Genesis 3-5 & Luke 2
SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 3:13-16
"Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'”
"To the woman he said, 'I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.'"
OBSERVATION:
Genesis 1:27 is the first moment the Bible talks about the creation of Adam and Eve. In Hebrew, Genesis 1 is a table of contents, explaining things to come in the rest of Genesis. It then goes on to explain in Genesis 2:21 how woman was created from man. In both accounts, there's an understanding of equality. She is a suitable helper for him and both are created in God's image. They have no shame (and thus, no lust). This tone changes sharply in Genesis 3, due to Eve's actions. When she eats from the forbidden fruit God doesn't just punish her, he creates a punishment so severe that it creates an eternal temptation that will impact both genders. "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Look at the context around this sentence. It wasn't set as a gift. It was said as punishment. Think about the implications of that for a moment: The entire dynamic of their relationship is changed. Adam becomes the leader, and Eve the supporter. This is the first place in the bible where clear gender roles are drawn. And, because of the desire God places in Eve, she also has a great responsibility to Adam: to not become a distraction. The responsibility of sex is great, even in a marriage. Should she initiate too much or be too tempting, she risks her husband becoming distracted from God and becoming focused on carnal desires. So it becomes her duty to protect his heart; to find the balance of him "ruling" her and her supporting him in a Godly way, while not denying him. Not an easy feat.
APPLICATION:
I think it goes without saying that desire and right actions are things MANY people struggle with. This is one of the many reasons it's so important to be equally yolked. By staying focused on God, letting Him give you strength, and communicating with your partner, temptation can be overcome and moral behaviors can become easy.
PRAYER:
OBSERVATION:
Genesis 1:27 is the first moment the Bible talks about the creation of Adam and Eve. In Hebrew, Genesis 1 is a table of contents, explaining things to come in the rest of Genesis. It then goes on to explain in Genesis 2:21 how woman was created from man. In both accounts, there's an understanding of equality. She is a suitable helper for him and both are created in God's image. They have no shame (and thus, no lust). This tone changes sharply in Genesis 3, due to Eve's actions. When she eats from the forbidden fruit God doesn't just punish her, he creates a punishment so severe that it creates an eternal temptation that will impact both genders. "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Look at the context around this sentence. It wasn't set as a gift. It was said as punishment. Think about the implications of that for a moment: The entire dynamic of their relationship is changed. Adam becomes the leader, and Eve the supporter. This is the first place in the bible where clear gender roles are drawn. And, because of the desire God places in Eve, she also has a great responsibility to Adam: to not become a distraction. The responsibility of sex is great, even in a marriage. Should she initiate too much or be too tempting, she risks her husband becoming distracted from God and becoming focused on carnal desires. So it becomes her duty to protect his heart; to find the balance of him "ruling" her and her supporting him in a Godly way, while not denying him. Not an easy feat.
APPLICATION:
I think it goes without saying that desire and right actions are things MANY people struggle with. This is one of the many reasons it's so important to be equally yolked. By staying focused on God, letting Him give you strength, and communicating with your partner, temptation can be overcome and moral behaviors can become easy.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for placing in me a heart that loves you, a mind that can learn more about you, and a spirit that longs for you, and strength to see my way through temptations. Please stay in the middle of this relationship and guide both of us to right actions and to the strong relationship you have in store for us. Please help me to know how to best support a partner righteously, to allow him to lead, and to encourage his love for you.
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