When Satan Tried to Kill Adam and Eve

Have you ever wondered what happened to Adam and Eve when they left the Garden of Eden? We know they toiled by the sweat of their brow.  But have you ever thought about what they had to do survive?

 

Consider how Satan hoped to thwart God’s plan by enticing Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But, it didn’t seem to. What would be his next plan of attack?

 

If he could kill off Adam and Eve before they had children, that would potentially halt the plan. What would that look like?

 

One writing Old Testament pseudepigrapha called The First Book of Adam and Eve describes some of their peril as nearly every day Satan tried to kill them.  God and His angels preserved Adam and Eve.  In this account, Adam and Eve didn’t really understand Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for their sins in Gethsemane and on the cross yet. The Lord used some of their experiences to teach them about the Savior’s mission.

 

Two stories, in particular, stand out to me.  Adam and Eve lived in a cave, but one night decided to sleep out under the stars on top of the cave.  After they went to sleep, Satan called his hosts together to decide on a plan to kill them. They decided to drop slabs of rocks on Adam and Eve. The Lord protected Adam and Eve causing the slab of rocks to surround Adam and Eve like a tomb.

 

They woke up and thought God entombed them in rocks to punish them for their sins. But the Lord told them He didn’t cause the ruckus and explained the symbolism.

 

It came from Satan, who had promised thee the Godhead and majesty. It is he who threw down this rock to kill thee under it, and Eve with thee, and thus to prevent you from living upon the earth.

 

“But, in mercy for you, just as that rock was falling down upon you, I commanded it to form an awning over you; and the rock under you, to lower itself.

 

“And this sign, O Adam, will happen to Me at My coming upon earth: Satan will raise the people of the Jews Jo put Me to death; and they will lay Me in a rock, and seal a large stone upon Me, and I shall remain within that rock three days and three nights.

 

“But on the third day I shall rise again, and it shall be salvation to thee, O Adam, and to thy seed, to believe in Me. But, O Adam, I will not bring thee from under this rock until three days and three nights are passed.”

 

And God withdrew His Word from Adam.

 

But Adam and Eve abode under the rock three days and three nights, as God had told them.

 

Another day while Adam sacrificed on an altar, Satan attacked him.

 

Then Satan, the hater of all good, envious of Adam and of his offering through which he found favour with God, hastened and took a sharp stone from among sharp iron-stones; appeared in the form of a man, and went and stood by Adam and Eve.

 

Adam was then offering on the altar, and had begun to pray, with his hands spread unto God.

 

Then Satan hastened with the sharp iron-stone he had with him, and with it pierced Adam on the right side, when flowed blood and water, then Adam fell upon the altar like a corpse. And Satan fled.

 

Then Eve came, and took Adam and placed him below the altar. And there she stayed, weeping over him; while a stream of blood flowed from Adam’s side upon his offering.

 

But God looked upon the death of Adam. He then sent His Word, and raised him up and said unto him, “Fulfil thy offering, for indeed, Adam, it is worth much, and there is no shortcoming in it.”

 

God said further unto Adam, “Thus will it also happen to Me, on the earth, when I shall be pierced and blood shall flow blood and water from My side and run over My body, which is the true offering; and which shall be offered on the altar as a perfect offering.”

 

Then God commanded Adam to finish his offering, and when he had ended it he worshipped before God, and praised Him for the signs He had showed him.

 

And God healed Adam in one day…

 

 

God used these horrible attacks to teach Adam and Eve about the Savior. Their lives became living symbols of Jesus Christ’s suffering, atonement, and victory.

 

 

I naively imagined that after their expulsion from Eden, Adam and Eve found a spot to call home and started gardening. Considering possible adversarial attacks brought a new appreciation for just how difficult the transition from Paradise to the lone and dreary world was.

 

According to these stories, Adam and Eve always prayed to God for help and answers which reminds me how God can use tough situations in my life to teach me of the Savior and His mission if I pray to Him for guidance.