Pain and a sure promise of provision

Gen. 3:14-24

Well, we are finally back in Genesis and we’ll be here for the next three messages. After this series we are going to spend some time in the gospel of Luke in a series entitled, Lost and Found: Stories of Redemption in the Gospel of Luke that should take us to Christmas time. Today we are going to finish reading chapter 3 of Genesis. Just some background before we read verses 14 to 24. As we have seen God has made all of creation to express is infinite goodness and greatness, what we call his glory, he has created different realms and then filled each of these realms, sky, land and sea, with a huge glorious variety of life. He then put man in charge over his creation to image his glory together as man and woman. He placed man in a garden paradise, a royal walled garden, where he was to tend the garden and rule over creation as he experienced perfect fellowship with God himself and complete harmony with creation. He was put there on probation as well, given the simple task to obey the one explicit command God gave him, not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then he would receive the right to eat of the tree of life and enjoy God forever in this paradise. Well, we know what happened. Satan, in the form of the serpent deceived the woman and man and they ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree and fell from fellowship with God and sin and decline entered into humanity. That’s where our text picks up, as the man and woman and serpent have been discovered and blameshifted before our holy and good God. God now gives his awesome reply. Before we read, let’s pray.

Genesis 3:14-24 (ESV)” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” ¹⁶ To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” ²⁰ The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. ²¹ And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. ²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:14-24 (ESV)

In Pilgrim’s Progress the main character, Christian and his friend Hopeful wander into the territory of the terrible giant despair who lives in doubting castle. This giant and his wife beat Christian and Hopeful and tell them they have met their doom to the point which Christian and Hopeful despair almost completely. The morning that the giant is going to destroy them they find the courage and faith to pray and they decide to make a run for it and escape from the castle if they can. Listen to how John Bunyan describes what happens next.

“Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, broke out into this passionate speech: What a fool, said he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That is good news; good brother, pluck it out of thy bosom, and try. Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon-door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that leads into the castle-yard, and with his key opened that door also. After he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went desperately hard, yet the key did open it. They then thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King’s highway, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.”

This is a wonderful story of the power of God’s promise amidst despair and trial. Our passage today is a wonderful passage that demonstrates that amidst even the greatest failure and greatest trial God’s gives us his promises of ultimate deliverance. For in this story from Genesis we come to understand the pain of the human condition but also see promise and provision of a merciful and loving God. There is pain in life but there is promise of provision. Let me say that again. There is real pain in life but there is God’s sure promise of provision even amidst the pain.

Pain for the Serpent

Let’s take a look at the passage to see this truth. Now this section is God’s dealings with the guilty parties. He first addressed Adam, Adam shifts the focus to Eve, Eve blames the serpent. So now, God addresses the serpent first than he will go on to Eve then to Adam – in reverse order. While he has dire circumstances for Adam and Eve he does not curse them outright but rather curses their environment and experience. He withholds total cursing from Adam and Eve. Not so the serpent. He says, “cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.” Gen. 3:14 (ESV). This isn’t an explanation for why snakes slither instead of walk, this is a pronouncement of curse on Satan himself symbolized by the state of the serpent, groveling in the dust. Listen to what Isaiah 65:25 says, "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord." (Isaiah 65:25, ESV). So while there is hope of redemption for all of creation, there is no hope for the snake, that is Satan. His curse is complete and without hope.

Promise Regarding the Serpent

Furthermore, verse 15 says that mankind will be his ultimate undoing. God puts enmity between the woman’s seed and the snake so that her seed, that is all the living and in particular the chosen people of God, , would strive against the snake as the snake would bite back at the heel that would crush its head. This struggle is for all of God’s people throughout history. First, the people of Israel hearing this story from Moses, onto all the OT saints and ultimately to the seed of the woman, that is Jesus himself.

Isn’t it amazing that right here amidst the tragedy of paradise lost, amidst blameshifting, amidst the fearful judgment of a perfect and holy God there is the promise of redemption? I mean folks, this could have been a perfect tragedy. God could have killed and eliminated all the offending parties. He could have wiped out all of creation. This could have been a perfect tragedy. And God had and has every right to do so. He has no obligation to do anything but be perfectly just. He made all things, he is perfect, he doesn’t have to explain himself. He never fails to do what is the absolutely and infinitely best thing to do in any and every situation. If he had ended it all here it would have been his prerogative and this story would be a perfect tragedy, at least for us. But, that is not what God is like. He is a God of wisdom and compassion and love and faithfulness and consistency. Although mankind and the world may throw the very worst at God he is completely able to turn it all for good. Although Adam and Eve and the serpent did much evil, God is fully able to redeem the situation and use it to maximize his glory and do the ultimate good. So, in the midst of tragedy, in the midst of the pain of his judgment he looks to the ultimate man, Jesus Christ, who would deal finally and decisively with the snake and be his ultimate and final undoing. But at a tremendous cost. For the crushing of the snakes head involved the snake biting his heel in the process. Christ came as the ultimate man, as the King of Kings but with that, as the suffering servant. You see, God is not some script writer weaving the story of humanity and then sitting back and getting his jollies as we are tossed and turned by the ups and downs of redemptive history. No, He himself entered the story line as the God-man, Jesus Christ, and underwent the most extreme experience of pain, the most significant tragedy himself, the tragedy of bearing the white hot perfect eternal wrath of a infinitely good and holy God on a cruel cross as God the Son as our sin bearer was exiled from God the Father. There is no greater horror on earth or in heaven or in hell than what Jesus went through. We must never think God is a disconnected dispassionate sovereign. He designed his own damnation in a sense. And he did it for his glory, because he is glorious and good and wise and compassionate and just and kind and loving and he must give full expression to all that he is. He did it because of his great love, his infinite love that can only be truly measured by the price he paid for unworthy reprobates like me and you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves Adam and Eve. He loves us. God is amazing. And, if I am not aware of the love of God I am ignorant of at least one of three things. Either 1) I don’t know enough about my unworthiness before a perfect God or 2) I don’t know enough about God’s infinite goodness and greatness or 3) I don’t know enough about the price he paid to bridge the two. In such times I must press in to be reminded of this truths and then I must stand on them in faith. Thank God he is committed to reminding us of all this in the gospel. Thank God for the faith-giving ministry of the Holy Spirit!

Eve’s Pain

So God, according to his graciousness and undeserved kindness, extends a promise to Adam and Eve even as he is cursing the snake. Then he goes on. He pronounces a judgment on Eve for her sin. Whereby she was created as Adam’s helper with the unique and glorious privilege of bearing children she now finds this significant role corrupted so that what should be a moment of pure joy will henceforth bring with it extreme pain. And guys, we know nothing of this experience. I remember when Daniel was born. Peg was in the midst of 6 hours of labor and I had a headache. You would think that I would bear the headache out of sympathy for Peg’s suffering. Nope, I called my mom who brought over some Tylenol. Peg still kids me about it to this day. Guys, we have it easy. I think even the worst headache would not quite be like labor. But don’t ask me, I’ve never known labor. Back to Genesis. Eve now finds, and all mother’s along with her, that the privileged role is marred by the pain that comes with it.

Furthermore, what was to be the most pleasant relationship is now also marred. Look what it says in verse 16. “ Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” In Genesis 4:7 God tells Cain, Adam and Eve’s first child that sin was crouching at the door and “Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” This is the same word in Hebrew. The desire Eve has for Adam is probably not affectionate or romantic but rather to own him like sin wants to own Cain. In other words, as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin instead of perfect bliss and glad submission and perfect love and leadership, marriages now are subject to the temptation domination and insubordination. What was meant as a blessing can now become a battleground. We will spend some more time in a couple weeks getting more into this while we review what Genesis 1-3 teaches us about biblical manhood and womanhood and marriage. Conflict, chauvinism, feminism, broken families and gender confusion are a all a result of the tragic deception that we could be live life independently from God.

Adam’s Pain

Now God turns his attention to Adam. Because Adam listened to his wife in her temptation instead of being a stalwart leader in God’s truth he is to suffer as well. His key role is also now corrupted. He was put into the marvelous royal garden of Eden to tend it and enjoy it for God’s glory. But now, instead of a pure joy he now finds the ground springing up thorns and thistles and the once blessed labor bringing pain and sweat. And instead of eating of the tree of life and living forever he now finds the tragedy of mortality. He will die and return to the dust from which he was made. He wasn’t meant for this but chose this in his disbelief and disobedience.

Another Promise to Adam and Eve: Life

Once again, in this passage, amidst the tragedy of the curse of sin, God is making provision and promises. Take a look at verse 20. Here the woman is given the name Eve – which means living. She is to be the mother of all the living. There is hope even as they find themselves cast out from the garden. There are to be descendents who will follow. God will not bring immediate and complete death but will continue the redemptive plan he had in mind. He will continue to preserve a remnant throughout history, the line of Seth, Noah and his Sons, Job, Abraham and his sons, Isreal and then the fullness of Israel –the climax in the victory of his Son, the true Isreal, and his kingdom filling the whole world and bringing full redemption. Her name is to be Eve – living.

Another Promise to Adam and Eve: Covering of Sin

Then God does something additional. They are standing before him in shock at the gravity of their sin and situation. They are standing there in their pitiful fig leave loincloths. So God, as the gracious one, even to his enemies, makes them full garments of skins. He covers their shame with full garments. Some would see in the animals sacrificed for their skins a foreshadowing of the perfect lamb who was slain to cover our sins. This may be so. Certainly the provision of covering from God would demonstrate that God was so disposed as to deal with their sinfulness and need for covering. And if he did this here at the beginning of it all he would indeed provide for full provision and full redemption from their sin. I believe Adam and Eve, though they sinned and led us all into tragic results, grasped the gracious promise of God. I trust we will meet them in heaven and celebrate with us that our sins have been covered by the Lamb of God.

Another Promise to Adam and Eve: Rentering the Garden

Finally, in the last paragraph, we see Adam and Eve cast from the garden. But even in this there is promise. God could not allow them to continue to dwell in the garden in their sinful condition. Verse 22 says they knew good and evil and because of this could not be allowed to take of the tree of life. You see, they and we, know good and evil in a sense, but in our natural state it is a corrupted and twisted knowing because we seek to know good and evil apart from dependence on God. It would be true misery and tragedy for mankind and God’s creation for Adam and Eve in a state of corruption to live eternally, so God casts them out of the garden. But notice some things about the garden here. And as I describe this, keep in mind that this was written for the Israelites as they worshipped at the tabernacle in the desert and then the promised land. God drives out the man in verse 23 and in verse 24 he does something to protect the garden from Adam and Eve. What is it? That’s right, he places a cherubim with a flaming sword. But where does he place the cherubim? That’s right, at the east side. Remember, the garden was a royal garden with a wall and there was obviously an entrance on the east side. What significant building in the history of Israel housed the presence of God and had one entrance that faced east? That’s right, the tabernacle and the temple. Note also, what sort of angel guarded the way into the garden? A cherubim did. And what sort of angel stood over the mercy seat in the holy of holies? That is right, a cherubim did. You see, this garden was the place where God fellowshipped with man and man in his sin was cast from fellowship with God. Yet this account was given to the people of God who now had a garden right in their midst. God was no longer casting them from his presence but providing for a way for them to re-enter into fellowship with them. He was redeeming his people. And they understood the blessing of being called as his people. They also knew the curse of being cast from his presence.

Reentering the Garden

Really, there are only two states for mankind. Either we are called into his presence or in exile from him. One is true life, the other is death. The people of Israel knew this, that is why their exile in Babylon was understood as such a tragedy. They saw themselves exiled from God. That is why the temple played such a huge part in their lives. That is why the land was so important. For Israel and the Temple were the place where God dwelled. They were aware that exile was a curse. You see, we all are either living life in exile from God and his people or we are dwelling in his presence. Now, God’s presence is not geographically limited. For in John 4 when the Samaritan woman sought to argue about which mountain was the right mountain to worship Jesus said the right place to worship him is in spirit and in truth. It’s not where you are but how you are related to him. We now have the truth of the Gospel and Spirit of God. Christ came to rescue us from exile by fulfilling all righteousness, dying for our sins and effectually calling us to himself through the proclamation of the gospel.

Everyone here who is a believer heard God call them back into the garden, back into the tabernacle, back into his holy loving presence through Christ. Christ died to bring those who are far off near to God. That we might dwell in his presence forever. David says in Psalm 23, “surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That is true life, everything else is death. This is why excommunication from God’s people is a very severe discipline. Sadly, for many Christians, it is their preferable place to dwell. NT Christianity would view separation from the people of God as horrible. May we so enjoy the fellowship of God amidst his people that we are horrified at the thought of being cast out from God’s people.

Ultimately, those who reject God will remain in exile – for that is what hell is, eternal exile from God. And he does not will that any perish and remain in exile. He begs you to come into his presence. To turn from your sin and self-reliance and rely on his provision to make a way for you to return to him. To trust in Jesus perfect life and death for your sins so you can be forever forgiven and forever in his presence. To experience all you are made for.

You see, he was making promises of provision right from the beginning. And he has made that provision in Christ. And he will completely fulfill his promise of provision. He will bring it to full conclusion.

You see, for right now we already experience much of what it means to be restored to the garden. We know his precious voice, we know his faithful love, we know fellowship and friendship and joy with his people. You know, I am so looking forward to having our monthly luncheons again. There are few things better than to sit around on a sunny fall afternoon with a plate of food and a roomful of my church family laughing together, talking about God, enjoying life and just resting in God’s wonderful grace. It is such a taste of heaven.

Thank God for the tastes of heaven we get. You know, we aren’t there yet, we still feel the effects of sin and our corruption. We still sin. We still get sick. We still watch our friends die. We still wrestle with trials. But we have a sure promise in Christ and we have a sure hope. And though we may be aware of the pain of this corrupted world, we can stand on the promises of God. The promises given right from the very beginning from our wonderful heavenly father. He gave us this book to give us hope, to lead the way back to paradise and to give us strength amidst the pain of this present world – strength as we stand on his promises to enjoy the tastes we now have and to wait for his complete provision. Let’s pray.