Today as we begin our new Christmas series, I want to take
us back—all the way back to before creation itself! Prior to the creation of the
world, God was totally self-sufficient, lacking in nothing, as a Father who loved
his Son in the Spirit. Though he did not need to and though it didn’t make up
for any lack or shortcoming on his part, God decided to share that love of the Son
in the Spirit with a world populated with all kinds of creatures—the greatest
of these being human beings made in the image of God. These could reciprocate the
love of God back to him and glorify his name in all the earth. To this end, he carefully
creates a perfect world and everything in it out of nothing, fashions humanity
and breathes life into him, and situates the man and the woman in the paradise
of the garden. In an effort to transcend what was good and create an
opportunity for what was great, God instills within mankind free will and the ability
to choose him over themselves and all others (for what is true love if there
are no other options to forsake?). This choice comes by means of a single rule
God places in paradise: do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
What God provides in this rule is lasting life and freedom to enjoy all that
God created without ever knowing or experiencing evil—what an offer! If the
positive reinforcement this promise entailed wasn’t enough to convince Adam and
Eve to choose God’s way over their own, God also establishes a punishment (negative
reinforcement) that would be assigned to them if they ever disobeyed his simple
command. Anyone who eats of this forbidden tree would surely die. Surely the
choice was simple in light of so great a blessing attached to obedience and so
awful a fate ascribed to disobedience.
However, shortly after this is established, Eve is tempted
by a serpent who misconstrues God’s Word and succumbs to her unfounded desires
for what she believes she is missing out on and eats the forbidden fruit. What
is worse, Adam is right there watching this all go down, says/does nothing to
stop it, and then accepts the fruit from his wife and eats it himself. What a
mess! Things unravel in their perfect world quickly as they crudely hide their
shame with fig leaves and try to hide from God. We pick up the story in Genesis
3:8ff,
“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of
the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him,
‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in
the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’ And
He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which
I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman
whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I
ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman,
‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and
I ate.’”
Chaos has been introduced in the world, paradise is lost,
mankind has created a big mess and now this mess has infected the once perfect
relationship between Adam and his wife and between them and their God.
And much like our ancestral parents, we do the very same
thing repeatedly. God reveals to us his will and way to live—providing us with
the best means of navigating this fallen world and persevering in the present—and
when tempted to do otherwise we fail to obey the Lord, trusting in our own
judgment over his. As a result, we find ourselves in all kinds of messes—relational,
physical, psychological, emotional, financial, geopolitical, etc.
However, the good news of Christmas and the inspiration
behind this series, is that God doesn’t leave us alone in our mess—the messes into
which we bring ourselves. The hope that this season celebrates reveals that our
God is a God who reaches down from heaven to fix what has been broken, mend
what is in shambles, and reconcile what has been lost—including you and me!
Praise the Lord! This is true for us today just as it was true in the lives of
our first parents all those years ago.
For Adam and Eve, heaven reaches down through divine discipline.
Now, as a parent, I always try to consider how I’m disciplining my children,
making sure that the punishment fits the crime. So, this begs a question, “What
consequences possibly fit the spoiling of Paradise by disobeying God’s one and
only command?” This we will find out as
we look at two DIVINE RESPONSES to the fall from Genesis 3:14-21. In these
responses we will come to learn that the hope we celebrate every Christmas was
in God’s mind even as he reached down to deal with humanity’s first mess.
RESPONSE #1: Consequential Curses-3:14-19
Following the blame game we’ve read through already, God intervenes
to deal with the problem in verse 14. First God decides to address the serpent
saying “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and
more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will
eat all the days of your life,…”(3:14). Though originally the serpent held
distinction as one of God’s most impressive creatures, now he was consigned to
crawling on his belly. Also, though the serpent was craftier (arum) than
all other animals, now he would be the “most cursed” (arur). Because he
tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, he would now be eating dust. These
punishments are related to the snake’s subsequent life of humiliation and
subjugation in the natural world. The proudest animal became the lowliest of
creatures. “Eating dust” conveys as much as the term is used both in the
Scriptures and even to this day to mock a loser. Not only that, but eating dust
anticipates mankind’s end as well. The serpent’s figurative diet –dust—will be
a constant reminder of his crime against humanity that returns to dust upon
death.
The second component of God’s pronouncement against the
snake speaks outline his new struggle—“and I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your seed and her seed” (3:15a). In other words, from
this point on, humanity will struggle against evil and evil against humanity.
“Enmity,” in fact, possesses the connotative intensity of hostility witnessed
in warfare and the level of animosity that results in murder (see Ezek. 25:15;
35:5; Num. 25:1).
Though at first this struggle will be witnessed between
these two individual parties, “between you and the woman,” the conflict will
not die with them. Instead, the snake and the woman represent the many that
will come after them. In other words, Eve and her adversary are the progenitors
of a lifelong struggle that will persist for some time and continue to be
experienced “between your seed and her seed.”
However, the third component of the serpent’s curse is the
most compelling—“He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on
the heel” (3:15b). Here, the plural concept of “seed” returns to singular
representatives. Though “bruise” is used here, “crush” and “strike” are
perfectly appropriate translations of the word as it is used respectively.
Here, the location of the blow is telling. First, “He” will “crush you on the
head.” This indicates a death blow dealt one day to the serpent and all that he
represents. Second the serpent will “strike his heel”—indicating, by
comparison, a recoverable injury.
For centuries this verse has been referred to as the proteuangelion –“the first good news” as
it is the first ever foreshadowing of Jesus’ total and complete victory over
sin. Jesus, who is described as “born of a woman” in Gal. 4:4 and is identified
as the “seed” in Gal. 3:16, is the “He” of this verse who will one day crush
the serpent’s head once and for all—putting an end to all evil. The connection between
the prediction of Genesis 3 and Jesus is solidified by the peculiar use of “seed”
in the phrase “seed of the woman.” Typically “seed” is associated with a man’s
contribution to the conception of a child and their subsequent progeny.
Therefore, “seed of the woman” hints at the idea of the virgin birth—i.e. that
a man would be born of a woman without the traditional means of conception.
This is the miracle of the virgin birth that we revere each and every Christmas
when God reached down in a most miraculous way in the birth of his Son. After
Jesus was born, and lived for 30 or so years he was struck down temporarily at
His crucifixion (this is what the text call “you will bruise him on the heal).
However, Jesus rose fro the grave three days later dealing the blow to Satan’s
head (the death blow) foreshadowing the end of his reign of sin and destruction
on the earth.
What amazing news given even the midst of a curse! As God
reaches down from heaven to discipline the responsible parties that created
this mess in Genesis, he promises ultimate victory over sin and death!
Ultimately, the serpent’s curse involves humiliation,
struggle, and total defeat. His curse, however, is mankind’s ultimate blessing!
However, discipline is not withheld from mankind for the
time being. God’s holiness demands that He deal with sin. This is why God turns
next to the woman and says, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth,
in pain you will bring forth children…” (3:16a). Notice, no reason is given
here for the curse the woman receives. This is due to the woman’s culpability
through deception, in contrast with the willful rebellion of the serpent and
man (Matthews, Genesis 1-11:26, 248). In other words, Eve was tricked
into sin, the serpent and the man willfully and knowingly gave themselves to
sin.
The first element involved in her punishment is painful
labor that she must endure in the bearing of children. However, Eve, upon
hearing this could take heart in at least two things. First, Eve would have
found some comfort in knowing that she would live to bear children one day.
Also, it would be through her offspring that final victory over sin would be
achieved. Therefore, the greatest joy—victory over sin and the bearing of
children—would come for Eve, but, would be experienced in pain. Painful
childbirth signals hope and the promise of life but also serves as a perpetual
reminder of sin and the woman’s part in it.
The second element involved in Eve’s punishment concerns her
relationship with her husband—“yet your desire will be for your husband, and he
will rule over you” (3:16b). To interpret this verse rightly one must
understand Genesis 4:7b in which “desire” and “rule” are found again in tandem:
“Its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Here, “sin” is compared to an
animal that when stirred up will assault Cain; it “desires” to overcome Cain,
but the challenge God puts to Cain is to exercise “rule” or “mastery” over that
unruly desire. Using this clearer passage to shine light on 3:16, one might
understand the “desire” of the woman as an attempt to control or “rule” over
her husband. This, she will fail to achieve because God has ordained that the
man exercise the leadership role in the home—“and He will rule over you”
(better is “but he will rule over
you.”).
The meaning of “rule” depends on the context in which it is
found. In some places it speaks of governance while in others it refers to
exercising jurisdiction. In still others “rule” means to have dominion.
However, ancient Israel provided safeguards for protecting women from
unscrupulous men and the New Testament takes many steps in the same direction.
Therefore, it is not consistent biblically nor is it intended here for “rule”
to mean “dominate.” Instead, “rule” speaks of man’s leadership within the
marriage. Man will remain the leader though the woman will seek to supplant
that leadership.
Ultimately, the woman is cursed with pain in childbirth and
strife within the leadership dynamics of the home. However, in spite of her
sin, woman is given the opportunity to have offspring—from which will come her
ultimate salvation in the birth of Christ—and a husband who will lead and take
care of her.
Finally, Adam gets his due. He is cursed last, in part,
because he is ultimately responsible for what happened both to himself and to
his wife. His failure to speak up and lead in the moment of temptation,
followed by his willful disobedience, render him especially guilty-“’Because
you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about
which I commanded you, saying “You shall not eat from it”’…” (3:17a). This is
God’s way of telling Adam “you knew better and still chose to listen to your
wife’s voice instead of my own.”
Man’s curse is especially fitting as he is from the ground
and will now have to deal with that same ground on a whole new level—“Cursed is
the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of
the field,…” (3:17b-18). In other words, the ground will be his enemy instead
of his servant. No longer would it be a pleasure to farm the land—it would be a
pain. A day’s work has now become a daily grind as thorns and thistles emerge,
representing obstacles that stand in mankind’s way of getting his work
accomplished. “Adam’s sin has spoiled his environment and it suffers along with
him since both are dust” (Matthews, Genesis 1-11:26, 252).
“By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” (3:19a).
Though Adam’s curse is a cause for concern and dread, that he lives to see work
and eat bread is a blessing in and of itself. Just as Eve is allowed the joy of
having children and the hope that comes with offspring, Adam is allowed to see
achievement as a result of his labor. Both deserved sudden death, but so far
these curses reveal that death is a process.
This is further explained in the second part of verse 19
which says, “till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for
you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” In other words, the process of
death will inevitably lead to mankind returning to the ground from whence it
came. God’s greatest creation will end his earthly existence as the humblest of
elements—dust. The same humble substance that was used to bring glory will now
serve as a reminder of mankind’s humiliation due to sin.
Ultimately, Adam is cursed with toilsome labor. However, in
spite of his sin, Adam is given an opportunity to take care of himself and his
family for as long as he lives.
RESPONSE #2 Merciful
Blessings-3:20-21
Following God’s curses on this couple and the serpent are
two blessings that give the reader hope for Adam and Eve and for the entire human
race. First Adam names his wife “Eve” which means “living,” because, as he
says, “she was the mother of all the living.” In naming her, Adam steps up to
lead his wife—something he had failed to do earlier while in the garden—and
looks forward to all that God has promised: offspring, accomplishments, and
ultimate victory.
Here, the blessing is simple—post-sin life. In spite of
their sin, Adam and Eve are able to continue living and move on from their
tragic experience wiser than before. This is a powerful testimony of God’s
undeserved goodness and grace for these two and their family.
However, God doesn’t stop there. He continues by taking an
unprecedented step in verse 21—“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and
his wife, and clothed them…”. Here, God acts on behalf of this guilty and
embarrassed couple to cover their guilt and shame. Their new clothes accomplish
at least two things. First it confirms that they have sinned against God and they
can no longer walk before deity in innocence. Second, these clothes make Adam’s
and Eve’s life bearable as they cover their embarrassment.
The clothes made also communicates something else—God’s
willingness to cover sin by means of sacrifice. There, in the garden, an
innocent animal was slain. Blood was spilled in an effort to bring about peace
in the lives of the guilty and render their sins covered. This, no doubt, is
the beginning of a type that would be witnessed again in sacrifices for sin
found in the Old Testament and most completely in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
that takes away the sins of the world—the seed of the woman who would come to
crush the head of the serpent in the end.
What an amazing site to behold. In the face of egregious
sin, the loving grace of a perfect father who desires peace and life for his
kids is expressed. He is even willing to do something unprecedented—killing an
animal—to provide this! What a blessing! In the midst of the mess mankind
brought on itself, heaven reaches down with discipline and hope.
So What?
This is something that we can see working out in our lives
today. In spite of our sin and the
messes that we bring upon ourselves or that the world brings upon us, our God
is a God who has made it his habit to reach down from heaven to fix it. This is
what he did when he sent his son that first Christmas morning to live in the
midst of our mess and then eventually become the mess on our behalf so that we
might be saved from the mess that leads to death. While cleaning up the mess in
the garden involved the sacrifice of an animal to provide covering clothes for
Adam and Eve, for our problem of sin God intervenes by sacrificing his one and
only innocent Son on the cross. As a result of this sacrifice, not only are our
sins and subsequent shame covered, they are done away with, allowing us who
were messy with sin to enter a relationship with God.
Are you living in
the mess of your sin today? Is your life a mess in need of mending? Notice,
Adam and Eve were not able to fix their problem in Genesis 3. The only thing they
could do is try to hide from the inevitable and then blame one another when
they were discovered. Their sin required God to step in to fix. The same is
true in your life. You and I are woefully incapable of cleaning up the mess we
are in because of our sin. Perhaps today you need to call upon the only One who
can clean up the mess. Heaven has reached down in the person of Christ. Perhaps
this Christmas is when you grab his outstretch hand so that he can pull you out
of your mess of sin and death.
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