WE now come to verse 20 of Genesis chapter 3, and it is tempting to pass over it without much thought, feeling that it is just a statement for the purpose of continuing the narrative, and leave it at that. However this would be a big mistake. There is in this one verse a very profound truth which not only gives explanation of the world all down history and as we observe it now, but also leads us to come face to face with the need which we all have.
Before we launch into our study of this verse we need to observe a matter of translation. In the NIV translation of the Bible we read of Eve that she is the mother of all the living. This would suggest that the meaning here is that Eve was the mother of all the people raised to life from the death of sin, according to the promise that her 'seed' foretold in verse 15 would crush the serpents head. However I have consulted the AV, the RV, the RSV, and ESV and all translate the closing phrase of this 20th verse of Genesis chapter 3 as 'mother of all living', which includes all humanity, and not just the redeemed.
Here we have a tremendous revelation which explains the truth about humanity, which the theory of evolution simply fails to do. The theory of evolution teaches that humanity is evolving better and better. Although this may be said to be true concerning scientific advancement and such like, it is totally untrue when we consider human behaviour, where far from things getting better and better, they are showing no improvement whatsoever.
Because Eve was the mother of all living, the curse of God brought on creation and humanity by God in punishment for her sin, is handed down to all her posterity. The fact is that every human being born into this world is born with the sentence of death upon them. This shows itself in our mortality, and though we may live to be 80 or more years old, one certainty is that we will die, and life in this world will end. But there is more than that in the inheritance of God's punishment on Eve. This curse means that when physical life ends, eternal death follows where the punishment for Eve's sin is continued into eternity, and everlasting death, with all the suffering and pain of hell, will continue forever. But this is not all, because Eve is the mother of all living, it means that we are all born cast out of the presence of God, and under the just wrath of God, and spiritually dead, whereby we are separate from God, and under the dominion of Satan, whom Eve chose to obey rather than God.
From this devastating inheritance from Eve as our mother, every one of us is born a sinner in sight of God, and with a corrupt nature, which far from helping us to be good and please God, means that our desire is always away from God to gratify our sinful lusts of the flesh. This fact is obvious from the very commencement of life. A baby does not need to be taught to do wrong, be selfish and disobedient, and so on, humanity behaves like this naturally. Parents have to strive to teach their children to be good, but doing wrong comes naturally to them. This disposition continues throughout life, and is the cause of all the strife and war in the world that history testifies to, and we see in the world which we know in the present. Governments work hard to make things better, but this curse proves to be more powerful than all legislation. A problem may have a temporary solution, but it raises its ugly head again and again, and in different forms. Further to this those who make legislation are not free from this curse of corruption, and so their own personal corruption effects all their plans, wisdom and decisions, so no rule can ever be perfect.
Education has been felt to be the answer to the problem, but the increase of education for all has not solved the problem. Poverty and deprivation has been felt to be the cause of human problems, but this is only a symptom of the corruption in the human heart, and even when poverty has been eradicated, the curse persists in the behaviour of men and women.
It is pointed out that there are good people in the world, and they have, and are, doing much good it the world, but this is only a drop in the ocean of solving the problem of the curse on humanity, handed down upon us all through the mother of us all, Eve. Further, even these people who are doing and seeking to do good, have this fatal infection of corruption within them, so even their efforts are flawed.
This curse is further seen when people are blind to the solution offered by God in the promise of the 'seed' of Eve crushing the serpents head, that is Satan, so when Christ is preached people love their darkness rather than the light of Christ, and the life found in Christ. This fact is illustrated in the history of the Jews in the Old Testament. They loved to hear the teaching of the false prophets, who taught lies and were many, but when a true prophet came and taught they rejected that teaching and persecuted the true prophet. There are plenty of prophets around today seen in the multiplication of clergy and ministers in the church, who teach pleasing things which people delight to hear, but when a minister teaches the truth as it is in Jesus, this is rejected with venom by those who have embraced the false ministers. This was scene in the early church, false teachers came into the churches founded by Paul, and sought to turn people away from the truth which Paul had taught, and people turned against Paul in consequence. The same is true today for when the Gospel is truly preached, even now false prophets turn people against it, and people love to have it so. What is the answer to this curse, we have a hint of it in the verses to come which we will consider next time.