Genesis 3 Part II: The Curses

In Genesis 2:17 we read that God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” KJV Eve essentially repeats this divine commandment to the serpent, so at some point, she was made entirely aware of the rule. 3:2-3. In 3:1 we might infer that the serpent was a subtil (crafty, wise?) “beast of the field” that Yahweh, Elohim made.

Now, why would Eve, or Adam for that matter, heed the serpent’s teachings over God’s commandment? This is God, Who provided them with so many good things. Personally, I find little beguiling in the serpent’s statements to Eve, 3:4-5. All we are given is a simple lie, unadorned with much “craftiness.” Perhaps, the secret lies, in the serpent calling Eve’s attention to the tree, and leading her to look at it and consider it. Then, temptation sets in. She sees the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eye, and to be desired to make one wise. 3:5-6. From this v. 6 it seems clearly implied that Adam was there when she first ate of the fruit. Was it not a sin, that Adam did not stop her or remind her of God’s prohibition? Still, each of the three characters were punished and we remain under these curses yet today. That each sex played a slightly different role, or that their excuses were different, or that their curses were different, and expounded on differently by Paul in the NT, says little about one sex being singularly responsible for the original sin and the curses. Nor does it readily identify what that first spiritual sin was.

OK, eating the forbidden fruit, and disobedience was a sin, but what preceded that made this even possible? One factor, of course, is that God gave us free will. He made us governors and protectors of creation. Through this free will, he gave us authority and power to create our own future, at least within the limits of His permissive will. I suspect that the first spiritual or heart sin was the pride of life; the desire to be like God; a selfish need for self-importance. Call it pride or selfishness, if you like. It is the source of multitudes of outward sins in our common experience, and we are being taught about it here.

Upon eating the forbidden fruit (probably not related to an apple) Adam and Eve’s eyes were spiritually opened so that they could determine good and evil. How peculiar. I’m not too crazy about much of the postmodern worldview, but this does give one pause to consider, that perhaps evil did not exist until Adam and Eve were able to perceive it. Some might argue that nothing is evil, until one views it as evil. Romans 14 Still, there are limits to this view, because we are given specific prohibitions and commandments in the NT, which are too clear to ignore.

Finally, to the curses. The first sort of curse, though not named, may be that Adam and Eve knew good and evil and were ashamed of their nakedness. 3:7. This is written to appear as a direct effect of eating the forbidden fruit, and not a special judgment placed upon them by God. They sewed fig leaves together. (Where did thread come from all of a sudden?) They felt a need to hide themselves from God’s presence (as if this might be in their power.)

Now, the blame game starts. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent, saying she was beguiled. The previous conversation between Eve and the serpent does not suggest to me very effective beguilement. Adam and Eve both were introduced to the perceived beauty, fleshly desire, and self-aggrandizement that could be supplied by the fruit. They chose selfish desires over God’s fully expressed and understood will. They were absolutely responsible for their actions, and had no basis to blame each other, or the serpent. Nowadays, many liberal theologians prefer to blame God. “Well, He made me this way, so this is how He wants me to be,” sort of thinking. That seems as bad as or worse than older excuses like, “The devil made me do it.” Consider how low we fell at this point. Even the serpent did not try to blame anyone else. It reads as if he took his medicine quietly, unlike our original parents.

The serpent is cursed above all the beasts of the field and required to travel on its belly and eat dust. The serpent’s head will be crushed by the seed of woman. The woman, will bring forth children in sorrow (etseb, pain, labor, hardship; now you know why they are called labor rooms), her desire will be for her husband, and consequently, her husband will rule over her. The ground is cursed for Adam’s sake. (Remember adam and adamah?) Some make much of the idea that Adam is not directly cursed. You might ask Adam about that. The KJV does not specifically say that Adam or Eve is cursed. The only use of the word curse (‘arar) in this passage refers to the serpent and to the ground. Cursed is the ground, adamah, for Adam’s sake. Adam will toil and sweat and the earth will bring forth thorns and thistles. Like Eve, Adam is now burdened with with sorrow (etseb, pain, labor, hardship.) In his case, it relates to bringing food from the ground.

It is my opinion that 3:15 is a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This is in part due to my teachings, but also in part, because I cannot make any spiritual sense from it in any other context. Still, I am teachable. 1 Corinthians 15:45-58 suggests that we look at Jesus as the last Adam. One created without sin, yet one who endured throughout life entirely outside the dominion of sin, despite many temptations. Jesus, then, is the “Adam” (man, human) that we should follow as an example, and not our original earthly parents, who failed God and denied His authority for their perception of what was good for them.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.