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"To the woman He said: 'I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” ~ Genesis 3:16
Today, we continue our study of the first book of the Bible, the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis. After the serpent convinced the first couple to be defined by him, man had to live with all of the negative results of living in a world run by the devil. When God levied the curse on the serpent, the first woman, Eve, was informed that even though she had sinned, she would yet birth a child. The serpent was told that Eve's Seed would crush his head, implying to Eve that one day she would be with child. Due to the birth of sin, Eve discovered that the curse of the serpent and the promise of a coming Seed to crush his head would come at a great cost to her. Eve had been sentenced to the multiplication of sorrows beginning with her conception all the way through the birth of her baby.
After the Fall, God's approach to Eve was different than it was to Adam. To Adam, God said, "Because you have done this," and then He held Adam responsible for the consequences of his sin. But to Eve, God made no such charge of responsibility. This is very significant. There were consequences that followed sin in Eve's life, but God did not charge her ultimately with being at fault for sin and we shall see why when we come to God's word to Adam.
The word translated "pain" in today's verse refers to more than mere physical pain; it is the Hebrew word that adds "sorrow" to pain. This word comes from a root which means "heart-breaking toil." This is perhaps why there has come into our language a description of birth pains as "labor," the toil of the heart-breaking variety. It is evident, in view of the way the whole context has developed, that this means more than simply physical pain; it refers also to the heartbreak associated with having and raising children. This is why the mother struggles with potential heartbreak throughout her children's lifetimes. This word means that a mother's sense of success or failure in life is shackled to her children's overall success or failure. Any threat to her children, no matter their age, will always render pain in the heart of the mother.
The words in today's verse helps to explain 1 Timothy 2:12-15 which reads, "12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control."
Obviously this passage is about how a mother finds a sense of satisfaction in life. The life of the mother who is being defined by God is made most purposeful through the process that begins with the birthing and rearing of her children. All mother's hearts are wrapped up with the lives and careers of their children. In each mother's life, her meaning and purpose is largely wrapped up in the success of her children. The Lord here in 1 Timothy informs the mother that her responsibility before the Lord for the "success" of her children is to train them in the ways of the Lord and as long as they continue in faith, love, wholeness with self-control, they will bring joy to their mother.
God's design which was disrupted by sin was for the husband to lead his family in the culture of God. This responsibility was to include a selfless approach as the husband walked with God and would be used of God to inculcate His culture in the lives of his family. We see the proper order of this relationship carefully noted by the apostles in the New Testament. In order for the mother to be defined by God best as a mother, she is responsible to fulfill her role with reference to her husband first. When sin was introduced, strife was introduced in her relationship with her husband. And, to the degree that she chooses to be defined by God, will be the degree to which she will train her children in the culture of God. The wife best deals with the negative results of sin in her most important relationship on earth with her husband by being herself defined by God. Before she can export the important lessons found in God's love and holiness with self-control, she must herself import the culture of God into her own life. And, of course, she does this by being defined by God. As a result of her being defined by God, her children will be more likely defined by God's love and wholeness with self-control.
Back in Genesis 1, God said to the first couple "Be fruitful and multiply." Adam and Eve were to be a team that worked together in the way they had been created. Ruling together, subduing together, and multiplying together; they were to export the culture of God to all those around them. But, once sin entered the world, their team was broken up and Eve's desire for her husband had turned into "her desire to rule over him."
The final phrase in Genesis 3:16, "And he shall rule over you," is used only one another time in the entire Old Testament. The only other time it is used is in Genesis 4:6-7 describing Cain's desire to rule over his brother. And, we know where that got him. This means the culture of the devil was automatically passed on to Eve's children, making her more sorrowful. Adam and Eve were meant to be together, to reign together, and to have dominion over the earth together. But, once Eve was deceived and defined by the enemy, she usurped the authority of her husband and she desired to rule over him.
Sadly, everyone since came into this world automatically being defined by the devil. As a result, everybody wants to blame God for the evil that we brought into this world. Many ask, "How can a loving God be so unloving?" Well, this question has been tainted by the very one who has duped everyone into believing that God is not good. And, we know that the root of sin is the suspicion that God is not good.
As we have pointed out before, the free will solution proposes God desires authentic relationships with humanity over a world without evil, and free will is necessary to initiate and cultivate authentic relationships. Thus, God chose to create a world where the highest good of real love was and is possible through humanity’s free will, despite the risk of giving birth to evil. If the free will solution is accepted, then God remains all-knowing, all-good, and all-powerful because a free humanity is the cause of evil, not Him, and He cannot restrain evil without violating free will and eliminating the possibility of real relationships anchored in genuine love.
