Genesis 22 - The Revealed and the Hidden - Part 2

The Word of God is Genesis chapter 3, verses 16 to 21. Please listen attentively to the Word of God.

 

“To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Amen.  

 

God's Verdict After the Fall

We are currently examining Genesis from the beginning. In the first part of chapter 3, the account of human fall begins, and the subsequent section, chapter 3 verse 15, records God's verdict regarding human sin. Standing at the scene of this judgment are the serpent symbolizing Satan, the woman Eve, and the man Adam.  

 

The Hidden Secret: Christ, the Hope of Glory

And within this judgment of God, we learned how terrifying the consequences of sin are, and at the same time, we examined together how He concealed the offspring of the woman, Christ, for us within that judgment. Paul speaks of this secret within God's judgment in Colossians like this. Colossians 1, verses 26 to 27: “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”. Paul, through this scripture, also clearly reveals that the hidden offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ. This verdict does not end immediately after the declaration but continues through the offspring of the woman.  

 

Blessing Turns to Pain: The Result of Sin

Everyone, in the content we examined previously, God commanded humans to be fruitful and multiply. But do you remember the words spoken right before that command? What did God give humans? Yes, it was 'blessing'. Therefore, this fruitfulness and multiplication is none other than God's 'blessing'. That is, what we know as the Great Commission, or the Cultural Mandate, was none other than the blessing God prepared for us. However, we can see the fact that sinful humans were cut off from God due to sin, and consequently, the blessing God had given now transforms into a form of suffering for humans.  

 

First Consequence for the Woman: Pain in Childbearing

The childbirth necessary for being fruitful and multiplying became a painful affair. The woman now faced the pain of pregnancy and childbirth. Children are certainly one of the greatest blessings God gives, but now great pain accompanies bringing forth those children. Not only the pain of childbirth itself, but all the tasks involved in raising children are no longer easy. Then, is today's passage merely talking about the mother's labor pains or the difficulties of raising children? While the pain a woman experiences during childbirth is indeed tremendous, thinking of it as the price for the sin we committed somehow makes one tilt their head in puzzlement. Let's consider the sin committed by humans. We are contemplating the immense reality we must now face due to sin, God's judgment on it, yet the appearance of the pain of childbirth here must signify something to us. Clearly, God has another meaning He wishes to convey to us through this. What is certain is that God, through this pain of childbirth, makes us understand the nature of His wrath. What we learn from Genesis is that although people continuously give birth to new life, and those children grow up to bear other lives, those new lives too, like their parents, are ultimately heading towards death. This fact cannot be but truly futile for humans. This fact is very well recorded in Genesis chapter 5. “After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.”[cite: 35]. This pattern appears continuously throughout Adam's genealogy. Someone lived so many years, had children, lived more years, and finally died. 'Begot, lived, died.' This repeats. And this is the dark future of humanity that Genesis shows, what our lives can produce through pregnancy and childbirth.  

 

Hidden Hope Beyond Childbirth Pain - 1 Timothy 2

However, what gives us hope is the fact that behind this revealed darkness, there is a light that cannot be hidden. And we find words about this light in the New Testament book of 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 13 to 14: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”. We can see this refers to today's Genesis passage, right? Now let's continue to examine verse 15. “Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”. This verse in Timothy is quite difficult to understand. Particularly challenging among them is the phrase 'she will be saved through childbearing'. If taken only literally, it seems to mean all women automatically attain salvation just by bearing children. But this is too easy, isn't it? Of course, I'm not saying childbirth is easy. But everyone likely knows this is not what the verse means. Then let's examine what this verse is telling us. The translation 'through childbearing' (해산함으로) could actually better convey the original meaning if rendered as 'through the Childbearing' (해산을 통해서). To understand this verse better, we need to examine today's passage, Genesis 3, more closely. In today's passage, God said the pain through childbearing would be increased. Yet, according to this content in Timothy, it says salvation was attained precisely through that childbearing. Now, if we connect these two verses from the Old and New Testaments, this interpretation becomes possible: Humans bear offspring through childbearing. Therefore, this verse can be understood to mean that humans will attain salvation through offspring. Then we can think that this offspring refers precisely to the offspring of the woman. And this offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ. Therefore, conclusively, this expression in Timothy is saying that humans will attain salvation through Christ. That is why the definite article is attached before the word "childbearing" in this verse from Timothy. It was "the Childbearing". Meaning, through that Childbearing, that Offspring, we attained salvation.  

 

The Process of Salvation: Beyond Justification to Glorification

Satan deceived the woman. He deceived Eve. Consequently, Eve experiences the pain of childbearing. The statement in today's passage that the pain of childbearing will increase refers not simply to physical pain from childbirth, but means that as the number of descendants grows and human society expands, sin will increasingly flourish in this world in proportion, evil will prevail, and pain and sorrow will multiply even more—this human world flows towards such a future. Yet, within that childbearing, there was light. There was the offspring of the woman, and this offspring signified not merely descendants, but precisely the Messiah, and the people belonging to this Messiah were precisely you and me, the people of faith. God's work of giving us the Messiah was finally accomplished on this earth through Jesus Christ when the time was full, and the hidden mystery that overcomes all the darkness and suffering that filled this world was revealed to us. Therefore, this pain of childbearing is not just physical pain, but actually signifies that the children of faith participate together in the suffering Christ endured on this earth. We now fight against the world and its temptations, bear our own crosses, and deny ourselves—we are in such suffering. By bearing that cross together, by walking together with the Lord, we will prove that we are being saved.  

 

We often use the phrase 'believe in Jesus and attain salvation' synonymously with 'believe in Jesus and be declared righteous'. However, there is a slight difference. The Bible does not directly use the expression 'believe and attain salvation'. Instead, it uses the expression 'by faith you obtain righteousness'. The reason I emphasize this is to point out that the concept of salvation is not completed merely through justification by being declared righteous. This justification through being declared righteous is only a part of salvation; it is completed as we experience and overcome numerous things together with God throughout our entire lives. Sometimes, like those without faith, like those who would leave God, we might get angry and upset. Sometimes we experience frustrating moments where even prayer doesn't come out, and sometimes we might seem far removed from right faith and belief, not even knowing what to say to God. However, we who are believers, because of God who is with us in those moments, experience the amazing work that causes us to repent and turn back to the Lord. We see the amazing work of accomplishing salvation in the believer's life. Regardless of how much emotional or intellectual conviction you and I have about our own faith, God alone is accomplishing our salvation. Having assurance is a joyful thing, and something believers should naturally pursue. And if we live with that assurance of faith, it would be a good thing. If someone clearly knows they are a child of God, there would undoubtedly be many differences compared to those who must navigate this world with wavering faith. However, that does not determine your salvation. Our salvation concerns who the God you know is. The fact that God holds you and does not let go, that God is your Lord, that God is your Father—that is the basis of our salvation.  

 

Childbearing Pain and New Life: Cross and Resurrection

Now, our lives, and our labor and pain in childbearing, no longer end in death. The believer's childbearing does not end in labor and pain. Because it leads towards new life. The believer's childbearing, the bearing of believers, being born again from above, regeneration—these terms signify that we believers share in the cross and resurrection, and speak of us being new creations made by God. We have now become those born of God. That is why, while speaking of the pain of childbearing, we discover the light of Christ within it. And Paul speaks of that in Timothy.  

 

Second Consequence for the Woman: Broken Relationship (Rule and Desire)

Today's Bible passage doesn't end here but speaks about relationships through the story of this woman. In the previous chapter, we learned that the woman was expressed as being made from the man's rib. The reason for this lies in order. This is the same reason God stated Adam was formed from the ground, from dust. These facts ultimately determine relationships. Through Adam, the relationship with this earth and its creatures was determined, and from there, labor and other things emerged. Through the woman, the relationship with the man, Adam, was determined, and starting from there, it extends to all human relationships. However, that relationship has now become twisted due to sin. Because it was not good to be alone, what humans were meant to enjoy through the helper God gave was the intimacy possessed by the Triune God. But due to sin, humans departed from God, the God-like intimacy between people disappeared, and the relationship confessed as bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh became suffering due to God's absence. The result of the relationship between man and woman turning into one of suffering is well expressed in today's passage. “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”.  

 

In the previous Korean Revised Version, this part was translated as ‘you will desire your husband, and he will rule over you’. This translation could cause some misunderstanding. How could it be suffering if the wife follows and loves her husband, and the husband rules over his wife? Even to me, this doesn't seem like great suffering. In the Revised New Korean Standard Version you read today, it is expressed as ‘desire the husband,’ but this too is actually not a perfect translation.  

 

The Relationship Between Sin and Cain: Archetype of Conflict

A similar pattern appears exactly three times in the Bible, one of which occurs in Genesis 4, which you will read next. Chapter 4, verse 7: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”[cite: 119, 120]. God spoke these words to Cain. It's the scene where God asks Cain, if you had done well, how could you not lift up your face before me? The phrase 'sin desires you' means sin seeks to rule over and devour Cain, and it's God commanding Cain not to yield to that evil but to rule over sin. And the pattern of this sentence is identical to today's passage. That is, if you substitute 'husband' for the word 'you' in this verse, it becomes the exact sentence in today's passage. So, today's passage could be interpreted like this: ‘You will try to capture, overcome, and rule your husband, but your husband will also rule over you’. Just as sin and Cain become rivals fighting each other, the relationship between woman and man became the same.  

 

The Origin of Marital Strife and the Destruction of Human Relationships

You are now witnessing the very origin of marital strife. This is the root cause and reason why a perfectly sound and kind young man and a very beautiful and gentle young woman, after meeting and marrying, fight daily without any reason. And while this passage can be interpreted as the story of the spousal relationship, under the premise that at this time only these two people existed in the world, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expand the interpretation broadly to encompass all human relationships. Through the husband-wife relationship, everyone came to desire to be the master of that

relationship, to be like God. They became beings wanting to sit in God's place.  

 

The Root of Sin: Coveting God's Place (Position, Possession, Judgment)

Therefore, everything became self-centered, and when two such beings meet, power becomes most important between them, rather than compromise, concession, and love. And who holds the higher position became important. There are three key benefits humans seek to obtain through usurping God's position. First is position. The primary benefit enjoyed by sitting in God's place is feeling superior to others. Therefore, one feels they deserve better treatment than the other and needs recognition from them. This might be why humans who sinned against God are bound to live truly tiresome lives. You and I, no matter how hard we try, are beings who cannot be satisfied by ourselves alone. That's why we strive to gain recognition from others. So, even while living a life of self-satisfaction and contentment without receiving such recognition from others, we feel a bitterness in one corner of our hearts. We have become beings unable to be satisfied with just ourselves. Because to feel the sense of being king, someone must necessarily become my servant. We need someone who acknowledges us. Ultimately, for us, ‘flesh of my flesh, bone of my bones’ disappeared, and we became beings possessing only ‘my bone and my flesh’. Others' things don't matter much; only my things became most important.  

 

The second benefit humans seek to enjoy by occupying God's place is possession. Even in possession, we constantly desire to sit in God's place. If others have something even slightly better, we are only satisfied if we acquire more of it. That could be money, or health. We cannot be happy having poorer health or less money than others. Isn't it strange? It would be nice if we could be satisfied with our own personal existence, but we seek this satisfaction through what we possess, and that possession changes us into very different beings. Our surrounding environment changes us moment by moment. So, as beings in ourselves, we gain no satisfaction, and consequently, cannot rejoice or be thankful. That is the pain stemming from the foolish attempt by humans to prove they are king through relationships with other humans. It's agony. And we cannot easily be freed from it. Therefore, when humans sit in God's place, they desire power, authority, recognition, a high position others cannot reach, and want to receive treatment befitting it. And they became satisfied only by possessing whatever seems good. They gradually forgot the fact that such things cannot bring self-satisfaction.  

 

Life Adorned with Self-Righteousness

The third and final point might be somewhat surprising. We came to desire the right to judge from God's position. This doesn't mean choosing something, but wanting decision-making power and the authority to pass judgment on it. Simply put, we wanted our words to carry the same authority as God's word. In our daily conversations, do we talk more about ourselves or about others? While it might not be exact statistics, it's generally said that about 75% of our conversations are about other people. A startling figure, isn't it? Since I am only one person, while there are 6.9 billion others on Earth, perhaps it's natural. However, the problem might be that we talk about others in their absence. Probably 74.9% of that 75% of conversation occurs behind the person's back. We enjoy what's called 'gossiping' (뒷담화 - dwitdamhwa). Why? The Bible says the reason lies in our pride. That is, we feel better and higher than others by putting them down. Because we are proud, we enjoy putting others down. When we talk about others' difficulties or weaknesses, we certainly feel concern for them. But it's clear that this often doesn't stem from genuine love. Because if it were genuine love and consideration, you wouldn't need to talk about the other person's weaknesses and pains to a third party. You could talk directly to the person involved, or pray for them and tell God about it; yet we always want to tell someone else about it. Everyone, this might not sound so serious right now, and might seem like things we do routinely in daily life, but you will be astonished when you realize how seriously the Bible treats this matter.  

 

Slander and Judgment: The Sin of Sitting in God's Seat

Let me read to you from Romans. “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,”[cite: 180]. Here, "gossips" (수근 수근 하는 자 - sugeun sugeun haneun ja) means those who slander others. And appearing on the same level of sin are 'murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness'. Why? Because slandering others is the judicial right to judge others, and this judicial right is evidence that the person is sitting in God's place. You might gossip about others just for fun. Sometimes you might do it as a passing remark without any malice. But at that moment, you are sitting in God's seat. You must realize that this act we perform so routinely and easily is actually closest to the root of sin. Perhaps because this is sin, we enjoy it, do it often, and take it for granted. This sin is something we must fight against thoroughly. Yet, we don't even attempt to fight, casually forgetting about it, or justifying it by claiming we only told our most trustworthy person. But please remember that the person you trust most also has someone they trust most besides you. So eventually, the story becomes slander.  

The way to fight this sin of slander is surprisingly simple. First, if you have something to say, speak the truth in love directly to that person. Second, absolutely do not say it where that person is absent. If you absolutely must speak, say only good things. Then this problem resolves itself. Based on my pastoral experience, if you practice this for just one month, our church will surely become heaven. However, considering that such a heavenly church does not yet exist in this world, you can easily see how difficult this is, right? Because this seemingly simple action of ours is close to the root, or nature, of sin. It's not an issue resolved simply by being vigilant about watching our words, but without a deep understanding of the Gospel, awareness of being a sinner, and total reliance on God's grace, it is difficult for anyone to avoid. We have witnessed countless times people getting hurt by words within the church and experiencing hellish situations. That this is so close to our sinful nature can also be confirmed by the following fact. When you hear praise from others, how long does that memory last? You often just let it pass, don't you? But if you hear about someone's weakness or criticism about them, it's amazing how well it sticks in your memory. Furthermore, these memories are not easily forgotten, and we tend always to think the stories heard are true. We always hear about others' weaknesses and faults, which we haven't heard or seen directly ourselves, as if they were truth. This is why fake news circulating in the market succeeds. Because it attacks us using the same principle. Good stories, due to our sinful nature, we don't want to accept. Because they don't satisfy our pride. But others' weaknesses and gossip satisfy our hearts so well. Because it makes me feel like a decent person by comparison. What a terrifying sinful nature! Everyone, among the many pains that afflict us, a great many likely stem from problems caused by our tongues. The reason is precisely because that tongue tries to sit on the judge's seat, God's seat. This fact is recorded very accurately in the book of James. Chapter 4, verse 11: “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.”[cite: 219]. A slightly difficult verse to understand. But the following verse will be readily understood. “But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”. And the verse after that says that the judge is God alone. Therefore, anyone who slanders or judges a brother is sitting in God's seat. The Apostle James explains this point, which I have elaborated on at length, neatly in just two verses.  

 

The Church's Sickness and the Path to Recovery

Then how does slandering a brother become slandering and judging the law? Because what the law always speaks of is loving God and loving neighbor. Therefore, if we slander our brother, that action itself violates the words of the law. It ultimately means you are slandering the Word, judging it and calling it false. Eventually, you end up sitting in the judge's seat like God.  

 

Today, our church will hold elections for officers. And the elders, deacons, and associate pastors elected in this way will stand in the position of leaders who must guide our church in the right direction. For these ministers too, how to wisely resolve this issue we are dealing with in the sermon will be one of the most important tasks. Because doing this is the hardest work, and the most serious battle against sin. Therefore, officers must not forget to be most careful in their speech. Thus, slander not only harms others and ourselves, but ultimately, it is most fearsome because it is the act of committing the greatest sin of placing ourselves in God's seat.  

 

Applying the Gospel: Denying Self and Following the Lord

In this respect, the Gospel becomes the act of proving with my tongue that I am not king. Because, before the Gospel, we confess: 'I have a master', 'My Lord is God, and besides Him, I am a being with no master', 'I am still the chief of sinners, and such nature always grips me'. That is why we always become people who rely on God. We become people who rely on Jesus Christ. You and I no longer trust our own judgment. I'm not saying I don't know how smart you are, how much life experience you have, or how wise and knowledgeable you are. And it's certainly not to disregard it. It's simply because all true wisdom and discernment originate solely from fearing the LORD. Here, what does the word 'fear' (경외 - gyeong'oe) mean? In English, it's the word ‘fear’. But this is different from terror. This fear stems from reverence. Just as we always respect a teacher, and consequently listen to and keep their words or teachings with a fearful heart. Therefore, the foundation of this wisdom is fearing the LORD God, and that is why, no matter how wise we think we are, even if we sit in the highest position in some field, and no matter how much life experience we have accumulated, at any moment in life, we become beings who trust not our own judgment but God's word and Jesus Christ.  

 

Our judgments, in many cases, start from the premise that the other person is not better than me. Objectively or subjectively, regardless, we often think of ourselves as slightly better than the other person. But I tell you firmly today. Do not trust that judgment. The only judgment we must believe is the judgment of Jesus and God. What does the Bible exhort? “Let each esteem others better than themselves.”. This is precisely God's judgment. Jesus' judgment is that everyone in Christ should consider others better than themselves. Truly difficult. You think it's not just difficult, but impossible, right? Nevertheless, if we truly abandon our judgment, the end of that action must necessarily be this judgment of God. However, we know ourselves to be too weak and sinful. So even after hearing such a sermon, we find ourselves gossiping again, slandering others, and being envious. That is the state of us all. Then, since we are weak but God has accepted us as we are, can we just live thankfully like this? Can we offer such a prayer? No. This too can become your judgment. Jesus exhorts us. He commands us to repent. He desires that we do not continue living in that state, but that we kneel. He desires that we live under God, our Master who is above us, telling Him everything about others. Then what should our reaction be? Will you make excuses again with your judgment? No. God's judgment is right. We must repent to the Lord. Repent without excuse. That is precisely the act of not sitting on the judge's seat but yielding that seat to the Lord. And speaking more broadly, that becomes the meaning of living as one body with Jesus Christ. Because only then does Christ become the basis for all my judgments, and I too live according to that judgment.  

This is also directly connected to the issue of authority. As we live, this authority is truly precious and important. Between parents and children, there is parental authority, and simultaneously, the child's authority. Between husband and wife, there is the husband's authority and the wife's authority. That authority and order were given by God, and it is proper for us to respect them. While this authority is clearly given by God, we must not become authoritarian people. The word ‘authoritarian’ (권위적 - gwonwijeok) refers to an attitude that seeks to place oneself above others. Therefore, we must continually fight against this. And the Bible describes the method of fighting as service, and also speaks of it as communication. It means talking without giving up until the other person can understand. That is precisely the way you fight pride, the act of faith not placing yourself in a position higher than others. Constantly striving to communicate. Trying to talk with the other person somehow, and simultaneously trying to persuade oneself. God persuaded you throughout your entire life. He constantly informed us about Himself, constantly persuaded us, and did not force His love upon us all at once, but communicated and persuaded little by little, bringing us to this place. So the God I came to know is the result of God's patience and endurance for us for that long. Therefore, you too, as the body of Jesus Christ, live that way together with Christ.  

 

Life in the Curse: Adam's Faith and the Name Eve (Life)

Jesus says: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. These words were spoken to the disciples who wanted to hold positions of power in high places in heaven. This word applies equally to becoming an officer or a member in the church. We must fight against becoming even slightly authoritarian. Therefore, returning to the Gospel is a battle concerning the position from which we will live. It is a ceaseless battle that makes us content with any possession, keeps us from sitting on the judge's seat, and places us at God's feet.  

 

God's Solution: Garments of Skin (Foreshadowing Grace)

I hope you realize that you are glorious beings called precisely to that place. That place which no one could attain, which no one could achieve, we have become ones who can enjoy it together in the Lord by becoming one with Christ. Therefore, thinking that others too are struggling, striving, and finding it difficult just like me, let us not judge each other as judges, but have faith that we are all striving for that goal amidst difficult circumstances. So, even if someone within the community criticizes me, or if I make a mistake towards another, may we all repent and turn back, so that our community may achieve true love. May we have such grace. When we can do that, you will see with your own eyes what the community of the blessed God is like. May the blessing of enjoying that community, filled with God's precious blessings, abound to us.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Thank you, God. We have lived because of the Lord. And because of the Lord, we gain strength. When we want to give up, when we console ourselves thinking we are just humans with unavoidable sinfulness, You, Lord, exhort us to be satisfied with Jesus, to live again through Him, and to rise again with His character, You constantly tell us. Lord, thank you. We will live that way. Lord, help us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!