Karina Pellegrini
In the garden of Eden, a perfect place teeming with life, the man and woman walked: pure, unashamed and content. Lucifer waited in the trees, disguised as a serpent. So soon after man’s creation, Satan was prepared to deceive and cause their death and separation from God. Satan’s master plan was death and hell for all humans–the damning of the entire earth and for God’s creation to fail. Cunningly and smoothly, he coaxed the woman closer to the fruit.
Satan knew that if the woman ate of the tree, she would die. In doing so, she would end her race and damn herself and her husband to hell. As they ate of the fruit, Satan was certain his plan worked. As their eyes were opened, they experienced shame at their nakedness, and shame for their actions. They became preoccupied with only self, being like God in the way that they now knew good and evil.
When God found them hiding in the garden, His kindness and mercy shone in full force. Our Creator was patient and loving towards His creation, which was still so new and young. Asking them three separate questions, He extracted the truth, that His beloved creation had been tempted and sinned against Him.
Turning to the Serpent, God cursed him, “Curse are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”
God then disciplined the man and the woman. Pain was first mentioned in Genesis 3:16, when God told the woman, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe, with painful labor you will give birth to children.”
To the man, God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat from it all the days of your life.”
But the story didn’t end there. God did not abandon His creation nor did His love ever waver. Satan’s plan did not account for the immense love God has for His creation and His willingness to sacrifice Himself for our salvation from death and hell.
From God there came a redeeming promise (Genesis 3:15): the restoration of Eve’s womb for life and not death. Before God spoke to His now-sinful creation, He said to the Serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”
Through Eve’s womb now held a piece of the promise of salvation. From her womb would come the Savior of the world–the one who would carry the burden of the sins of every person to ever live, who would redeem our fallen race from the clutches of Satan and carry us to Heaven to be with Him forever. Amen. Yes, yes, it shall be so!
Karina Pellegrini is a member at Messiah Lutheran Church in Marysville, Washington.
