Partners Become Competitors
3-15-2015
Gen 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you."
The consequences of sin on human life are detailed in Genesis 3:14-19.
· Each participant in fall had two consequences: Adam and Eve were not cursed directly like serpent.
o Eve no “curse” or cause…serpent/deception, man/eating disobediently.
Affirms Eve’s ordained roles as child-bearer & wife but now with pain.
· We can assume there was no birth pain prior to the Fall. We don't know how but there was only joy then.
o Today medicine can reduce the pain but the focus here is more than physical pain.
§ There is no Hebrew word for pain so sorrow is universally used.
· We see increased hardship in everything having to do with the children now born in sin.
· In order to increase your joy & hope: be godly woman & raise your children to love Lord.
The original creation roles for marriage also continued but now with discord. Gen 3:16b, 4:7
Genesis 3:16b “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
Genesis 4:7 “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 for you (Cain), but you must rule over it."
· These verses use identical terms & sentence construction, are in close proximity, and express the same concept.
o "Desire" in both verses means to "seek to conquer, dominate & control"
· Analogy: The woman has the same desire for control of a man as sin had to control Cain.
o There is an attempt to usurp authority by nagging, being critical/cynical, emotional manipulation, shouting, silent treatment, coldness, apathy.
· Husband must not allow the wife to rule/control him just as Cain should not have let sin control him.
o Here "rule” suggests harshness, lacking love, kindness and compassion.
Sin corrupted both willing submission of the wife & the loving headship of husband.
· Each strives for control and partners are now competitors.
o A woman usually uses words; where as a man desires to dominate & tyrannize with strength.
· The result is a distortion of biblical patterns: Man behaving as a domineering "tyrant" or entirely passive. Woman usurping authority or entirely passive.
People can never find happiness in a marriage outside of the proper roles ordained by God: Eph. 5:18-33, Col 3:18-19, 1 Pet 3:1-4, Phil 2:3-4
· In the strength of the Holy Spirit, wives you are to recognize and submit to a husband’s authority in everything (unless it violates God’s Word) with the same kind of attitude you submit to Jesus Christ.
o Analogy: When two people are in a car going to the same place both can't drive. God designed man drive.
§ Satan drew Eve’s attention to one restriction & that is similar to what happens today. Satan whispers in your ear, “God is keeping you from the best”
· Men: You are to lead with love, personal sacrifice, and seek the best for your wife as patterned by Jesus Christ.
o Agape "love" is not to sinfully control or dominate.
§ Abdicate responsibility because it’s path of least resistance.
· Few things are more painful for a woman than a man who will not lead.
o This lack of leadership is more prevalent than authoritarian type leadership.
You will make your own life/marriage miserable if you resist God’s design.
· Nobody's marital relations/parenting is perfect.
· Restoration of the marriage relationship can happen through new life in Christ.
· This will not remove the pain or struggle of being a mother & a wife, but Jesus will be with you through it all.
o But by the Holy Spirit transforming the hearts of both spouses, we can imperfectly recover some of that “one flesh” relationship that was lost in the fall.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.