This might seem insignificant, in fact, it had each time I read it previously, but this time, new understanding came to me. Eve WAS COVERED by Adam. The realization hit me that it didn't say that Eve ate and her eyes were opened and then Adam ate...but rather that Eve ate, then Adam ate, and THEN their eyes were opened. Even though Eve had sinned by eating of the fruit, her eyes were not opened until Adam also sinned. She was covered by him...and Adam until he sinned, was covered by God. It wasn't until Adam stepped out from under that covering that suffering began. There is a hierarchical order given to us by God. God covers man...man covers woman. When a woman is married, she is covered by her husband. When a woman is unmarried or widowed, she is covered by her father. If her father is no longer, she is covered by God, Himself. We all have a covering...men and women alike, but do we remain under that covering is the question.
It reminds me of the time shortly after I moved to New York from Florida to look for a job so that I could bring my family up. I needed a place to stay, and our pastor and his wife had offered to open their home to me until I could find a place for my family to live. My husband told me to accept their offer and stay with them. He said this to cover me...to keep me safe in his absence. But...because I felt like I would be a burden on them, I chose not to listen to him and went my own way. Even though my husband warned me not to do this, I stayed with different family members who weren't following the Lord...and in essence completely came out from under my husband's covering in the process. During each stay, I was miserable. In one place, I even ended up falling and breaking my hand which I'm still recovering from now almost two years after the fact. Some might say that was just coincidence, but I know that it would not have happened had I listened to my husband, remained under his covering, and gone where it would have been safe. I chose to do what I chose to do and suffered the consequences of that choice.
I think about Adam and Eve and what might have happened had Adam not also sinned but rather remained under the covering of God that day... How today might be completely different. I do know that if we remain under the covering that God has ordained for us, we will be protected. The question to ask ourselves each day is are we covered today. Are we abiding under the covering that God has placed in our lives or have we stepped out from underneath that covering. If we have stepped out, it's time to repent and return back to that covering.