The Havoc on the Home

As we've been discussing, Satan burned with jealousy toward man. As an observer to the creation of this world, Satan had seen God's plan to create man in His Own image, and that image would be reflected by a man and a woman joined in marriage. Satan had watched as God lovingly crafted Adam from the dust of the ground, then Eve from a piece of his side. He had watched as God brought this first couple together and joined them as one flesh. He saw that God intended for this union to be good - for it to be beneficial for the man and the woman. And Satan determined to destroy that union.

His chance came soon. God had told Adam, in Genesis 2:16-17, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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." This was Satan's opportunity. Adam had been warned. He knew the consequences. We assume this warning was known by Eve too. But it was to Eve, Satan came in the form of a serpent. Genesis 3:1-5 says,

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' ' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' ' Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' "

Satan directly questioned God's goodness. He made it seem like God was stingy and didn't want them to be like Him. Satan was saying, "God just doesn't want you to know the things He knows." Eve believed him and ate. She was deceived and believed the lie. Ah, and as they say, "The rest is history." She gave some to Adam, and he ate. Adam fell, and the whole earth came under the curse. Even the home was cursed.

But why did the serpent come to Eve and not Adam? From Genesis 2:18, we learned that she was to be Adam's helpmeet. Adam was to take the leaderhip in his home. Not that this has anything to do with their equality within the marriage, but for order's sake, there must be organization. Within the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is equality. Yet the Son submits willingly to the Father. This is illustrated in 1st Corinthians 11:3, "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." Even in equality, an ordering is required. That ordering was in place before the fall.

So when the serpent went to Eve to tempt her, she took the leadership from Adam and ate. Adam, who was with her, took the position of following her lead with disastrous consequences. This is a complete reversal in the roles. Eve stepped out from under the umbrella of her husband's protection, and usurped his leadership in the process. Adam gave up his leadership to become the follower, the responder. The curse merely made this reversal in roles normal.

We can especially see this in the curse on Eve. It is set in almost a courtroom scene as God passes judgment. In Genesis 3:16, "To the woman [God] said: 'I will 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.'" God cursed Eve based upon her main created roles - that of being a mother and a wife. Birth was not meant to be such a difficult and grueling ordeal, but because of the curse, giving birth became filled with pain; and marriage was never intended to be a battleground, but now marriage can be so difficult.

But what exactly does the second part of the curse mean when it says, "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you?" Is the woman's desire a sexual desire for her husband, as some claim? That would not be a curse. Nor is it her desire to have a husband. And for the part about her husband ruling over her, no normal human being enjoys being in the submissive role. That's why history is filled with women's liberation movements.

To find out what the curse on Eve means, we need to look specifically at the word, desire. This is not a word for sexual or psychological desire. Instead, it comes from a root that means to compel or seek control. That gives this curse an entirely different meaning. The same word is used in Genesis 4 when God talks to Cain. Both Cain and Abel had brought sacrifices to God. Abel's was accepted, while Cain's was rejected by God. And Cain got angry. God says to Cain in Genesis 4:7, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it." Sin wanted to control Cain - that was its desire. Sin wanted to master him, and he wasn't to let it. Likewise, from that time on, because of this curse, the wife's desire would be to rule over her husband, and he would instead crush her rebellion with an iron fist and rule over her with tyrannical force. Neither of these were part of God's original plan, but the battle of the sexes was now on.

Before the curse, Adam and Eve lived together as co-regents over this world, equal in every regard. The principles of leadership and submission, although present from creation, were so natural they were not even visible. The relationship was beautiful, natural, and God ordained. Since the curse, the husband tends to rule like a despot, while the wife tends to want to undermine that rule. And homes have become a battleground.

The curse hit us at the heart of our human relationships. But it is still not good that the man should be alone. Man still desperately needs that helpmeet. He longs for that companionship that God instilled in him. He vainly marries in hope of happiness. But the curse makes that relationship almost impossible to build on our own.

The answer is Jesus Christ. Jesus erases the curse by His grace. When we know Him, love Him, and allow His Spirit to fill us; we will again obey God's mandate for our marriages. That mandate is found in Ephesians 5. To the wife God said, Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." No longer will she usurp her husbands authority, but she will again be his helpmeet, voluntarily submitting to her husband's leadership. And the curse is rolled back. To the husband, God said, Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her." No longer would he rule like a tyrant or be a dictator within his home. But again he will be the servant leader to his wife, sacrificing himself continually for his wife's well being. And the curse is rolled back.

When we obey these commands and follow God's ordained plan, we are back by God's grace to the Garden of Eden. The curse can be erased, at least within our homes, if only we will be obedient.