Naked Women and Trees

At the height of their idolatry, the Israelites worshiped a Canaanite deity named Asherah (Hosea 4:12-13). This deity was depicted sometimes as a nude woman and sometimes as a tree. When I learned of this I was struck by the connection between Asherah's depictions and the Creation story in Genesis. Eve after all, did spend most of her time in the garden of Eden naked and then helped to usher sin into the world by eating the fruit of a tree. While I could admittedly be reading too much into the text, I believe that Asherah could be a perversion of the first biblical woman. Jealous of God's creations, the serpent in the garden sought to twist everything God had done, but his perversion with humanity only started there and continued through history.

It is troubling that the serpent perverted a woman into a false deity to replace God. It is troubling that humanity was tricked into eating something that brought separation from God. And it is troubling that humanity brought sin and death into the world.

Yet, God is slick himself and we can take comfort in his slyness. For it was through a woman (or two! Becoming the first evangelists) that the disciples learned Christ had risen (Matt 28:7-8). It was through a meal that Christ ushered in a new covenant of grace (Luke 22:17-20). And it was through Christ's recapitulation of humanity along with his death and resurrection that brought freedom and life into the world for those who would believe him (Rom 5:12-20). The blood of Christ seeps into every aspect of perverted life and begins to restore it until it is finally realized when Christ ushers in His kingdom of a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev 21:3-5). Thanks be to God.