Section 1: The Beginning - Adam and Eve

Let's start at the very beginning with God's design for relationships. When God created Adam, He said something profound: "It is not good for man to be alone." This wasn't just about companionship - God was establishing the foundation of marriage: one man for one woman. He created Eve as Adam's perfect partner, and we see the first courtship and marriage in human history.

But things went wrong, and we need to understand why. The breakdown in Adam and Eve's relationship reveals critical lessons about communication and obedience that we still need today.

First, there were serious communication failures. When the serpent approached Eve with deception, she lacked the listening skills to recognize the lie. She failed to remember and heed God's clear instructions about staying away from that forbidden tree. But here's the most important part - Eve did not confide in her husband about the temptation she was facing.

Now, Scripture doesn't give us all the details about where Adam was during this time, but here's the principle: we should wait patiently for both God's guidance AND our partner's counsel before making major decisions. Hasty decisions made under outside influence can be incredibly destructive - just like Proverbs 21:9 warns us about.

The fruits of their disobedience were devastating: suffering within their marriage, the introduction of sin into the world, and ongoing challenges in raising children, including dealing with wickedness.