Jan 19
20
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:9-13
“The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’ And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:14–21, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Romans 8:18–25
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:18–25, ESV)
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Introduction
The book of Genesis is a book about the beginning of things. In fact that is what the word genesis means – origin, root, beginning, start. Remember that the first phrase found this book is, “In the beginning…”
And when I say that the book of Genesis is a book about the beginning of things, I do not only mean that it is a book about the beginning of creation. Indeed, that is the first thing that is described to us in the book of Genesis – the beginning of God’s creation. But many other “beginnings” are mentioned – the beginning of God’s covenant with man, the beginning of marriage, the beginning of sin, etc. And as we progress through the remainder of the book we will find that it is divided into sections which describe the beginning and progression of certain family histories. Those sections are introduced by the phrase, “these are the generations of…”, or something similar. The book of Genesis is a book about the beginning of things. And this is true, not only of the beginning of the book, but of the whole.
I think it is important for us to recognize that the beginning of something is being described to us in the verses that we are considering today. Here in Genesis 3:14-24 we encounter a transition. It is the transition from the world as it came from the hand of God – a world that was good, upright and pure – to a world that is now tainted by sin and its effects. Here in Genesis 3:14-15 we find a description of the beginning of the world as it now is.
This world – that is to say, the world of Genesis 3:14 and following, is the world that you and I live in. It is not a world substantially different from the one that came from the hand of God in the beginning, but it is qualitatively different. What I mean is that we do live in the same physical world made by God in the beginning. The stars that we see in the sky are the stars that God called into existence in the beginning. The mountains are God’s mountains. The trees are God’s tree. And the people that we see are his people by virtue of creation. The world that we live in today is not substantially different from the one that came from the hand of God in the beginning, but in another respect it is a very different world. For this world that we live in today is fallen. This world is sinful. This world is under God’s curse because of our rebellion.
And how important it is for us to recognize this distinction. In Genesis 1 we are told of the beginning of God’s creation. In Genesis 2 we are told of the beginning of God’s covenant. But in Genesis 3 we are told of the beginning of man’s sin and its effects. Adam’s breaking of the covenant of life is described to us here along with its consequences. And so we must distinguish between the world as it came from the hand of God – a world that was upright, pure and good, and the world that now is – a world that is ravaged by sin and the effects of sin.
I am afraid that many ignore this distinction. I’m afraid that many – even many who claim to be Christian – ignore the beginning of our sin and misery that is so clearly described to us here in Genesis chapter 3. It is no wonder then that they are terribly disoriented and confused when they look out upon the world and see so much sin and misery and death. The wickedness that we see in the world and the wickedness that we see in our own hearts should always grieve the Christian, but it should not leave us disoriented and confused, for the scriptures are clear – we now live in a fallen world, a world that is characterized, not by life, but by death.
The transition from the world in its good and upright state, to the world in its sinful, fallen and cursed state is what is described to us here in Genesis 3. But as we will see, humanity was not left without hope.
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The Serpent Cursed
Notice that in this passage God address each of the rebels one at a time to pronounce curses or sentences upon them. They each had sinned and God announced to them what the ramifications of their sin would be.
The order is reversed when compared to God’s questioning of the rebels in the previous passage. Adam was questioned by Gods first, but curses are pronounced upon him last (this is because he was most responsible for the keeping of the covenant). Eve was questioned second, and she is cursed second. The serpent was never questioned. The reason for this is that room for repentance (and the offer of salvation) was not given to the serpent. The serpent is only cursed, and he is cursed first.
In verse 14 we read : “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel’” (Genesis 3:14–15, ESV).
If we are going to interpret this text correctly it is important to recognize from the outset that it contains layers of meaning. I am not just referring to verses 14 -15, but to the whole passage which runs from verses 14-19. In this entire section we will encounter layers of meaning. And by that I mean the text is written in such a way that it can (and should) be interpreted in multiple ways, and deliberately so. The reader, when considering the curse pronounced upon the snake, the woman, and Adam should be able to recognize that there is a kind of basic and surface level meaning, and also a deeper and more profound meaning to the text. I am not saying that we are free to interpret all scripture in this way, but this particular passage requires that we see layers of meaning.
Take for example the curse that is pronounced upon the serpent. The question that we must ask is, who exactly is God cursing here? Did God curse the snake that was used as an instrument in the temptation of Eve? Or did God curse all snakes more generally? Or does this curse ultimately apply to Satan who used the snake as an instrument to tempt Eve? I think the answer is “yes, all of the above”. This passage when considered in context (and by context I do not only mean the immediate context of Genesis, but the context of the whole of scripture) must be interpreted as having layers of meaning.
Notice that LORD God spoke to that particular serpent when he said, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14, ESV). This word was spoken by God to that particular snake. That snake was cursed above all livestock and beasts of the field. That snake would go on its belly. That snake would eat dust. It will be come clear that no only would this apply to that snake, but to all snakes.
Some have wondered, did snakes have legs prior to this curse being pronounced? I doubt it. But perhaps they did move about with a posture that was more upright. Perhaps snakes moved about with their heads lifted high and proud. But having been used as an instrument for temptation the serpent was bound to the earth to crawl upon it with its head down low where it would swallow dust. The curse is fitting. The serpent was used by the evil one to rise up against God in pride, and so God made it low. Is there any beast of the field more closely bound to the earth and further removed from heaven than the snake? The symbolism is powerful, I think, and I could go on.
We might also ask, if the snake was only used as an instrument, then why must it bear a curse? Two things: One, you would do well to notice that all of creation bears a curse as a result of the fall. In a moment we will read that the ground is cursed. When the snake was cursed he was said to be cursed “above all livestock and above all beasts of the field” – evidently they too were affected by the fall. And Paul, in that passage that was read at the beginning of this sermon says that all “creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope” (Romans 8:20, ESV). And so snakes are not the only thing that are cursed or subject to futility because of the rebellion of Satan and Adam – all of creation has been touched, but snakes in particular. Two, although the snake was only used as an instrument, it is fitting that it bear the curse given the hideousness off the act that was carried out through it, namely the temptation of man. I believe it was Calvin who illustrated this principle by mentioning that any father would destroy the sword that was used to slay his son if it came into his possession. “The sword was only the instrument”, we might say. Yes, but it was used to do a terrible thing, and so it is fitting that it bear a form of judgement.
The most simple and basic interpretation of this text is to understand that the snake that was used as an instrument to bring about the temptation of Eve was cursed by God. But it is also clear that it was not just that snake, but all snakes that were cursed.
In verses 15 we read, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). Indeed, from this moment snakes and humans have been and always will be hostile towards one another. Snakes will always strike at the heal of man, and man will always strike at the head of snakes.
On the most basic level the curse of verses 14-15 is to be understood as having been directed towards the snake the was used as an instrument to tempt Eve, and to all snakes. Why? I can’t help but think that we are to remember the first temptation, the fall, and the ongoing work of the tempter when we look at snakes. You are certainly free to like or dislike snakes. Some fear them, others do not. All of that is irrelevant. But all should be reminded of the cunning and crafty schemes of the evil when they see a snake. All should be reminded of how deadly Satan is. All should remember the fall and its effects when they watch a snake slither along, locked to the earth, and eating dust.
On the surface, the curse is pronounced upon the snake who was used to tempt Eve and upon snakes in general, but clearly the curse is aimed, not just at serpents, but at the one who used the snake as an instrument to tempt Eve and through her Adam. Though Eve saw the body of serpent, it was the voice of Satan – the rest of scripture makes this clear. This is the deeper meaning of the text.
How then does this curse apply to Satan? Well, Satan is cursed more than any other thing in all of God’s creation. Satan, having rebelled against his Maker, would in due time be barred from heaven and bound to the earth. And this war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent that is mentioned in verse 15 will ultimately play out, not between snakes and humans, but within the human race itself. Some will be children of the evil one, and others will be children of God.
As we will see, this is where the story of Genesis and, indeed, the story of scripture will go from this point forward. The words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” do not ultimately pertain to the strife that exists between snakes and humans, but to the strife that will exist between those who are children of the Devil and those who are children go God by faith.
To prove that there are in fact children of the Devil and children of God in the world I only need to quote Jesus’ words to the non-believing Jews when he said, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, ESV). This he said to them as they were claiming to children of God by virtue of their heritage. According to Christ there are children of the Devil in this world and their are children of God. And the thing that distinguishes one from the other is faith in God and in the promises of God.
The words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV), are not ultimately about the conflict between snakes and humans, but between the Evil One and those who belong to him in the world, and God and those who belong to him in the world.
It would not take long at all for this conflict to manifest itself in the world. In Genesis chapter 4 we find the story of Cain and Able. And as we will see, though both were sons of Eve, only one had the faith of Eve. Put into the terms of Genesis 3:15 and John 8:44, Cain was of the seed of the serpent whereas Able was of the seed of the woman. Able belonged to the righteous line and to God, whereas Cain belonged to the unrighteous line and Evil One. You know the story. Cain rose up a killed Able. God replaced Able his righteous brother, Seth so that the righteous line would be preserved. Genesis 3:15 means that there will be an ongoing battle between the Evil One and his descendants and God’s people in the world, but God’s people will prevail in the end – “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is why they genealogies of Genesis are so important. They trace the preservation of the righteous line, that is to say, the seed of the woman.
And where does Genesis 3:15 find its ultimate fulfillment? The story of scripture is clear. The seed of the woman will finally crush the head of the serpent is Christ.
Notice therefore that the the gospel is here in seed form. The good new of Christ is embedded in miniture in the curse the God pronounced upon the serpent. World history will be marked by conflict between God and the Evil One, between the children of God and the children of the Devil, between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, but a Savior would eventually come. He would come in the line of Adam, Abraham and David. And upon his arrival he would deal a decisive blow to the Evil One himself. The Evil One will perpetually strike at the heel of man, but the Christ has stomped upon his head.
What does the curse pronounced upon the serpent reveal about the world in its fallen state? It will be marked by conflict, physical and spiritual. Man, including those who belong to God, will suffer in this age – the serpent will bruise the heal of man. But God has not left the world without hope. A Savior has been provided – Christ Jesus our Lord.
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The Woman Judged
In verse 16 we encounter the judgement pronounced upon the woman. “To the woman [God] said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be [for or] contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’” (Genesis 3:16, ESV)
Though this judgement was pronounced upon the woman Eve, clearly it applies to all women.
When God said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children”, it meant that women would experience pain in the process of giving brith. Certainly, the labor pains that women experience are severe. It is worth noting that other species give birth to their young with ease when compared to our species. The labor process for women is arduous. Eve was created with the ability to give birth birth to children. What a marvelous and joyous gift! But now it would involve pain.
And not only would the process of childbirth involve pain, so too the once blissful relationship between wife and husband would be marked by sorrow. To Eve God said, “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
This phrase is difficult to translate. Some translations say, “your desire shall be for your husband.” Others say, “your desire shall be unto your husband.” The ESV uses the word “contrary”. The NET is most bold in its translation when it says, “You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.” (Genesis 3:16, NET). I actually think that this might get to the heart of it. The woman was created to function as man’s helper. She was to live in loving submission to him. He was to loving lead her. But Eve upended God’s design for things when she ate of the fruit and acted as an agent of temptation to her husband. The affect of the fall was that wives now desire to controle their husbands instead of living in loving submission to them, and that husbands dominate their wives instead of lovingly leading them.
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The Man Judged
The judgments pronounced upon the man are stated last and they are the most extensive, for the covenant was made with him, and he was the covenant breaker.
Verse 17: “But to Adam [God] said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17–19, ESV).
The root of Adam’s sin was that he listened to the voice of his wife instead of the voice of God.
Notice that Adam sinned when he ate of the forbidden tree, therefore he is judged in his eating.
“Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.”
Gordon Wenham comments on this verse saying, “the toil that now lies behind the preparation of every meals is a reminder of the fall and is made the more painful by the memory of the ready supply of food within the garden.”
The ground is cursed. Land that is blessed by God is well watered and fertile. Cursed ground will lack such qualities.
Man will eat of the fruit of the ground in pain. This is reminiscent of the judgement pronounced upon the woman. The woman was designed by God to be a mother, and now that would involve pain. The man was to be a farmer and provider, and now that would involve pain.
His work would be difficult. “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread”, the text says. Work is not a punishment in itself. But the difficulty of work and the frustation associated with it is the result of the fall. Man would engage in this kind of work until he returned to the ground, “for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, the text says.
In the fallen world life will be marked by a kind of futility. Survival will be a struggle. Work will be difficult and accentuated by frustration. The guarantee of death means that all of the toil and pain experienced in this life is meaningless and vain. Even if man were to get ahead in his work, all would be lost when he returns to the ground from which he was taken.
The Christian should not be afraid to talk about the emptiness and vanity of life in this fallen world. Though we experience many pleasures in this world all is truly vain given that death is inevitable. The book of Ecclesiastes is all about that. It is a wonderfully helpful book that must be read, not in parts, but to the end.
Listen to beginning of the book of Ecclesiastes: “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after’” (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11, ESV).
This is the true and unfailing word of God. Life in this world is ultimately vain because of sin and death. When Adam ate of that forbidden tree he died, though he went on living for many years afterwards. He entered into a state of death. Death was inevitable. His life would be characterized by travail. He would be separated from his God by whom and for whom he was made. From dust Adam was made and to dust he would return. All would be vain for him, apart from the gracious intervention of God.
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Good News Announced
How important it is to recognize, however, that embedded within these curses and judgments, we find good news – words of hope and promise.
It should be recognized that the judgements pronounced upon the man and woman are not the final judgment.
I have already encountered good news embedded within the curse pronounced upon the serpent. The seed of the woman would one day have total victory over the serpent and his seed.
And notice verses 20 and 21. There we are told, “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:20–21, ESV)
Though we have been calling the woman by the name Eve throughout this narrative, this is in fact the first time the name is mentioned in Genesis. The name Eve means “living or making alive”. “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” The placement of this comment in this narrative is significant, I think. It comes after all that has been said concerning effects of her sin and of Adam’s upon the human race.
Of course, Eve is the mother of all living in the sense that all of humanity would descend from her. But it seems that on a deeper level the name Eve has reference to the hope that was communicated back in verse 15 – that from the seed of the woman would come a life giving Savior.
This section concludes with the words, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”
We must remember that Adam and Eve has sown together fig leaves to cover the shame of their nakedness. Those coverings would not do. If the shame of their nakedness was to be truly covered, God himself would need to provide the covering. And if the shame off their nakedness was to be truly covered, it would have to involve the shedding of blood. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV). “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, ESV). Here in this scene we have a picture of the Christ who would one day come to atone for sin through the shedding of his own blood. Those animal skins would have functioned as both law and gospel to Adam and Eve. Those skins would have been a perpetual reminder to them of the vileness of their sin and also of God’s gracious provision.
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Conclusion
In this narrative we have found mixture of good new with bad.
The curses and judgements in this text help us to understand why the world we live in today is often marked by difficulty and travail. We live in God’s world, but the world is not the same as the one that came from his hand. This world is now characterized by trial and tribulation, pain and suffering, and ultimately death. This is the consequence of sin.
But God by his mercy and grace has not left us without hope. He promised to send a redeemer. He promised to provide life. He promised to provide atonement and covering for our sins. Indeed, this he has accomplished through Christ Jesus our Lord.
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21–26, ESV)
