JAN 25

Genesis 3:14-19
Memorise Deuteronomy 28:15
“Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed….”

Along with its consequences, sin will always result in judgments. Genesis 3:14-19 gives us the sobering curses that God pronounced upon the serpent, man and woman, because of the sin that they had committed in rebelling against God.

To the serpent (Genesis 3:14), God’s judgment was that serpents would have to slither upon their belly and eat the dust of the ground. It is not known what physical form snakes had before the fall. Nonetheless how they are now comes as a result of the fall. They will always be the lowest of all beasts and constantly be trampled under the feet of all other animals  This curse will continue into the millennium, as even then “dust shall be the serpent’s meat” (Isaiah 65:25), serving as a sober reminder of the fall of man.

To the woman (Genesis 3:16), she will have increased pain in child birth. The blessing of conception now co-exists with a curse, because of the labour pains that she will have to experience. She will always have a desire to have dominion at home and rule over her husband, but she will have to be brought under his authority.

For the man (Genesis 3:17-19), his work and the labour of his hands will now be done in toil and sorrow. The ground will not yield forth fruit as easily as before, for there will now be thorns and thistles to hinder the growth of his crops. Work will no longer be easy and pleasurable, but will result in the sweat of his brow.

To all of mankind, there will now be a limit to their lifespan, for they will eventually “return unto the ground… for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). This speaks of the physical death we will all have to experience as a judgment for sin (Hebrews 9:27).

Till today, these curses continue to be experienced by all mankind. Though we have clever inventions like the epidural injection and air-conditioning to alleviate the sorrows of those curses, nonetheless they are still in effect, and will be until the Lord returns. They will continue to serve as a stern reminder of the severity of the original sin that caused the fall.

Thought: Do we complain of our lives being hard and full of sorrow?

Prayer: Lord, help me to understand the seriousness of sin.