accommodating biblical critics three thousand years into the future when he penned down the Torah.
Another reason why the Bible leaves out certain information is simply because God (the One who is responsible for the Bible’s entire composition) intentionally excluded those details. For some, this may not serve as a good enough answer, however, Paul says in Romans 9:20, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”
In regards to the account of Adam and Eve and their three sons, one of the primary reasons why the author focuses on Cain, Abel, and Seth was to provide a lineal history, that would lead to Jesus Christ, the ultimate promise of salvation! When it comes to interpreting the Bible, one of the rules of engagement is the context, and when you consider the context of the whole Bible, the only way the authors of the Bible could trace-back the lineage from Jesus to Adam was by recording the male ancestors of each generation. Moreover, notice that in Genesis chapter five the lineage from Adam to Noah doesn’t mention any of their wives by name. Why? Because some of them probably married multiple wives like Lamech did in Genesis 4:19, which would have complicated the genealogy. Furthermore, many of the wives had more than one child, and if the genealogy was recorded through the wives, the task would have been even more daunting for Moses to record the genealogy of all the wives and their children. Therefore, God saw it divinely appropriate to document and preserve the lineage of humanity through Adam in order to demonstrate how the covenantal promises were transferred down through the generations where it would find its ultimate fulfillment in His Son, Jesus Christ. It's simply all about Jesus!!
Now, this is not to say that women didn’t play an important role in the grand scheme of God’s ultimate plan of salvation. For instance, not only is Eve the mother of all living according to Genesis 3:20, but there are five mothers mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy, which include Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Solomon’s mother, and the mother who birthed the Savior of the world, Mary. Hence, these are the women Matthew documented to verify the family tree from Adam to Jesus.
So, there’s a reason why the authors of the Bible wrote what they wrote. They were carried along by the Holy Spirit in their writing, not by their own agendas. In 2 Peter 1:20 it says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, when it comes to the question, “where did Cain find his wife,” it is important to note that while the Bible didn't specifically mention Cain’s wife, the Bible does say in Genesis 5:4, “Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.” This passage is extremely important because not only does it indirectly give us the answer to the question of where Cain found his wife, but it also cancels out this notion that Adam had another wife, or a “first wife.”
Besides, the legend of Lilith originates from an ancient Sumerian poem found on a tablet dated back in 2,000 BCE. In the epic, Lilith is a demoness to Inanna where Gilgamesh kills the dragon and terrifies Lilith to flee to the desert. The myth of Lilith is completely legendary in its composition and nothing more. For a more in-depth description of Lilith, please click on the link: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/lilith/
Intriguingly, there is one mention of “liyliyth” in Isaiah 34:14 who is identified as “the screech owl” in the text, and defined as the Babylonian female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom. However, nowhere in the Hebrew etymology is Lilith associated with Adam in general or as his "first wife.” Hence, the question that remains to be answered is, how did Lilith become associated as Adam’s wife in the first place??? Well, it wasn’t until fourteen centuries after the Septuagint was compiled in the third century BCE that Lilith was forged and attached to Adam from The Alphabet of Ben Sira in medieval Judaism. FOURTEEN centuries afterwards folks!!! This is way too late of an embellishment to be taken seriously! There are absolutely no ancient sources that associates Lilith as Adam’s “first-wife!” Even in the passage of Isaiah 34:14 fails to connect Lilith with Adam, yet, somehow and someway there are some people who still believe this to be true.
The fact that people actually consider Lilith as Adam's first wife with any smear of validity is beyond perplexing! How does a medieval advancement of an ancient mythological tale become a matter of serious inquiry to Adam in the book of Genesis? This doesn’t make any sense at all! Even after further examination on the legend of Lilith, there is not even the faintness ring of truth to Lilith being Adam’s “first wife.” The only other explanation of how this legend reemerged is Satan; who is the father of lies and who has been a liar since the beginning. The enemy is only out but, to seek, kill, and destroy! He is only prowling around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour! And Satan only masquerades himself as an angel of light to deceive God’s people into the pit of informational abyss. Satan is utilizing the platforms of the twenty-first century such as the internet, Youtube, and social media to spread his lies, which is the only other possible explanation why the legend of Lilith has resurrected from the grave of fiction.
Therefore, please watch where you obtain your information from because we know that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace and sound mind. And, be careful not to add or take away from the Book of Life! In Deuteronomy 4:2 Moses says, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord.” Proverbs 30:6 says, “Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” And John commands everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll in Revelation 22:18-19, “If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from the person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”
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