“Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
God is serious about sin. After all, sin nailed Jesus to the cross. But when I think of Jesus’ mission, I believe the unfathomable love of God the Father and the Son held Him there. When it was finished, all that was planned from the Trinity was accomplished, and at the appointed time, God welcomed His Son to His place of honor at His right hand.
When God created us, He did so with tenderness and intentionality in view, saying, “…Let Us make man in Our image according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). He has always desired fellowship with us and had it with Adam and Eve. The Bible says God walked among them in the cool of the day. (See Genesis 3:8.) We don’t know how often it happened or in what form God manifested Himself, but what’s important to note is this: Before their fall, they enjoyed the purposeful fellowship of God’s choosing. What’s implied is openness in His presence, love, and communion. Even so, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God dealt with them swiftly. Since this part of creation’s story impacts us, our lesson will highlight verse 16. Why? For several reasons: First, because sin plagues us, women too, and second because we don’t sin in a vacuum, and neither did they!
Since the garden, sin has impacted humanity. Lest we forget, sin has consequences! From the Genesis account, we see that God moved swiftly to address their willful defiance, which led to disobedience and the fall. God’s parting message to Eve follows. “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3 changed their life completely. Not only did it alter their relationship with God, but with each other. God’s reprimand concerning Eve forecasted a changed desire for her husband and ours, too, by association. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let’s define sin. Here’s Dr. Wayne Grudem’s definition from God’s perspective. “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.”
Although Genesis 3:16 announced a changed desire for our husbands, Adam and Eve’s sin caused other notable repercussions. First and foremost, Adam and Eve immediately feared God, so they hid. Did you catch that? They had shared intimate communion and fellowship with God, but fear overtook their hearts once they sinned, so they hid from God. Here we see the breaking of their (and humanity’s) relationship with God because of sin. Lest we forget, sin always separates us from God, and then it kills and destroys. Other things happened, too, and although this is not the focus of our lesson, we’ll consider three.
Next, they lost sight of their created purpose: glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. (See Romans 11:36 and Psalm 86:9.) Furthermore, because of sin, all of creation is subject to death. Indeed, an unavoidable death is a reality for people, animals, and plants, but there’s even more. We will not only perish, but if we die in unbelief (apart from Jesus), we also experience eternal death resulting in permanent separation from God. (See Romans 6:23.) Finally, sin has impacted our earthly relationships, too. We have lost the love of God, which affects every aspect of human love, because, at its core, God’s love links us to morality and goodness. God is love. The bottom line is this: apart from Him, we don’t have the capacity to know, give, or receive love. One scholar noted: “In all ways sin is a turning in upon oneself, and it’s confirmed in how we live our lives.” Without God, sin exalts self, self-love reigns, and our urgent needs and desires trump all else. While we minimize and ignore our shortcomings, we esteem ourselves and seek to benefit from others’ deficiencies. If that’s not bad enough, we’re happy to call out their sins, and, like Adam and Eve, we attempt to hide ours in the process. In short, we have become our god. We have rejected and ignored God’s existence and governance altogether. On that note, we reach our lesson’s point: Eve’s newfound desire for Adam.
Initially, desire looks like a foregone conclusion in marriage. But as we know, things are not always as they seem, and this is one of those times. The word desire in Genesis 3:16 means something uniquely different from what you might imagine. It’s not referencing a romantic or tender sexual desire at all. Rather, it’s linked to a wife’s inherent desire to control or dominate her husband by usurping his authority, regardless of who he is. Note, too, that his age, political bent, education, race, wealth, and community standing are irrelevant. Nothing about his person impacts the wife’s desire to rule over him - not one whit. So it seems that the battle of the sexes is an age-old struggle that began in the garden as a consequence of sin.
So what’s our dilemma? Pride and wanting what God has not planned for us. From the garden, we have pushed against divine authority. Our husbands have pushed against God, and we have pushed against them and God. In His infinite wisdom, God gave Adam headship and gave such authority to all husbands. It’s His plan, their job, and a significant responsibility accompanies it. One day soon, they will be held accountable for the state of their home and the condition of their marriage. What’s the point? In part, marriage was created to point us to a loving God and reflect Christ’s relationship with His Bride, the Church. In other words, marriage is His gift and a living testimony of God’s faithful love to the world.
So indeed, the underlying issue is desire—the desire to have our husband’s place of authority. When Eve intentionally wandered outside of Adam’s covering, going beyond the boundaries set by God, she allowed the enemy to whisper and lure her into sin. By engaging with him, Eve opened herself up for the fall - and Adam too. Ladies, remember the enemy is sly and cunning. If he can’t get to your husband directly, he will go through you - that is - if you are open, willing, or flirting with the enemy or sin.
Ultimately, when Eve encountered the serpent, she misrepresented God’s law. By her confession, she saw it as harsh and restrictive rather than caring and protective. Be forewarned - until then, Eve had lived in harmony with God and Adam and within God’s prescribed boundaries. You might say that she and Adam lived in a love triangle with God until this fateful day. Note that when Eve encountered the enemy, she did not have an appointment with evil. What she did have, however, was a smoldering faith issue that she was unaware of until that moment. Did you catch that? Beforehand, Eve had a hidden, undetected, and unconfessed lack of faith in God. As a result, she didn’t trust God’s loving provision or boundaries. And this is where most of us fall! Sin begins with a trace element of doubt in God and grows and overtakes us if we’re unrepentant and unconfessed.
On the contrary, faith as small as a mustard seed can save and preserve us now and throughout eternity. Even though Eve walked with God in the cool of the day, Eve thought she knew more. And haven’t we all?
What’s the takeaway? It can happen to us. If we’re not watching, a lack of faith can overtake us even though we walk with God. Some little something can cause us to doubt. Perhaps you’re waiting for an unanswered prayer and feel the heavens are closed. Maybe someone has betrayed you, or you’ve suffered loss or grief, and you’re angry with God. If you’re ill or suffering physical pain and hardships, your faith can be challenged. In times like these, the enemy comes. Therefore, you must press into God! We should raise a standard of faith, desiring Him and obedience instead of control! If you have any unbelief, pray and ask God to remove it. Lay it down, and do so today. We become easy prey for the enemy when we doubt God and His Word. When we confess, “God I believe, but help my unbelief,” He comes to us speedily. God loves you! You are His daughter in whom He is well pleased! He delights in showing you His love and faithfulness. When you call, God will come to you and remove all doubt. In His infinite love, He will fill you with joy and hope, comfort and peace, plus the power to do His will!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we believe, but help our unbelief. Please come speedily and remove any underlying doubt that weakens our faith. We wait upon you, Lord! Amen and amen.
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