KBM Woman's Punishment (Genesis 3:16)

Having finished up our latest and lengthy series of studies on “The Life of Christ” I was racking my brain trying to think of the next series of lessons I would study with you and I remembered a theme that was done many years ago at a lectureship I was in charge of. The “theme” for that lectureship was “Impact 3:16” and the purpose was to take differing chapter three verse sixteen passages and make lessons out of them. I personally like challenging myself with these type of studies and hope you will enjoy them as well. Today we are going to begin with a rather well known “3:16” and in fact the verse first “3:16” in Genesis 3:16. Remember Genesis three begins with Eve talking with Satan and listening to Satan’s deception that she and Adam would “not” die if they ate of the forbidden tree. And as you know both Eve and Adam at of the fruit and thus sinned. God comes down to the Garden of Eden where he finds Adam and Eve hiding. After they both admit to their sin God let them know their punishment. Let’s read Eve’s punishment found in Genesis 3:16.

Genesis 3:16 LEB

16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband shall be your desire. And he shall rule over you.”

The two main punishments are that women would now, as a reminder of sin, have a great deal of pain during child birth. It’s interesting that in the animal kingdom, assuming all is normal, there is little to no pain during birth yet because of Eve’s sin this is not the case for women. So why did God choose this? Because it is an everlasting reminder to both men and women of mankind’s sinful state. Pain while giving birth is to “remind” all mankind that they need God and salvation. 1 Tim 2.15

1 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Paul isn’t saying women who do not give birth cannot be saved but rather that women can only be saved if they understand their God given spiritual role in life as being submissive (1 Corinthians 11:3) and not taking the leadership role as she did in leading Adam to sin by being deceived and giving him the fruit.

Eve’s second consequence of her sin and subsequently all women after, was that she shall desire her husband. Most people look at the second part to this “your husband shall rule over you” and focus on that but that was not the consequence because man from creation was always to have authority over woman (1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:12-14). The consequence was that woman would have a longing desire for man. No woman can fill “fulfilled” without having a husband. Woman was created “for man” (Genesis 2:18) to be a helpmate to him. This doesn’t mean again a woman must marry to be scripturally sound because a woman can remain unmarried under the right situation scripturally (1 Corinthians 7:26-28) but she will not feel complete and will always have a feeling of something is missing. This is the reason the feminist movement, in its current state, cannot thrive because it rejects the “need” for man and goes against a “God created” reality within each woman.

It is so sad that so many young girls who grow up to be young women look around in their 30’s and ask “what happened” to all the good men. Yet, it was their decision to ignore men during their peek age to find a good man to marry and focus on their “career” instead of on what they need to be truly happen in this life “God” and a “righteous husband.” To the moms and dads listening to this “raise your daughters and sons to be righteous wives and husbands and the rest will sort itself out.” A righteous wife will seek to get her family to heaven and a righteous husband will do the same.