The Consequences of Sin
Genesis 3:16-19
Rev. Brian Bill
March 18-19, 2023
When Keith Stonehouse received a flurry of orders from Grubhub, it didn’t take him long to realize what had happened. Stonehouse had allowed his six-year-old son Mason to play on his phone before bed. Mason rewarded his kindness by ordering a whole lot of food. “Why did you do this?” asked Stonehouse to Mason, who hid under his comforter. Mason replied, “I don’t know. I was hungry.” Mason proceeded to interrupt his father’s lecture mid-sentence when he said, “Dad, stop. When are the pepperoni pizzas coming?”
Thankfully, the $439 pizza order was canceled by his bank for appearing fraudulent. However, more than $1,000 worth of food was successfully ordered and delivered, creating a very full refrigerator and emergency offers to friends and neighbors to share the unforeseen bounty. Stonehouse remarked, “I had to keep stepping out of [his] room and calming myself down. You want to yell at your son, but he’s only six.”
The next day, Stonehouse and his wife sat down with Mason and explained the gravity of his actions. To teach him a lesson, Mason had to use $150 from his piggy bank to help pay for all the hot dogs, cheese fries, hot wings, and burgers which showed up at their front door. The father reflected, “We showed him one-by-one [what he did]. He was a little devastated, but he understood [the consequences].”
As we continue in our “Back to the Beginning” series from Genesis, we’re going to see how God the Father enforced some severe consequences on his children because they ate the wrong grub.
Pastor Kyle did a super job last weekend explaining the “Gospel According to Genesis” by pointing out how God’s plan of salvation has been in place from the very beginning. The serpent was the first to experience consequences and was cursed by God. He would later be crushed by the bruised heel of Jesus through His crucifixion and resurrection.
BTW, thanks to Dave Bennett, our tech director, and Pastor Chad, we are now posting brief sermon snippets on the Edgewood Facebook page. Check out this week’s video to hear Pastor Kyle trace the seed of Eve’s offspring through every book of the Bible. I love how you applauded this reading! That document is also available on Sermon Extras, as a PDF on Facebook, and there are printed copies at the Welcome Center.
Have you ever wondered why life is so hard? Why do relationships have to be so difficult? Why do you feel unfulfilled at work? Why is your marriage a mess? Why is parenting so challenging? Where does your rage come from? Why do you feel so restless and rebellious? Why is it hard to read your Bible? Why are you so self-centered? Why do you feel discouraged? Why are there so many natural disasters? Why is there so much conflict in the world? Why does life feel so unsettled? Why do you feel so alone? Why are so many people dying?
Life is not what it should be. When you see all that is wrong, be reminded of how sin has affected and infected everything and everyone. Write this down. The curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone.
The source of our problems can ultimately be traced back to the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin. These consequences were designed to help the first couple see the horror and hideousness of their unholy behavior. It’s no small thing to sin against a holy God.
Our passage today is found in Genesis 3:16-19: “To the woman He said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’ 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; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 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.”
The Woman’s Consequences
Just as the serpent was given two consequences, Adam and Eve were each given two penalties which strike at the heart of who they are and what they’re called to do. God didn’t curse them directly, as He did the serpent, but He did impose sentences on them that have affected every human being since then. We’ll see consequences related to love in verse 16 and consequences related to labor in verses 17-19.
Incidentally, it’s such a joy to preach God’s Word to a church that is so eager to hear it, no matter how difficult the topic might be. So many of you have subscribed to the sermon manuscript email and many others pick up note-taking sheets prepared by Marie Guyton each week. These are available in the resource kiosks in both lobbies.
As an example of this earnestness, Scott James sent me an email this week: “I have been reading Genesis 3:14-19 to stay up on the text on which you will be preaching…you can see that God has chastisement for Eve and Adam (which always proceeds from love). Then we can see that God provided judgment on Satan (which always proceeds from condemnation). How amazing it was to read that both Adam and Eve received an equal mental and physical component to this merciful chastisement from God.”
Let’s consider Eve’s consequences first.
1. Pain in motherhood. We see this in the front half of verse 16: “To the woman He said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.’” The phrase “I will surely” has the idea of absolutely and takes us back to Genesis 2:16: “You may surely eat…” and Genesis 2:17: “You shall surely die…” To “multiply” means, “numerous in number, to increase in volume and extent.”
The word “pain” is used twice in verse 16 and once in verse 17 and means, “sorrow, agony, and suffering.” The phrase can be translated, “I will cause to be great your sorrow by increasing it and increasing it some more.” I wonder if that is why the word “labor” has come into our language since it is strenuous work to give birth.
In Genesis 1:28, the couple is commanded to be “fruitful and multiply” by having children and here Eve is told her pain will be multiplied in “childbearing.” Childbearing refers to the whole process of pregnancy, the actual birth of a baby, and the parenting of her children. Every mother here can testify to the pain of childbirth, something men can’t relate to. Guys, from experience, don’t ever say any pain you might be experiencing is worse than childbirth. You’re welcome.
Incidentally, the word “pain” refers to physical discomfort and emotional distress. It didn’t take Eve long to experience deep anguish when her son Cain killed her other son Abel. I know mothers (like my sister) who are in deep pain due to the death of a child, or the failing health of a child, or their child’s depression. Others are wondering when their prodigal child will return to the faith. Other moms like Edgewood member Della Bril, struggle because their child has been missing for six years.
The curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone.
2. Problems in marriage. The woman’s second consequence is stated in the back half of verse 16 and has to do with her relationship with her husband: “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” This phrase is a bit difficult to understand because the word “desire” is used in only two other places in the Old Testament. In Song of Solomon 7:10, it’s translated with the sense of longing in a romantic sort of way: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”
The other use is found in Genesis 4:7, just one chapter after Genesis 3:16, when God says something almost identical to Cain before he ended up killing Abel: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
One principle of interpretation is to consider the context when seeking to understand a passage. The clear meaning of Genesis 4:7 give us insight into what Genesis 3:16 means. In Genesis 4, Cain was rejected by God and became very angry. The Lord warned him that in his anger, he was easy prey for sin which was crouching like a lion ready to destroy him. God urged Cain to fight the inner urge to rage and instead “rule over it.”
Let’s put these verses next to each other so we see how similar they are:
• Genesis 4:7: “Its desire (teshuqa) is contrary to you, but you must rule (mashal) over it.”
• Genesis 3:16: “Your desire (teshuqa) shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule (mashal) over you.”
Since these two verses are almost identical, the preferred understanding is that the marital relationship will naturally lean toward being “contrary” where both husband and wife will strive to “rule over” each other. The word “rule” in Hebrew has overtones of tyranny about it. In a sinful world, the wife will desire to control, and the husband will seek to dominate, as coercion replaces cooperation. Instead of functioning as “one flesh,” their flesh made them fight to see who would win.
The New Living Translation reflects this understanding: “You will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” One pastor says it better than I can: “When sin has the upper hand in a wife, she will desire to overpower or subdue or exploit her husband. And when sin has the upper hand in a husband, he will…try to subdue or rule over her.” One commentator says: “‘To love and to cherish’ becomes ‘to desire and to dominate.’”
The complementary and harmonious relationship God intended for marriage is now filled with friction, frustration, conflict, and competition.
Kevin DeYoung writes the following in his book Men and Women in the Church:
“If the husband is called to be the head of the family, then the wife is called to be its heart. This design is reflected not only in the ‘very good’ of Eden, but in the very bad as well. The sin in the garden was, among other things, a reversal of the family order. Eve took charge, and Adam followed her. Eve sinned not just as a person, but as a woman and a wife; Adam sinned as a man and a husband.”
Have you noticed marriage can be messy? A couple weeks ago, one of our growth group members, asked for prayer for their marriage. That triggered the whole group to share how the marriage relationship can get rocky in a hurry. We laughed about our shared struggles and lamented about how challenging marriage can be. We concluded that marriage is a good sanctification process.
At the end of this discussion, my wife Beth shared her adaptation of a concept called, “The Marriage Box.”
Most of us have the idea that marriage is like a beautifully wrapped box full of all the things that we have longed for. And upon the wedding day, we get to open the box and enjoy all of life’s best delights.
But truthfully, the beautiful box is empty and both husband and wife must put treasures into the box before anything can be taken out.
A couple learns the art and joy of giving in hundreds of ways every day of their marriage. These acts of love fill their box little by little, day after day. So, the marriage box is actually a box of giving, to one another. Each couple must choose the joy of filling their box every day of their marriage by living out the “one anothers” in the Bible.
BTW, we believe spiritual growth happens best in groups. As part of our EVERYONE vision for 2023, we’re encouraging EVERYONE to get involved in a group. We have two groups for women and three for men, with one more beginning on Saturday mornings this week called “Better Man.” We have Growth Groups that meet during the week, with several new ones to begin soon. On Sunday mornings, we have 10 Growth Groups, with a new one for divorced women at 10:45. Fill out a Next Steps card if you’re ready to jump in. A list of Sunday groups is available in the kiosks.
The New Testament teaches with Christ at the center of marriage, the husband is to love his wife sacrificially and the wife is to voluntarily follow his loving leadership. We see this in Ephesians 5:24-25: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Submission does not imply spiritual inferiority. God created men and women in His image, which implies equal dignity, mutual respect, holy harmony, complementary roles, and a unified destiny. Men and women are equal, but not identical. When a husband loves his wife sacrificially, he serves as her protector, guardian, gardener, and leader. This creates an environment where a wife will want to follow his lead. Both husband and wife should seek peace by putting the other first and by mutually serving one another.
Ephesians 5:33 provides a good summary: “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Here’s an action step if you’re married: Wives, stop trying to control your husband and willingly follow his lead. Husbands, make sure you are not recklessly ruling and dominating your wife; instead, be the loving leader she longs for by sacrificing your life for her as Christ did for the church.
Before moving on, let me say clearly that any form of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse is evil and sinful. If you’re in an abusive relationship, please tell someone and get some help. You don’t have to suffer in silence. We offer Celebrate Recovery every Friday night, and we can also put you in touch with other resources and counseling.
The curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone.
The Man’s Consequences
Now, we turn to the penalties given to Adam. Verse 17 provides the context: “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.’” Because Adam listened to Eve and deliberately disobeyed God’s clear command, his work world would be filled with pain.
1. Futility of labor. The first consequence for Adam is stated in verse 18 and the front half of verse 19: “Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…” Genesis 2:9 describes a perfect garden in which God caused all kinds of delicious fruit to grow in abundance and variety. Prior to sinning, Adam just had to reach up and pick whatever fruit he fancied; after the fall, he had to bend over and get all sweaty as he plucked up the plants of the field.
The phrase “bring forth” means, “to spring up or sprout,” which is what happens when weeds sprout out of nowhere in our garden every year. “Thorns” were undesirable, inedible shrubs that were a fire hazard. “Thistles” were weedy, prickly plants. Hosea 10:8 refers to thistles as growing by themselves in places abandoned by humans.
Work had been fulfilling and fruitful before the fall but because of Adam’s sin, it would now be futile and frustrating. What was sweet and pleasurable would become sweaty and painful. This is reinforced in many passages. Here are just two:
Psalm 127:2: “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil.”
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23: “What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.”
Kent Hughes writes: “Note that work itself was not cursed. Work, in fact, had been a gift from God. God’s curse was upon the ground.” Incidentally, work is not designed to meet your deepest needs. While work can be fruitful, it will also be frustrating and unfulfilling because of the fall.
The curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone.
2. Finality of life. In the second half of verse 19, God tells Adam the “dust-man,” who was made from dust, that he will die and return to dust: “…till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Friend, no matter how long you might be able to extend your life, unless the rapture happens first, death and dust is your destiny. Death has hit our church hard in recent months.
We’re urged in Psalm 90:3, 10 to understand how transient and temporary life is: “You return man to dust and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’ The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” In light of the finality of life, we should make verse 12 our prayer: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Death is a direct fulfillment of Genesis 2:17: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Adam would now toil to have bread which wouldn’t even keep him alive. His hunger made him work so he could eat, which would lead to death. Allow the force of these words to impact you – cursed, pain, thorns, thistles, sweat, to dust you shall return. Discouragement leads to death which ends in returning to the dust. Adam died spiritually the day he ate the forbidden fruit. Genesis 5:5 tells us he lived many years, but his destiny was still death: “Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.”
What this means is you and I will literally work ourselves into the ground, one way or another. The serpent lied when he said Adam would “be like God.” Instead, his life was filled with sorrow, sweat, pain, problems, disappointment, and ended in death. Hebrews 9:27 says death is the one appointment everyone will keep: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
The curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone.
When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, all the motifs of the curse were drawn together: the tree to which he was nailed, the sweat like drops of blood, the crown of thorns, and the dust of death.
This week, I was moved to read a post by Aaron Wilson called, CROWNED WITH THE CURSE: THE GOSPEL SIGNIFICANCE OF THORNS, THISTLES, AND SWEAT. I’m going to read part of it and add some to it.
As you think about God’s pronouncement of the curse using the imagery of thorns, thistles, and sweat, consider Scripture’s account of Jesus’ journey to the cross.
Luke 22:44 records a night in which the sweat of Jesus “became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Note what Jesus is forced to wear on His way to the cross: a crown of thorns—a byproduct and symbol of the curse literally placed on the head of the sacrificial Lamb. Matthew 27:29 says, “They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him: ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’”
Take in the weight of this image. Before Jesus hangs on a cross to absorb the wrath of God, the curse literally hangs on His head as thorns and drips from His body as blood-soaked sweat. Meanwhile, the people around Christ see this as literal slapstick comedy, beating Him with rods in mockery.
As the mangled crown of thorns was pushed into Jesus’ skull, I wonder if He reflected on the day He first heard the curse pronouncement given to Adam. As Jesus stood silent before His mockers, the imbedded points of each thorn would have been sharp reminders of His mission. They would also have foreshadowed His victory over Satan and His glorious future. I John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
Thankfully, we now live on the other side of the cross where Jesus still wears a crown, but one that is no longer a symbol of the curse. Jesus is now crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering, having tasted death for everyone who puts their trust in Him (Hebrews 2:9).
The next time you wrestle with a result of the curse, whether it’s questioning a natural disaster, an untimely death, or an unexpected diagnosis, remember Jesus bore the weight of sin to ultimately redeem humanity from such suffering.
The next time you experience pain in motherhood or problems in your marriage, or you experience the futility of labor or the finality of death, remember Galatians 3:13. Jesus reversed the curse by becoming a curse when He paid the price for our sins: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’”
If you’re a born-again Christian, thank God you have been transformed from His enemy into a beloved child. Jesus once wore your curse; you now wear His righteousness. Because of this, a resurrected world, one without thorns, awaits.
If you’re not a Christ-follower yet, you are under the curse of sin and will have to pay the consequences for eternity in a horrible place called Hell. But you don’t have to go there. Repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your curse-bearer right now.
Ponder these lyrics from the popular Christmas carol, Joy to the World.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room.
And heav’n and nature sing.
