Battle For The Truth (Part 31)

Genesis 3:16–19 KJV 1900

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Introduction

As pointed out in our last time together, “choices have consequences,” and our text today loudly reverberates this truth. The consequences we will review here is the Judgement of God. The word consequence may be defined as “a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause.” In Adam and Eve’s case, the consequence of their disobedience is the Judgement of God. The Judgement of God may be defined as “a divine sentence or decision.” What is rejected more than anything else in Scripture by fallen man is the Judgement of God. It is easy to reject the Judgement of God if you do not believe that God exists. Therefore, many people deceive themselves by taking the position that as long as they do not believe in the existence of God, then the Judgement of God will not apply to them. Of course, we all know that any honest person in their right mind knows that just because one may choose to reject the truth, does not cause the truth to become non-existent or otherwise go away.

For example, two people were standing outside talking together on a cloudless summer afternoon and one of them pointed up in the sky to the sun and said, the sun gives light and heat to the earth. The other person said, I do not believe there is such a thing as the sun. Because the other person disbelieves that the sun exists does it now no longer exists? Well of course it still exists, the other person is just in denial.

The existence of God is paramount to the human narrative. For this reason, Genesis 1:1, is so vital, which says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” At this point, I believe the Law of Non-contradiction bears repeating, “contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense at the same time.” In other words, God either exists or He does not exist. Both propositions cannot be true, and without equivocation or debate, the Bible declares that God exists. Therefore, rejection of this truth does not make God, or His Judgments go away, and if He did not exist, there is nothing anyone could do to conjure Him up. And since God is real, He has both the Authority and the Right to impose obligation upon His creatures. That means Adam and Eve, you and me, us, and we. Amen somebody.

V. 16 – “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

Here we find another, “God said” statement. “Unto the woman he said …” If you recall from previous messages, there is unparalleled significance and authority associated with what “God said.” Whatever God speaks comes to pass exactly the way He wants. Nobody or group of bodies, and nothing or group of things can in any manner thwart or cause to fail what God has declared to be or come to pass. As He spoke through His prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Amen somebody.

The first judgment is upon the person who sinned first, the woman. Three judgments were pronounced upon the woman:

She was to experience many forms of pain.

She was to have a yearning desire for a husband.

She was to live in subjection to her husband.

The woman was to experience many forms of pain. Oftentimes this verse is interpreted to refer only to the pain of childbearing. However, as the great scholar H.C. Leupold points this out: “The conjunction [the word ‘and’] before ‘conception’ is to be taken in the sense of ‘and in particular.’” The judgment is this:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and in particular [the sorrow of your] conception”

Note the word sorrow (itstsebhon - its-tsaw-bone’) - means trouble, sorrow, and pain. There are three sorrows mentioned:

There is the sorrow caused by woman’s very nature. God created woman with a more tender, delicate, and sensitive nature than man. Consequently, when she fell into sin, she was bound to feel and suffer greater sorrow. But note: God says He is going to intensify this sorrow, and when we look at the life of woman, this is exactly what we see. Because of her nature, the woman usually feels things more deeply than man. She usually experiences sorrow more than man, and she usually feels for others more than man. She seems to understand the feelings, needs, trouble, sorrow, and pain of others more deeply. But as commendable as this trait is, it often causes trouble, sorrow, and pain for her, both physically and mentally. Because she feels more deeply, she often suffers more.

There is the unique pain of childbirth which the woman must bear. The travail of childbirth is painful, so painful it is often used in Scripture to picture severe suffering and grief (John 16:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; Revelation. 12:2; Micah 4:10).

Women’s sorrow and pain are also deeper than the men in rearing children. In sorrow the woman brings forth children (v. 16). The phrase brings forth means more than just conception and birth. It means bringing up and rearing children. The woman feels and suffers greatly for her children when they suffer or go astray.[1]

[1] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Genesis (Chapters 1–11) (Vol. I, p. 177). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

Consequently, the judgment upon woman was the suffering of many forms of pain. However, God’s judgment is not as some people declare and as some societies practice—the general subjection of women to men. Notice that the text says, “He [the husband] shall rule over thee [the wife]” (v. 16). This judgment applies to men on an individual basis, not to all men over all women. It means every wife is subject to her own husband, not subject to all men. Amen somebody. The judgment is not that all men are to rule over all women; the judgment is that each husband will hereafter rule over his wife and her alone. This is exactly what the New Testament says:

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.” (Ephesians 5:22–23)

When God judged woman to be under the rule of man, God was not condemning her to be of less ability or worth or of less competence or value. God’s judgment dealt with function and order within the family. Because of sin, the family was no longer to be perfect where every member would live perfect lives free from problems. The family was now to know selfishness, difficulties, trouble, rebellion—all sorts of disorder and sin. The family needed someone to be the head, someone to be responsible for rule and order within the family. The head was to be the man, not the woman. The woman was to be ruled over by her husband, and she was to submit to his authority. This was part of her judgment.

Side note: The judgment is just and fair. The woman had acted independently of God and of man. She had taken matters—the rule of her own life—into her own hands. She craved control—independence, authority, rule—over her own life. In addition, she enticed the man to walk away from God; to walk out from under the rule of God, to act independently of God, and to rebel against God.

The judgment is, therefore, just, and fair: the woman is now to be under the authority and rule of her husband. This does not mean man is to be domineering and overbearing. It simply means that by reaching out for the forbidden fruit, Eve had acted alone, taken control, and put matters into her own hands. She had sought an independence that was never intended to be between man and woman. Thus, the judgment is that she is to be under the very authority that she had attempted to take unto herself. She was to thereafter live under the authority of her husband. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:22–24, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” Amen somebody.

V.17-19, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; (18) Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; (19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Again, we find another “God said” statement. God begins by stating the reason for judgment: “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:” In other words, God is saying, because you have willfully chosen to listen to your wife rather than Me, here are the consequences: “…cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;” or “Cursed be the ground because of you,” or “on account of you.” God cursed the earth because of Adam’s sin. Why would the earth have to suffer a curse when it was Adam who sinned? Very simply stated, the earth was Adam’s home. Adam and the earth were interrelated. Adam was now corrupt and fallen creature. God could not let corrupt Adam continue to live in an uncorrupted world. Corruption is not compatible nor able to live with incorruption. Corruption and sin do not belong with incorruption and righteousness. Therefore, God had to curse the earth as part of the judgment upon Adam. Adam was not only made from the earth but was also given dominion over it. The earth and Adam were as closely related as they could be. Therefore, whatever fall Adam suffered, the earth had to suffer the same fall as well.

Romans 8:19–22, is basically a commentary on what happened to the earth. Paul writes, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (20) For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, (21) Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” This is an important passage for understanding what happened. Note what Romans says: all creation—the whole universe, not just the earth—was corrupted by sin.

Adam failed in at least three areas:

Adam did not try to lead Eve back to God. Just think what a failing this is! He did not even try to lead his wife to repentance, did not even bring up the subject of her returning to God. He did not even suggest that she confess and beg God for forgiveness and restoration.

Adam listened to Eve’s enticements and persuasions. He did not stop her from presenting the forbidden fruit to him. He stood there and listened to her persuasive arguments, to her enticements and seduction. Note, this is exactly what God says: Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, you are to be judged (v. 17.) Adam failed—tragically failed—by listening to his wife instead of God.

Adam himself chose to eat the forbidden fruit. He blamed his wife, but Eve did not force him to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam willfully chose—made a deliberate decision—to sin. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was not deceived; his eyes were wide open when he sinned (1 Timothy 2:14 – “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”).

Adam was willfully guilty of rejecting, rebelling against, disobeying, and turning away from God. As a result, he was condemned to live in a cursed world, a world of imperfection and corruption, he was condemned to struggle for survival, condemned to struggle against nature for one of life’s most necessities—food. And finally, he was condemned to die (v.19).

Side note: All the judgments that fell upon man also fell upon the woman. Therefore, the ground was cursed for her as well. Note that the creation suffers and struggles for deliverance from corruption. The word creation refers to everything under man: animal, plant, and mineral. All creation is pictured as living and waiting expectantly for the day when the sons of God will be glorified. The words earnest expectation in Romans 8:19, means to watch with the neck outstretched and the head erect. It is a persistent, unswerving expectation, an expectation that does not give up but keeps looking until the event happens.

The judgment of thorns and thistles signifies more than man simply struggling to eat. The idea is that nature is no longer under control; nature is no longer going to regularly and orderly produce plenty for man. In addition to food, man must now struggle against nature for all his necessities—shelter, clothing, and security. The point is, nature is no longer under control, no longer perfect. Nature is, therefore, to produce both good and bad things, to be both predictable and unpredictable.

Man’s struggle against nature will continue for his entire life until he returns to the ground from which he was formed. Since the fall, man stands on shaky ground. At any moment, some earthly occurrence (tornado, hurricane, volcano, earthquake, drought, famine, or flood), can snatch away everything a man has. Man is condemned to struggle for survival all the days of his life.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, man and woman have just received God’s partial judgment for their sin. I say partial because there is coming a residual judgment upon them both, which we will cover next time. Be that as it may, you have just witnessed why this world came to be the way it is and how man’s existence went from utopia to corruption. This biblical narrative informs us how and why life became the way it is today. The “how” speaks to God’s curse upon the earth and nature, and His judgment upon mankind. The “why” is because of man’s sin of disobedience against God’s command. The bottom line is that this narrative is either the truth or a lie. Now If you agree that God’s word is true, you can simply say along with me, “Amen.” However, if you disagree and believe God’s word is a lie, then you are on the proverbial hook to present your documented evidence as proof. And I do mean documented evidence and not merely verbal opposition. Because anybody can run their mouth. However, truth must be documented so that it may be examined and scrutinized over an extended period of time to see if it remains true. For thousands of years and to this day, the Bible continues to be examined and scrutinized, and has been found to be the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, which is why in the United States of America, under penalty of perjury, all testimony given in a court of law, and all oaths taken for political office use the Bible as the standard of fidelity and honesty. Amen somebody.

The question is, are God’s judgments against women still in effect? Well, the last time I checked women were still suffering pain and sorrow in childbearing and childrearing. Furthermore, there continues to be friction in the marriage relationship (women desiring to dominate their husbands yet vowing to be under his authority. Oftentimes an authority that the husband does not and/or will not accept.). Also, men through hard labor (sweat of their brows) and acts of nature (weeds, floods, storms, droughts, and earthquakes are still required to provide food, protection, and shelter for their families. And last but certainly not least, men and women are still dying. Amen somebody.

Nevertheless, I see the mercy and grace of God in this judgement. Adam and Eve were guilty of cosmic treason giving God every right to curse man as He did the serpent or cut him off forever with no forgiveness or redemption as He did with Satan and the angels that followed him in rebellion. But, because of God’s great love wherewith He loved man, he cursed the ground instead of them—that is mercy. Then as a display of His grace, He promised to destroy the enemy of man’s soul, who is Satan, through Seed of the woman. Thereby providing a means of salvation and redemption for fallen humanity. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:8-10, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Thus, the bad news is that Adam plunged us all into sin and death, but the good news is that God’s grace and mercy is extended to all humanity who believe the truth of His word and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Again, Paul writes in Romans 5:18-21, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (20) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (21) That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” So, until next time, may the Lord richly bless you my beloved. AMEN.