Thank you for the question on the punishment of Adam and Eve, “Did you know that in the Bible, Adam was punished with hard work (to toil the land) and not the woman (even Eve was punish with labour pains and period pains)? How is this relevant nowadays?”
As I read Genesis 3 on the sin of Adam and Eve, the comment one made about the punishment of Adam and Eve is not quite correct.
I. The Punishment of Adam and Eve.
A. The Punishment of Eve.
In regards to Eve, the NIV translation says this, “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” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages). Bible citations are from the New International Version.
The Analytical Key to the Old Testament by Owens translates the Hebrew text in English with the following words, “To the woman he said I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception in pain you shall bring forth children yet for your husband your desire and he shall rule over you.”
As I observe the text, the Hebrew text states the consequences of Eve’s disobedience by an INCREASE child birth pain and a “STRAINED” marital relationship. There were a two fold consequences on Eve’s disobedience, not one. The Scripture is silent about whether Eve had menstrual cycle or not, but I would like to think.
B. The Punishment of Adam.
The observation by you is correct that Adam had to work harder to gain produce from the ground. I would like to point out that ground was cursed because of Adam’s disobedience. The consequence of his disobedience was lack of productivity from the ground.
Genesis 3 says this, “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In [f]toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the [g]plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (NIV).
The consequences for Adam’s disobedience were hard labor for the ground was cursed and that he as well as Eve will return to dust. They were to die at some point in their lives.
II. The Relevance of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God to us.
Here are some thoughts for the relevance of Adam and Eve’s sin.
A. The marital harmony between Adam and Eve and between every couple has become conflictual. Each person wants to stand up for their “rights” and to assert his/her rights. The union of oneness is lost since the sin of Adam and Eve.
B. The bearing and birthing of a baby is painful for the woman. The gynecologist may give the woman a shot to reduce the pain. Nevertheless, there is still the pain from the afterbirth. Even in a C section, there is the pain of recovery from the surgery. Scientists has not quite developed the technology of growing a baby outside the womb. If a woman wants to have a child, she will face physical discomfort from being pregnant.
C. The appearances of weed and thistles are unavoidable in farming.
Although our technology has developed chemicals to kill the weeds, those chemicals has an affect on the soil and the planted seed. Today we want organic food and the price of organic food is much higher than non-organic food. If a field is left to itself, it will grow weeds of some form.
D. The consumer has to work for his food.
In our modern society of having grocery stores, most people don’t work on the field to pick fruits and vegetables. There are those who do that manual labor. For those who are more industrial, we do work “8” hours a day if not more to earn an income to pay for the food that is supplied by a commercial farmer. The food doesn’t come to us for free even with WIC program. Somebody is paying so that others can have food to eat. For the United States, it is not a matter of food shortage, but the willingness to share it with others while in other countries there is a food shortage even of medical care.
E. Final arrangements are made by everyone.
Death is inescapable. Each person returns to the ground whether by burial or by cremation. The Final Arrangements are made by a family member or by an agency. No one escapes death. Cryonics may be a future solution or regeneration of cells may be possible, but death comes at some point in time.
The sin and the consequences of Adam and Eve are unavoidable as long as we have a physical body. For the Christian, there is the hope of an incorruptible body that is more spiritual in nature. Humans are looking to escape death and one day death will no longer be a reality. Death is swallowed up in victory through Jesus Christ.
SUMMARY: The sin of Adam and Eve is more than poetry. The sin and consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience continues to have an impact on every couple and every generation.
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