The Hope of Redemption Part II (Genesis 3:16-19)

Genesis 3:16-19 (NASB):

To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

If you are a parent, you understand the joy that the birth of a baby brings. I can remember when Zachary and Abigail were both born. The mixture of excitement, uncertainty, and anticipation my wife and I felt. Because Deana has epilepsy, the doctor did not want her to have a natural delivery, but instead did a C-section for each child. However, she had difficult pregnancies with both children. If you or your wife had a difficult pregnancy or delivery, today’s text gives us insight as to the reason.

Not only did God pronounce judgment on the serpent [Satan], but He also pronounced judgment on the woman. Procreation was not part of the curse but was central to God’s purpose for the woman and the man (Genesis 1:28). However, childbearing would become much more difficult for the woman after the fall. Her labor pains (“sorrow and…conception,” KJV; “pain in childbearing,” ESV) would become more intense, causing physical anguish in giving birth. Yet the prediction of her having children was a promise of life and purpose.

Sin also affected the relationship between the woman and her husband. The phrase, “your desire will be for your husband” has been the subject of much debate among Bible scholars. Some attribute the desire to sexual attraction, while others relate the term to a longing for control. The statement, “he will rule over you” suggests that the woman’s desire might more to do with control of the relationship. In any case, God announced that the husband would have the responsibility of leading and protecting the home. The apostle Paul taught as much when he described a godly marriage relationship in Ephesians 5:22-33.

In verse seventeen, God’s judgment of Adam included two aspects. First, Adam had listened to his wife’s voice rather than the voice of God. The verb rendered “listened to” (“hearkened unto,” KJV) means “to hear and obey.” The same root word is used in Deuteronomy 6:4 to introduce the Shema: “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” God’s command to Adam concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was clear: Do not eat from it. Rather than trusting and obeying God, Adam listened to his wife and followed her lead into disobedience.

A second aspect of God’s judgment against Adam impacted the ground (Hebrew adamah) from which the man had been formed (Gen. 2:7). Since Adam had rejected God’s command not to eat from the prohibited tree, he would eat from a cursed earth. Just as the woman would experience intense pain in childbirth, the man would have to endure painful labor (“sorrow,” KJV; “painful toil,” NIV) in obtaining food from the ground. This would not be just a temporary difficulty but would characterize Adam’s work all the days of his life.

Many a farmer or gardener has wondered with disgust, “How did so many thorns and thistles get in my field?” This verse tells the answer. It shows the great contrast between the verdant, super-productive ground before the fall (Genesis 2:8-9) and the weed infested soil after the fall. Moreover, the implication is that Adam and Eve would no longer enjoy the luscious fruit from all the trees in the garden. By partaking of the one forbidden tree, they lost access to all others. From this point forward, they would eat the plants of the field-and eat them only after much toil and frustration.

From verse nineteen we see that the process of obtaining bread (“food,” NIV) is one example of the hardships Adam would face in providing for his family. Food would not come easy; it would be gained by the sweat of [his] brow as he cultivated the ground.

The main emphasis of this verse, however, concerns Adam’s return to dust. God had formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). With Adam’s sin, death entered the world; through him, death spread to all humanity (Rom. 5:12). Every person has rebelled against God, following in the footsteps of Adam and Eve (Rom. 3:23). Sin always leads to judgment and death. Thankfully, Genesis 2:25 points us beyond the fall to the salvation that would come through Jesus Christ.

Apply the Scripture:

In what ways do you see the consequences of humanity’s fall ongoing in today’s world? In what ways is God’s mercy evident?

Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,

Dr. Bryan Cox