Curses And Identities
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
(By Jonathan Bukiewicz) - A little while back I heard a teaching on the curses in Genesis. It wasn't the most uplifting message I've ever heard, but it did reveal some really interesting insight into the human condition as a result of the choices of Adam and Eve in the garden. See, after they took the fruit and ate it, and hid from God and all of that, the story recalls a conversation between God and Adam:
But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
Genesis 2: 9-11
From there, God explains what the consequences will be of their disobedience. Among other things, he specifies:
To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you." (Genesis 2:16)
(To Adam he said),
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return." (Genesis 2:19)
The teacher drew out a couple of observations based on these curses. The one that has stuck out to me is the way in which Adam is addressed in the curses. He is told that "by the sweat of his brow, he'll eat his food until he returns to the ground".
Now, I don't have to grow food or sweat much at work (the central AC takes care of that pretty nicely in the summer). But, I do understand what it means to work for money with which to buy food and to support my family. Unfortunately, and this is one of the points in the teaching, too often the work that I do becomes, in my mind, what I'm worth. The things that I accomplish, or the position I have can easily become my identity.
The teacher talked about how these curses set men and women apart from each other, as they each were going to find their self-worth and identity in separate things. For men, and I think for many women too, the thought of what we are going to do with our lives, or what we can accomplish, actually ends up being what we let define us. The titles we have, the opportunities we have to do things that are recognized by people, etc - these things can really become empty gestures in an attempt to find our own identity, or find our own worth. Similarly, the teacher said that it can be read throughout those verses that because of a woman's desire for her husband, the reality of finding an identity can too often be found in what her husband, or what those around her, think of her.
Can you see this in the world today? How much time is spent trying to better ourselves for that perfect position, or salary range, or status - so as to possibly give us a greater sense of worth or identity in the world? Or how much time do we spend finding identity in what others think of us? How many of us 'submit' to those around us by following ways that we know are wrong or self-destructive in order to somehow gain their approval? Is our identity found in something besides a child of God?
There's much to be unpacked there, and I'm sure my interpretation of the teacher's original reading isn't the most sound theology (sort of like playing telephone), but the themes are worth exploring. I pray that God can help all of us to find our entire worth and identity in being his children and living our lives in full awareness of His love.
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