The Curse for Man
Before this point, Adam worked the land in Eden and produce would spring forth from the ground because it was good. Yet now, God told Adam that he would have to work hard because although the land would produce as before, thorns and thistles would now grow faster, making Adam’s job much harder
Interestingly, God’s curse of thorns for man was the curse Jesus took on when they placed a crown of thorns upon His head during the crucifixion (Matthew 27:29). This allowed Jesus to bore this pain for us
Yet, God still provided for man. He didn’t send Adam and Eve out of Eden with a plan to make them starve to death, but more, Adam would have to sweat in order to get food for his family. Therefore, because the ground was cursed, it was in that moment that man (Adam) needed to rely on God to provide for them. Man needed to cry out to God for help, but in doing so, God would draw nearer to them
The Final Blow
Ultimately, Adam’s lifelong work would end in death, and he would return to the dust from which he was created. Death was the final consequence of Adam’s choice to sin. This was his curse, and if we remember, back in Creation, God gave life to Adam through His spoken word and the dust of the ground, but now, God spoke once more, but this time to take life away from Adam, and the rest of humanity
Redemption
So many times, we can see our pain and heartache as punishment from God, and yes, Adam bought a curse upon humanity, which ultimately led to death. Yet, I love this notion that hard times are not a punishment from the LORD but are opportunities for blessing
I mean that New Testament living isn’t about the “amount” we have in this life because the prosperity Gospel isn’t truth, but we now live under the Gospel of love and grace. Therefore, although the ground is still cursed, our blessing, today, is found from being close to God (who loves us unconditionally and gives eternal life) when we cry out to Him for help
“And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.””
Genesis 3:17-19
Categories: Genesis
