"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19).
Genesis 3:14-19
Part 8
Yesterday: God’s Penalty for the Man’s Sin, (c)
“In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
“Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.”
“In the sweat of thy face, shalt thou eat bread.”
The earth will produce for the man, only after his great toil, sorrow, and sweat.
Today: God’s Penalty for the Man’s Sin, (d)
Because of our Father Adam’s failure to obey God, he was disciplined by God for his sin against Him. His actions, and the results, have included us. Life became extremely difficult for Adam after the ease of living in the garden. Each of us can attest to the fact that life on earth is not easy. God’s Word is teaching us why.
Here is the second part of God’s sentence for Adam: Death.
“Till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken.”
“For out of it wast thou taken.”
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).
“And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27).
“Till thou return unto the ground.”
“By breaking the divine command, he [Adam] had set himself above his Maker, death would therefore show him the worthlessness of his own nature”[1] (K&D).
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
God’s Word is true of every human; we all will die:[2]
“They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them” (Job 21:26).
“All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:15).
“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Psalm 104:29).[3]
“All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:20).
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Death and returning to the dust are no surprise to mankind. We see it and the signs of it daily. No matter how we dress it up and try to make it look better, more presentable, death is still death. There is no escaping this last appointment on earth (Hebrews 9:27).
The following words are only valid for God’s believing humans:
“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:26-27).
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
It may surprise you to learn that every dead human being will arise again from their grave to face his or her Creator!
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).
Jesus said,
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).
The Resurrection of Life is coming, and the “glorified” bodies of the saints will come out of their graves to meet Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). At the “Resurrection of Damnation,” all the lost sinners will be called out of their graves to stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. There, they will all “bow the knee” to Christ, be sentenced, and sent to the Lake of Fire for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15).[4]
But in the meantime, what does all this mean for believers today?
We have seen how the loving Creator made man and woman. How they sinned against Him. The Creator promised that He will provide the Savior who will come and pay for the creature’s sin. Yes, life on earth is difficult for women, and for the man making a living can be drudgery. But at the end of the day, we need to remember that God’s sentences on Adam and Eve effectively discipline us their children, as well. We, believers, are still sinners, but sinners saved by grace! Our world here in the end times is a dangerous and sinful place. But it is to those sinners that God has called us to preach His Gospel, letting them know that God’s Savior did come and pay for sin, as He promised. Through all of life’s hardships, we are encouraged that God has not forgotten us!
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).
We may wonder why God would even bother to care for and think about us because we are sinful beings, but we are grateful that in His mercy and grace, He does.
Believers take heart! God still loves His creatures, and He does care about us. Even though we labor under Adam’s sentence, God still meets our daily needs. He has promised, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20b).
“God is so good,
God is so good,
God is so good,
He’s so good to me!”
Quote: “God’s eternal plan for creation included the fall of man and all creation. While there were painful consequences for sin, the curses were divinely purposed to serve as a part of the cure. In dealing with the sins of men, God’s glory is revealed. In forgiving the sins of men, the grace of God is manifested. And in the end, the last state of the believer is far better than the first. God purposed the fall of man for His glory and for our good”[5] (Bob Deffinbaugh).
Thank you, Lord!
[1] Keil & Delitzsch, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, the electronic version in eSword. Genesis 3:16-17.
[2] The exception to this statement is the believers who are alive on earth when Christ returns.
[3] Mankind and all the animals of God’s creation are under this rule. “Note here that death is caused by the act of God, ‘thou takest away their breath’; we are immortal till he bids us die, and so are even the little sparrows, who fall not to the ground without our Father” (Spurgeon). C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] For further reading about Adam and Christ and salvation, see Romans 5:12-21.
[5] Deffinbaugh’s quote is from his article, “The Fall of Man in God’s Perfect Plan.” Downloaded: Friday, March 12, 2021. From: https://bible.org/seriespage/5-fall-man-gods-perfect-plan.