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NeighborReader,
What if everything we’ve been taught about Genesis 3 has buried one of the most profound blueprints about neighboring—
by obscuring how God responds to victims of deception and abuse?
Well, hang on to your fig leaves, because after the masterclass in accountability evasion
and attempted gaslighting we just got from the first man,
now we are about to get schooled on caring for the victims of it.
We left God and the man having just wrapped up their conversation.
Then God Turns to the Woman
and asks,
“What is this you have done?” The woman answers:
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Any excuses? Distortions? Blame shifting? Cover-ups?
Is that not exactly what happened?
Because you are a super sharp Sherlock,
you probably already noticed—
her sentence structure seems to mirror the man’s.
She, too, front-loads the cause and back-loads the choice.
But, wait.
Didn't we just pull his statement apart and discover the manipulation tactic
called "burying the lede" in it?
So doesn't that, in itself, make her a manipulator too?
Well, no.
And here’s the difference:
- He used that structure to manipulate.
- She used it to tell the truth.
- He covered up the predator's existence.
- She both exposed and identified the serpent-predator.
- He reframed his choice as passive.
- She acknowledged hers directly.
So yeah—the structure is similar.
But the content and intention couldn't appear more different.
It is also worth noting—
she doesn’t mention that she shared the fruit with the man.
But if she was deceived about the implications of it,
wouldn’t she naturally share something desirable with the one she loves?
We're left to wonder...
Was that a convenient omission?
A shame or guilt laden self-preservation tactic?
A minimizing of her role in the whole sordid saga?
Or did it simply not need repeating, since the man had already said that part?
Although I have strong opinions about the why-behind-her-what, we're not actually told—
and alas, we're left to reason for ourselves based on what we're learning about her character...and his.
But what we do know is what God does next...
God Takes Sides
God. believes. her.
And what God doesn’t do is breathtaking, especially for those of us
who’ve had the misfortune of reporting harm to religious communities
that claim to speak on God's behalf:
God doesn’t interrogate her account of the events.
God doesn’t ask why she didn’t submit to ‘male leadership’.
God doesn’t ask what she was wearing (or how much she’d had to drink).
God doesn’t ask what she had done to deserve it.
God doesn't ask what she was doing there in the first place.
God doesn’t ask how she could be so stupid.
God doesn’t tell her to confront the deceiver.
God doesn’t tell her that it’s for her own sanctification.
God doesn’t make excuses for the predator or her beloved, its colluder.
God doesn’t tell her she should keep this to herself—
because what about the serpent's reputation?
God doesn’t seek corroboration of her account from her husband.
Or from the serpent.
On her word alone, God acts on her behalf:
“…the Lord God said to the serpent:
‘Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.’ ” God confronts the predator and hands down consequences. Swiftly. Publicly.
What God Prevented By This Response
Secondary Trauma:
❌ Victim-blaming — No interrogation of her choices or character
❌ Isolation — God took her side instead of staying "neutral"
❌ Gaslighting — No minimizing, no denial of her reality
❌ Forced forgiveness — No pressure to reconcile
❌ Silencing — No concern for the serpent’s reputation
❌ Self-doubt — Her account was enough
❌ Spiritual abuse — No framing this as “My will for you”
Long-Term Damage:
❌ Distrust of authority — God modeled how trustworthy authority should respond
❌ Internalized shame — The curse landed on the culprit, not the victim
❌ Loss of voice — Her word moved heaven so she didn't experience powerlessness
❌ Religious trauma — No weaponized theology
❌ Hyper-vigilance — No burden on her to prevent future harm
❌ Distorted justice — Real harm met real consequences
And one more thing God's response prevented?
❌ Ongoing harm —
By taking her at her word, denouncing the serpent and handing down swift, visible consequences-
and doing it PUBLICLY-
God didn’t just defend her-
this response protected whoever would’ve been next.
No restoration plans.
No sweeping it under the rug.
No waiting periods or committees convened.
No behind-the-scene transfers to a new garden.
No lawyers hired or NDA's required on behalf of the First Fruits Church of Eden.
God's response demonstrates what love and care for our victimized neighbors actually looks like -
believing, protecting, and ensuring consequences fall on the perpetrator rather than the victim.
This prevents the common pattern where victims end up more damaged by the "helpers" than by the original harm.
Pause to take in the Creator's response to a victim of predation:
- Swift to believe the deceived.
- Gave no credence to the enabler.
- Quick to confront and deal with the deceiver.
- And committed to real, all-encompassing justice—
without re-traumatizing or re-victimizing the one already harmed.
Do you like how this God 'handled' 'His' woman?
What if God is still moving that way today—even when people don’t…
and even when the victim of predation is you?
Liking my maker's moves,
Camille
ps. Scripture is from Genesis 3, CSB.
pps. What I found next made me sick—
at how we’ve let bad theology bind women with guilt, silence, and shame.
The real story is far more disruptive, far more inspiring
and far more liberating than we’ve been told.
I’m unpacking it live in a free workshop this Thursday, June 12.
Want in?
Hit reply and I’ll send the details your way.
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