It was the proverbial “perfect world” that Adam and Eve enjoyed daily with their Creator. The beautiful garden, designed, created, and hand-planted by God Himself, was perfect in every way. We all know that it didn’t stay like that for very long. Because of the privilege of choice that God gave to all mankind, they both soon made the wrong choice. Eve, although deceived by Satan in the form of the serpent, believed the lie and chose to disobey God, doing the only thing that God had lovingly asked her not to do. But when she brought the fruit to Adam, he wasn’t deceived. He knew it was wrong. God was not surprised but, nevertheless, was very disappointed. In Genesis 3, we read the sad account of mankind being expelled from the garden, barred from the tree of eternal life, and the curse being pronounced because of Adam and Eve’s sin. It seemed so dark and hopeless. Even though it was only one man who sinned, the curse passed on to all of the created world, including the earth, plants, and animals. Just consider with me what all came along with this mighty curse.
- Disease
- Distress and Pain
- Deterioration and destruction
- Dominance of certain plants like thorns and thistles
- Death
- Decomposition and Decay
We’ll refer to them today as the six “D’s” of the curse.
Disease
The world’s pristine days of eternal, perfect health were past. Disease entered the picture as part of the curse of sin. The children of men, the birds, beasts, and the plants would all begin to experience the effects of sickness and disease. But God was faithful by providing instructions that helped man to know how to avoid many preventable sicknesses by cleanliness and simple obedience. For example, God’s command to honor His original intent in marriage, maintain purity, avoid multiple potential diseases, etc. He was also interested in our spiritual condition. God never designed mankind to bear guilt. He wants us to have and keep our conscience clear because He knows that a guilty conscience can make you sick!
Some of these sicknesses would be unavoidable, but many could be prevented by building immunity. God was also faithful in designing people, plants, and animals with a regenerative microbiome (billions of helpful bacteria) and a systemic immune system, which helps us fight off diseases. It is amazing how each plant seems to have certain dietary or healing properties that are beneficial. How faithful a Creator!
Distress and Pain
I suspect there was no real reason for any pain in the Garden of Eden, but we have experienced pain ever since the day of their exit. Pain is indeed a part of many of our lives. There are many types of pain. Grief, sorrow, and rejection are all emotional pains that come with the curse. Aches, migraines, sore muscles, torn ligaments, infected tendons, worn joints, and broken bones are a few of the physical pains that we may experience sometime before our last breath. Again, God has been faithful in helping mankind understand what to do to relieve some of life’s pains and distresses. From ancient times, plants, herbs, and other remedies have helped people deal with pain and distress. To this day, we have many useful plants that help us with pain.
One of the most beautiful things that can be experienced on earth is the birth of a child. Yet birth is generally accompanied by much pain. Although we can’t eliminate this promised pain, God has been faithful in providing and revealing to us the use of many herbs for use before, during, and after birth to ease the pain and hasten recovery. He didn’t have to do that for us. Mankind really deserves no mercy. What a faithful Creator!
Deterioration and destruction
We don’t need to study history much to see this principle at work. Wind, rain, and sun all have deteriorating effects on many things. Whether we consider an eroded stream bank, the rocks worn smooth in the riverbed, or the tree blown over by the wind, these are all natural elements of destruction. But add to that what man has done to the plants, animals, the soil, and each other. Whether the devastating effects of destruction during the awful wars or self-centered and greedy practices during peace, man is a very destructive creature. God granted mankind dominion over all of creation. However, too often, we falsely interpret that to mean that we own this sphere called earth and can do whatever we want to with it. He who declared, “The earth is the Lord’s,” doesn’t agree with the idea that men are something other than stewards of God’s creation. It is indeed wicked to worship the created world or anything in it. But it is equally wicked to be unthankful and careless with our Creator’s creation! Nevertheless, God has faithfully designed His earth with regenerative capabilities in the midst of this curse. Bless our gracious Maker!
Dominance of Thorns and Thistles
Anyone who has ever gardened soon found the reality of the battle with weeds. In all fairness, any plant growing where it isn’t desired is a “weed.” Many weeds can be very beneficial plants if we only know what to use them for. Some of the plants that we call weeds are actually quite nutritious and healthy once we understand which ones are edible and how to prepare them. Today, we want to think about thorns and thistles. We need to assume they were created on the first six days, not after the curse was pronounced. It seems that their ability to outgrow the useful crops increased after the curse. Even in this part of the curse, we see God mercifully providing for us.
We grow the artichoke for its bitter leaves, which are used to make digestive bitters. Think about it: Blessed Thistle, Milk Thistle, Teasel, Raspberry Leaf, and Blackberry roots are only a few examples of members of these “thorny weeds” used for medicinal and other food benefits. How good of God to give us benefits in the middle of the very curse!
Death
This is the one “D” that most of us would rather not talk about. In reality, when we take our first breath, we are one breath closer to death. Although all plants, animals, and people will eventually die, we still don’t feel comfortable with it. It is quite normal for us to have a will to live, and if we don’t, we should seek some help to find out why.
Indeed, death has no age. In my lifetime, I have helped bury stillborn babies, people as old as 96 years old, and every age in between. We read of the beautiful paradise restored, seen by the Apostle John in Revelation, as he describes Heaven. Some of the things he mentions are no sickness, no sorrow, no separation, no tears, no more suffering, and no death. In a way, life is only a gestation period for eternity. We can’t stay here, just like the baby in the womb can’t decide that it doesn’t want to enter the real world. With all our sorrows and temptations, our bodies wear out and decay. With all the violence, sin, and wickedness around us, would we really want to stay here in this condition forever? Rather, we return to the soil that we were made from, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, awaiting the final resurrection. Wasn’t it gracious of our faithful God not to allow sinful man to eat of the tree of life in his current sinful, dying state? Can we see and be grateful for God’s faithfulness in providing physical death?
In the midst of the curse given to Eve, the first prophecy of the Messiah is revealed. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). He is the conqueror of death! Praise God for His Faithfulness.
Decomposition and Decay
Decomposition and Decay are another “D” of the curse. A nut falls to the ground, and a sprout soon appears. In a few years, it will be a small sapling. Years go by, and squirrels gather the acorns that fall to the ground each autumn. Then as a mighty oak it contracts a virus, dies, and in a few years is brought to the ground by a windstorm. Here, it returns to the soil as it decays and decomposes. Ever since the curse, everything rots and decays. Considering all the plants, animals, and people that have died in the last 6,000 years, isn’t it good of God to have designed decomposition and decay? What would this world look like if all the debris of 6,000 years were still lying around? The earth would be covered with dead trees and corpses! This may be hard to realize, but God designed entire kingdoms in creation just to accomplish this before it was even needed because He foresaw the need. The kingdoms of yeast, mold, and fungus, the kingdoms of bacteria, enzymes, and microscopic plant and animal life all help break down the fiber of life and make it into the perfect fertilizer for the completion of the life cycle and provision for the next generation. Healthy organic soil has about 8 billion soil microbes in a single tablespoon. This is another reason why it is so important to treat the soil with respect, not harsh chemicals.
Have you ever considered the great flood of Noah? Imagine the millions of tons of plant, animal, and human matter floating around before finally settling to the bottom and quickly being buried in sediment as the waters receded. This produced the ideal conditions to make coal and the other fossil fuels that we use today. There it was, deep within the earth, until the day it was discovered. To this day, it is still being used.
May we be responsible and faithful stewards of the Lord’s earth!
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:19-23).
