In verse 7 and following, the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin are made known. It is evident that the rest they once enjoyed in the garden has been profoundly compromised. Instead of finding themselves freely enjoying the presence of God, they now find themselves fearing him, hiding from him as he approaches (v.8), shirking their responsibility for their actions, and shifting the blame to one another (v. 12) and to the serpent (v. 13). They now find themselves standing with the serpent on the receiving end of God’s judgment, instead of with God on the receiving end of his blessing.

To the serpent, God sends him to his belly and to the eating of dust for the rest of his days (v . 14). Enmity is placed between him and the woman, and between their respective offspring (v. 14). Notably, however, in this curse of the serpent there lies a glimmer of hope for humanity. God declares that the power of the serpent is temporary and that his doom is sure, as he awaits the crushing of his head by the heel of the woman’s seed (v. 15).

God then turns his judgment toward the man and the woman. To the woman, he increases her pain in child bearing (v. 16) and informs her that her “desire” will now be for her husband (v.16). There has been much debate surrounding the implications of the word “desire” and its use within this text; however, from the context it seems clear that the term is employed with a negative sense, possibly denoting that she will now somehow harbor an improper desire to usurp the authority of her husband and will attempt to assume his role as leader (cf. 4:7). Furthermore, there now exists within the original authority structure a tendency within the man to rule harshly over the woman, setting the stage for a constant struggle between the man and the woman within the marriage union: as she seeks to rule over him, he will carry out his authority over her ruthlessly. To the man, God provides two reasons for his judgment against him: he listened to the voice of his wife (v. 17a) and disobeyed the commandment of God (v. 17b). As a result, man will be forced to toil and labor over the thorns and thistles of the now cursed ground (v. 17-18). He will only eat by the product of his labor and the sweat of his brow, only to be relieved when he returns to the ground from which he was created (v.19).

Despite this clear judgment of God, hope for humanity still remains. The human race will not end with the death of Adam and Eve (v. 20) and God will remain the source of their provision (v. 21). All would seem to be lost, however, in their banishment from the garden of Eden (v.23), as Cherubim and a flaming sword now stand in the way of their access to the tree of life, a clear symbol of their now broken communion and fellowship with God (v. 24). Nevertheless, as the biblical storyline of the Old Testament progresses, God will continue to provide in a limited fashion a way back to the rest that humanity once enjoyed in Eden. This, then, sets the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ who will provide a way back in an unlimited fashion. Even with his arrival, however, the consummation of all things awaits its full realization to be effected at his second coming. This age to come, the book of Revelation describes, will be a time when we will once again see the tree of life and enjoy perfect communion with God anew.

Sin and suffering remind us that there is something to be awaited, that creation groans together with us in anticipation of its restoration, and as we reside in this fallen world, let us find our assurance not in those things which are merely momentary and fleeting, but in the One who is eternal, who will one day usher in his kingdom, and who presently awaits all his enemies to be relegated to their final destination: his footstool (Heb 1:13).

Audio from this week’s lesson: Genesis 3:7-24.

~TDG