Jewish Tradition

Interesting article on the Jewish legend of Eve. There are some interesting thoughts on Adam's deep sleep and Eve's creation. I don't understand the whole "Lilith" thing. Interesting excerpts:

"The purpose of the sleep that enfolded Adam was to give him a wife, so that the human race might develop, and all creatures recognize the difference between God and man. When the earth heard what God had resolved to do, it began to tremble and quake. "I have not the strength," it said, "to provide food for the herd of Adam's descendants." But God pacified it with the words, "I and thou together, we will find food for the herd." Accordingly, time was divided between God and the earth; God took the night, and the earth took the day. Refreshing sleep nourishes and strengthens man, it affords him life and rest, while the earth brings forth produce with the help of God, who waters it. Yet man must work the earth to earn his food."

Adam was first made to fall into a deep sleep before the rib for Eve was taken from his side. For, had he watched her creation, she would not have awakened love in him. To this day it is true that men do not appreciate the charms of women whom they have known and observed from childhood up. Indeed, God had created a wife for Adam before Eve, but he would not have her, because she had been made in his presence. Knowing well all the details of her formation, he was repelled by her. But when he roused himself from his profound sleep, and saw Eve before him in all her surprising beauty and grace, he exclaimed, "This is she who caused my heart to throb many a night!"

The Deep Sleep

Tardemah
1) deep sleep, trance

There are many references to sleep in the Bible, the first being when God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep so He could take a rib from which Eve, the crowning masterpiece of Creation, was formed. The Hebrew word used here is tardemah and is only found six other times in the Bible. Tardemah literally means a deep sleep or trance, so it’s a bit different from everyday sleep which is called shehah.

Abraham also experienced this deep sleep when God made a covenant with him in Genesis chapter 15. He promised that Abraham’s offspring would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky and that he would possess the land he had been led to from Ur. After having Abraham provide a severed heifer, goat, and ram, plus a pigeon and a dove, God caused a deep sleep to fall on Abraham during which Abraham was told of the slavery his descendants would suffer for 400 years.

Dr. Henry Morris from the Institute for Creation Research pointed out that in the first instance of tardemah a bride was born. In the second, a nation. In Adam’s case, God placed him in a deep sleep to take what was needed from him to create Eve and I think, probably, to protect him from the pain of removing his rib. With Abraham, God used the deep sleep to take him to a place that was dark and dreadful, maybe somehow muting the sorrow of knowing that his children would suffer in slavery for 400 years.

A bride...a nation...Morris also says that as Adam and Abram are both types of Christ, these deep sleeps of theirs point us to Christ's 'deep sleep' of death on the cross. In His death, He gave life to His Bride and in His resurrection He gave birth to a new nation of the Redeeemed. On the cross and in the tomb, 'heaven and hell were judged and a new world was born.'

Morris' article can be found here.

A Sermon on Sleep!

Never seen this before. Here's a sermon from Sovereign Grace ministries on the Biblical Doctrine of Sleep.

Three main points: 1)Sleep is a gift from God, 2)Sleep is a reminder of our dependence from God, and 3)Sleep is an opportunity for us to search our hearts before God.

(Find written summary from the Proverbs 27:17 Project here.)