Introduction
We’ve all heard the jokes.
“Eve ate the family out of house and home.”
“She didn’t read the apple’s terms and conditions.”
On and on the jokes go about her and what happened in the Garden. Writing to Timothy, Paul notes how Satan deceived her (1 Tim. 2:14) and this reality has cast a long shadow over Eve personally and the women that she represented.
But here’s the good news: God is a Redeemer. And His redemptive work didn’t begin in the New Testament—it started immediately after the Fall. Eve isn’t left in disgrace. She becomes the vessel through whom salvation will eventually come: “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), fulfilled in Christ.
Still, is it possible to see moments of Eve’s redemption even before Jesus enters the scene?
I believe so. One such moment is found in the Exodus.
Egypt as a New Eden?
Let’s reframe Egypt for a moment—not just as the land of slavery, but as a kind of new Eden. When God sends Jacob and his family there (Genesis 46:1–3), He has a plan: to grow them into a great nation. Just like in the Garden, His mandate remains: be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). In Exodus 1:7 and 12, we see that happening. The Israelites are multiplying rapidly.
But this growth does not go unnoticed and as it was with the first Eden, the Serpent arises and seeks to deceive and disrupt. Only this time he comes in the form of a Pharoah and he, that is the Pharoah, sets himself against God’s creation work in building a nation.
The Reversal of the Fall
Here’s where it gets fascinating. In Genesis, the woman was deceived. But in Exodus, the tables are turned and the Deceiver is deceived and is outwitted on multiple occasions. Consider each one in turn:
- The Hebrew midwives courageously defy Pharaoh’s orders to kill the newborn boys. When questioned, they deceive him into believing that they were desirous to honor his edict, but just couldn’t because of the “vigorous” labor of the women.
- Jochebed and Miriam carefully hide baby Moses for three months, then craft a plan that places him in the Nile where Pharaoh’s own daughter finds him. What happens next is nothing short of divine irony: the enemy’s household raises the very child who will lead God’s people to freedom.
- Even Pharaoh’s daughter joins the redemptive work, choosing compassion over cruelty and preserving the life of a Hebrew baby.
Later, when the Israelites leave Egypt, the women are seen plundering the Egyptians—receiving gold, silver, and fine clothing, not just for themselves but for their children (Exodus 12:35–36). This moment mirrors the reversal of the shame Eve once bore. Where there was loss in Eden, there is now abundance in Exodus.
This Is What Redemption Looks Like
The women of Exodus embody a reversal of the Fall narrative. Through them, we get a glimpse the redemption of Eve in real time. Her name, so long associated with failure, is now echoed in stories of faith, courage, and deliverance.
But let’s be clear: this isn’t just about clever strategy or bold action. This is the work of God. He is the one who is orchestrating redemption. He is the one who takes what was broken and makes it whole. Eve’s story doesn’t end in shame—because God never leaves His people in shame.
What About Us?
Eve’s redemption isn’t just her story. It’s ours too. God continues to do this with all of his children. We who were once dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the Prince of the Air, have been, are being, and will ultimately be redeemed by God.
So the next time you hear a joke at Eve’s expense, pause and remember this:
God rewrote her story.
And He’s still rewriting ours.