Genesis 3:14-19 is a tragic chapter in the story of God’s good creation. Each detail of curse recorded here turns a blessing of creation upside down. Beasts created as companions for humankind are now its enemies. The well-watered and bountiful garden has given way to the land of thorns and thistles, of sweat and wearisome toil. The complementary relationship between husbands and wives has become one of dominance, and the joy of “one flesh” has turned to sorrow. To dust the one born of dust is doomed.
All creation is blemished by human sin, and a heartbreaking gulf exists between what is and what ought to be. Our hope in Christ is set within this tragic framework of human sin and its consequences. In less than a month, Christians will gather in their churches to sing, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come.” To experience that joy fully, we start where the Bible does: by opening our hearts to the anguish of God’s broken world.
Mitchell Lewis 