Gd Never Cursed Mankind

Gd curses: 1. the serpent

                   2. the land

Gd punishes: 1. the woman

                        2. the man

In this meditation of knowing my identity, and the Lord telling me in order to know who I am, I must first know who He is (Psalm 45:10) and Him giving me the Holy Spirit to teach me, to minister me (John 16:13) to learn about my Lord or more specifically to break down all the presumptions I had of my Lord, I was sent to study Genesis. Yep, the very beginning.

Today, there was huge breakthrough, well, everyday seems like huge breakthrough really, haha.

I found it remarkable to identify that Gd never cursed and merely punishes woman and man and then to further identify that Gd first spoke to the serpent to curse it. Why did I find this so remarkable to note and then to write? Because I'd be taught by this world to believe differently.

            The first 2 decades of my life have been spent with men and some women telling me that women are subordinate, wicked, and manipulative and need to be put in check by the all knowing and superior man. I struggled not in being submissive, but is believing I was inferior (lower in quality). I struggled seeing myself as helpless, cursed by Gd to be helpless, and cursed by Gd because Eve made man or manipulated man into eating the fruit. In my struggle people began to label me as a feminist which even rubbed against me even more as I in no way want to cut my hair, wear pants all the time, work at a construction site and least of all open my own doors! Oh, how many times have I heard, "It's because of Eve...! It's because of Eve..!" are the chants of those, typically men, who insist women cover themselves from head to toe, who insist women not be permitted to read, who insist women ought not be permitted to listen to the teachings of sacred scrolls, who insist women be bartered and traded like cattle.

            And O, how I took on this personality of being accursed and forsaken by right.

Genesis 3:13 Then the Lord to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "the serpent tricked me..."

The very next verse, Gd curses the serpent! THANK YOU FATHER! That you curse those whom trick, manipulate and deceive your children! THANK YOU GD that you don't curse us for being deceived. Thank you! That your anger is actually first, first given to those who deceived, not to us whom were deceived. Thank You!

But, He does punish.

1st punishment: Genesis 3:16- "To the woman, He said..." : increases her pangs in child birthing (my translation reads "greatly increase pangs". apparently, there was always going to be pain, only now there is increased pain.).

                                                woman is no longer a partner to husband, but husband will rule over her

                                                woman now desires for husband

            Question: Why did Gd punish her? My Bible doesn't say.

2nd punishment: Genesis 3:17- "To Adam He said, 'Because you listened to the voice of your wife..."

            WHOA, hold on. Adam get's a reason why he's being punished?

So, Gd doesn't blame Eve for being tricked. Gd doesn't blame Eve for Adam's eating the fruit? Instead, Gd says, "To Adam, because you have listened to the voice of your wife..."

Gd punishes Adam because Adam did not listen to Gd.

So... does this to reflect how persuasive the voice of a wife is? No, otherwise you would have to deduce and believe that the power of a wife's voice is equal to or more powerful than the voice of Gd. I doubt anyone would dare to claim that blasphemy.

            No, the wife's voice did not over power Gd's voice

            No, the wife's voice is not filled with trickery (Gen.3:13 read, "the serpent tricked..." not the woman tricked)

            No, Adam was not tricked (he admits in Gen. 3:12)

            Yes, Adam alone chose to ignore Gd's command

            Yes, Adam chose to reject Gd's command, to be disobedient to Gd's command

            Yes, Adam chose to listen to the remedial voice of bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, his wife.

Why was Adam's disobedience so personal? It was between him and Gd.

            "To Adam...Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate of the fruit from the tree of which I commanded you, 'you shall not eat"..."

                                                                        -Genesis 3:17

Adam's disobedience was terribly personal. Gd makes it clear that Gd gave Adam the command, Gd told Adam the command, Gd spoke to Adam of the Dos and the Donts.

One day I was babysitting a 3 year old boy, Joey. I took Joey to the park to get some exercise, fresh air, sunshine and play with children his own age. On the way to the park I told Joey, "Do not get on the swings." I'd previously seen the children swing high and jump off, and I was not in the mood to take "my" child to the hospital. When we got to the park, I walked Joey to the jungle gym, and repeated and pointed, "Joey, do not get on the sings, okay." Joey of course said, "okay." He didn't even ask why. He just nodded his head, looked at me and said, "okay."

Within an hour, I see Joey with 3 other children climbing onto the swings.

I walk over to Joey, take him down from the swing and at eye level ask him, "Joey, what did I tell you?" He looks down. "Joey, I told you not to get on the swings."

            "Yeah, but the other kids are getting on..."

            "Joey, I told you, you could not get on the swings. Now, we are going home."

To anyone who has children, who has had to babysit children or younger siblings, I know my experience sounds familiar. Imagine how familiar it is to Gd. It began with Adam.

Gd doesn't really clarify why the woman is punished, but Gd DOES clarify why He is punishing Adam:

                                     1. Adam listened to his wife (his own flesh) instead of Gd

                                     2. Adam broke the commandment Gd specifically told him

The scripture continues to describe Adam's punishment as having to work, and having to work in order to eat for the rest of his life (OH and the ground gets cursed 'cause of Adam! man's actions affected the land!).

Now, yes, I know this chapter is beyond my finding comfort in seeing that Gd didn't curse me, a female, didn't call me stupid for being tricked, accuse me of being easily tricked nor even calls me inferior. Yes, this chapter is more than about me realizing that I was never accursed by Gd, never looked down upon by Gd. Yes, this chapter is more than me having an excuse to give to my future husband as to why I don't want to work and I just want to be housewife yet still have all the benefits of eating as if I was working.

But, it broke the restraints I and the world put on me when understanding Gd and my relationship with Him.

Thank you Father for not cursing us. Thank you Father for not punishing us because we were tricked, but just for our disobedience, and making a way to be reunited with you again, through your Son, whom you loved, Jesus Christ, our Saviour, our Lord, whom loves us with the same intensity as you have love Him (John 15:9).