What does it say?
The serpent took the word of God and twisted it, so the woman did what was in her heart, she took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ate; she also gave to her husband and he hate. The man and woman hid themselves from the Lord and when the Lord questioned the man about eating from the tree, he blamed the woman and the woman blamed the serpent. The Lord God told the serpent that he is cursed and He will put a state of hostility between him and the woman and between his seed and her seed; her seed will bruise the serpent on the head, yet the serpent will bruise His heel. The Lord told the woman and the man that childbirth would now be increasingly difficult but she would continue to bear children because she would desire her husband and he will rule over her. Adam had been given a garden but now he is to eat through very hard work and overcoming much difficulty; at the end of the days he will return to the dust, the dust that he came from and toiled with all the days of his life. Adam named his wife Eve and God sacrificed animals to cloth and protect their bodies. The Lord God drove the man and woman from the garden to keep them from the tree of life, lest they ate from it and live forever in a state of rebellion against God. Cain and Able were their children; Cain killed Abel because he was jealous because the Lord was pleased with Abels animal offering and not his fruit from the ground. The Lord made Cain unfruitful in farming; therefore, he became a vagrant wonderer but his life was still precious to the Lord. He settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain took a wife and had a son, his descendants are name through Lamech who exalted himself as greater than Cain who proceed him, though also a murder like Cain. Adam and Eve had a third son named Seth who begot Enosh; Enosh called on the name of the Lord. God had created man, He made them in His image, He created them male and female and blessed them. Adam lived for 930 years, though he had other sons, his descendants are remembered through his third son Seth. Though Seth and each of his sons had many sons and daughters it is remembered that Seth begot Enosh, who begot Kenan, who begot Mahalalel, who begot Jared, who begot Enoch (Enoch was taken by God, halfway through life), who begot Methuselah, who begot Lamech, who begot Noah. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
What does it mean?
Men and women have dignity because we are created by God in His image. When Cain killed Able he said, “Am I my brothers keeper?” The answer is yes! We are our brothers keeper because every person on earth bears the image of God. The image is marred by sin and the results of sin, the curse, but all human beings should be respected and treated with dignity because all human beings bear the image of God. All human life is precious in the eyes of God; therefore, should not all human life be precious in our eyes? Human life is to be protected and sustained with loving hands to protect it. Even in rebellion against his commandments God showed lovingkindness towards Adam and Eve by sacrificing the life of an animal to cloth them. He also demonstrated his love for Cain’s life even though Cain murdered Abel. God’s protection for the Serpent is that the seed of the woman would crush His head. This is looking forward to the gospel, when God would demonstrate His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom.5:8)
What shall I do?
I am called to the ministry of nursing. I have often misunderstood this calling and thought that I should do something that men call ministry. What men most think of is pulpit ministry but nursing is ministry. All human life is precious because all human beings bear the image of God who created us. All are marred by the fall but God demonstrated His own love for us at the cross. Should we not love our neighbors and care for there needs. Therefore, I shall continue my work at the beside and see to the needs of my neighbor because I am my brothers keeper. I shall point my patients to the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross for their redemption and give them hope in the consummation when all things will be made new.
