"Have YOU eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?...What have YOU done?...Because YOU have done this…
The ground is cursed...it will grow thorns and thistles for you..."
Genesis 3:11-14, 17-18
Our human nature makes us want to blame someone else when we find ourselves in trouble. Adam blamed Eve for his actions and Eve blamed the serpent. However, God demonstrated who was responsible when He addressed each one of the three with YOU! Not only were they all at fault, but each one had to face their own consequences. Each reaped a harvest of unique pain.
Pain and suffering, terms never known before, became a part of daily life. The formerly beautiful serpent now crawled in the dust and battled with man for his life. Both Adam and Eve had to labor painfully, Eve to give birth to children and Adam to feed them.
God’s description of Adam’s pain included the torment of thorns and thistles (v 17-18), weeds that never appeared in God’s original creation; what He had made was ALL good. Thorns and thistles were the consequence of sin, man choosing to go his own way rather than trusting God’s...and then blaming others for the pain his own choices brought!
Thankfully, God knew about the pain thorns would bring, so before He ever created Adam, He lovingly planned to send Jesus to be the One who would bear the thorns for us!
