Sin-Distortion
Genesis 3:16-17 (ESV) 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for[f] your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17 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;
Here is a scenario we can all say that we can find as relatable. You walk into a restaurant. You’re hungry! You’re VERY hungry. You head up to the front desk to scan the menu. Then there it is, that one item that just trips something inside of you. The way it is presented in the image is flawless. Perfectly fluffy bun, golden brown fried chicken that looks so crispy you can hear it from the image, just the right amount of pickles and perfectly placed. Everything just “works.”
You place your order for that immaculate chicken sandwich and wait your few minutes until they call your name out. You take your meal over to your seat, sitting down with so much anticipation…you start to unwrap your sandwich….disappointment. A squashed bun. A pale brown exterior. A few old pickles stacked in the middle. “This isn’t what it is supposed to be like…”
This is a very relatable representation of the effects of sin on creation…albeit slightly silly. The image on that menu is what it was SUPPOSED to look like. SUPPOSED to be like. The creator of that perfect thing spared no expense on time or precision. Everything was exquisite! Then, “someone else” tried to make it their own way…and the result is a distorted wreck.
Look at the scripture for today. This is immediately after the fall when sin first entered the Garden. God set forth a very simple, and perfect, order for Adam and Eve. They had “one job” so to speak…and they blew it. We can blame the temptation of the serpent all we want, but their actions were theirs to own and face the consequences for. Their actions presented a different version of what God commanded. The instant this happened, and sin entered creation, everything began to change. This is where the sin distortion is.
And that distortion has no limits. It infests and infects every aspect of creation itself. Yes, mosquitoes are most certainly a result of the fall of creation. Yet God, as a good father, places a punishment upon mankind for all of our days that also reflects a distortion. Almost as if He is saying, “You want to choose the distorted path? Then here are distorted consequences.”
Childbirth becomes painful. Grueling in fact. Ladies imagine if you had childbirth that was completely pain free. That is how God intended it to be! Men…imagine if you didn’t have to work and labor to support your families…and your needs were simply met at all times. That is also how God intended it to be!
Often times, in our arrogance and ego, we choose this distortion. Every single time that we do so, the consequences are very much a distortion of what God intended things to be like. Each and every time! A lie is a distorted version of truth. Lust is a distorted version of marital sexuality. Gluttony, pride, anger….all of it is idolatry to the things that man desires in his fallen flesh. This too is a greater distortion of the only one we should seek to make our idol.
God…and God alone. So, with all of this distortion, and how constant and all-encompassing it may seem, how do we do battle with such a thing?! Who can return things to their rightful place? Who can represent that perfection that God intended? Who can be worthy enough and powerful enough to walk through it all and set it right?
Well, God sent a lamb…
Soli Deo Gloria!!!!
