Implications of the Curse
when taken literally and figuratively
It’s nothing new for God’s people to interpret His parables, prophecies, poems, and psalms literally when they are meant to be understood figuratively.
Israel was looking for a literal king and that was why most religious leaders missed Jesus. Many have mistaken symbols in Revelation to mean actual descriptions of Heaven and thus haven’t been very interested in going there. The gospels explain how Jesus taught in parables to communicate truths only to those who were willing to listen. And the prophets explain how God’s word is spoken in a hidden way so that only those who have ears to hear will understand.
(To see a history of Israel and the church’s confusion about symbols click the link)
The Emphasis Highlights Dual Meanings
Doesn’t it seem possible that this may be happening now with God’s words to Eve after the fall: “Your desire will be for your husband but he will rule over you”? What if God didn’t actually curse women to be under male authority for all our earthly lives? What if God meant a literal understanding for Eve and Israel, but a different meaning for us who live in light of Christ’s sacrifice for his bride, the Church.
Perhaps in our zeal to prove Genesis actually happened, we’ve taken every word literally when some of it is meant to be taken figuratively. Genesis' curse is poetic, not a narrative. It’s not hard to understand the first part of the verse poetically. Why not see the entire thing poetically? For those who have an ear to hear, it may be a game changer.
In this blog, I will examine the results of only viewing the curse literally and the benefits of seeing it figuratively.
By the way, this is a continuation of an experiment to see how the curse in Genesis may have a message for the Church today. If you didn’t read the first three blogs, here are the links.
Let’s Review
In the last blog, I examined what the curse to the woman might mean. I proposed that Eve and Israel probably understood this verse literally. Thus to them, it probably meant that wives would desire their husbands in some sort of unhealthy way and that husbands would use their manpower to dominate their wives in an unhealthy way.
I also proposed that it could mean several things figuratively. My best guess is that the curse also means:
God’s people (The woman) will desire an intimate relationship with human strength (her husband), but instead, all mankind (he) will use human strength to dominate God’s people (will rule over you.)
Taking this verse figuratively doesn’t mean the curse didn’t happen or didn’t apply to Adam, Eve, or the Israelites. It just means that the curse may have a different message to us than it did to those in the Old Testament. There may be a message here that Adam, Eve, and Israel wouldn’t have been able to understand. And that message may be a message of hope instead of a curse.
Summary of Figurative Language
Here’s my summary of the curse once again with the symbols in bold.
(The Serpent) chaos, Satan, and sin will be earthbound (crawl on belly and eat dust). There will be enmity between Israel (the woman) and Satan, chaos, and sin (the serpent.) (The offspring of the woman) The Church, led by Christ, will defeat chaos, sin, and death (crush its head). But by defeating chaos, sin, and death (the serpent), Jesus and His Church will suffer chaos, sin, and death on their way out of this world (bruise his heel).
Thus, (Childbearing) the work to be born again into God’s kingdom will be painful. (Woman) God’s people will greatly desire a relationship with human strength (her husband), but earthly powers (the husband) will use human strength to rule God’s people (her).
Thus, (the ground) where God’s people’s work will be difficult. The earth and our hearts produce works of the flesh (thistles and thorns). We live by what we produce, (live off the fields) either works of the flesh or works of the spirit. Eventually, through this suffering (the sweat of your brow), we will eat Christ body (Bread), and finally what is fleshly (dust) will have a physical death (return to dust).
Over time, people (man) will discover (gave the name) God’s people have the source of eternal life (Eve is the mother of all living things—again I’m not totally sure about this take). This time of being on earth (being cast out of Eden) is the time when God clothes us in His righteousness (God made animal skin clothes). Christ being made manifest in us covers our shame and makes us fit for God’s presence once more.
New Information
Most of this isn’t anything new. This is the story of the gospel, our salvation, and sanctification. What is new is the understanding that the curse may not be talking negatively about the “wife’s” desires or a “husband’s” rulership. Do you understand the implications of this? They’re huge!
It means that maybe it’s not a curse to desire or pursue earthly rulership.
And maybe being ruled by earthly rulers is a way God clothes us in His righteousness.
This could help us understand what God is or isn’t saying about men, women, and ruling. Here’s several ways the literal viewpoint has hindered growth and how the figurative viewpoint helps.
1. Seeds of Bitterness & Anger
Believing that God cursed women to be ruled by men has caused some women to be bitter and resentful of a perceived injustice. Not only that, but it has caused some women to believe that people in authority, and most especially men, are motivated by their sinful flesh.
If we understand this verse to mean that mankind uses its powers to rule God’s people, then rulership and men aren’t the problem. Rather, the problem is people using power in the flesh, a.k.a. as the world does. When we do this, we are acting like an earthly kingdom instead of a heavenly kingdom.
When we use our powers according to God’s words, the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s life, then it is good. Ruling according to God’s word, the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s life neither dominates nor undermines others but works to help others grow up into the unity of Christ. This is similar to what parents do. They want their children to grow up so they may one day govern themselves.
2. Suspicion
Taking this verse literally may be causing many Christian men to believe that a truly godly woman would never desire to lead a man. A woman trying to lead is a red flag no matter her motives. A man trying to lead . . . well . . . that’s godly.
If this verse isn’t saying the wife’s desire is wrong, but that God’s people will desire earthly rulership, then it’s not unhealthy for women or men to desire to lead or rule other people. It’s longing to consume, dominate, control, undermine, manipulate, or use others like the world does that is unhealthy.
How do we know if our rulership is healthy or not? According to the fruit that it produces. Does our rulership stifle, consume, or discourage the voice of God working in others? Does it attempt to conform others to the pattern of our own traditions? Does it manipulate, force, micromanage, undermine, or use others for our own satisfaction? Does it teach and equip others for the “homeownership” of God’s kingdom here and now? Does it encourage us to give up our earthly rights so others may grow up into the fullness of Christ’s character? The fruit will show.
Seeing how this verse is talking about all God’s people and not just women helps us understand who the real enemy is. It isn’t women ruling. It isn’t men ruling. It’s Satan, sin, and chaos. We defeat the enemy in the same way Christ crushed the serpent’s head, which is through suffering and dying. This helps us follow Christ in dominating our sinful flesh instead of dominating others.
If this verse means that God’s people desire earthbound rulership, then this broadens the scope of what Christians desire. It’s not just positions of power that we desire but wealth, prestige, glory, influence, beauty, and fame. And if these desires aren’t a curse, then desiring these things isn’t necessarily bad either. It’s the fruit of our pursuit that reveals the heart behind the desire. When we produce thorns and thistles, we know that we need the Lord to transform our desires for His Kingdom.
This is a healing balm to many people who find themselves deeply longing for something other than God: a particular career, love, fairness, success at something, peace between people, etc. They may shame themselves for having that desire when the desire itself isn’t bad. The desire just needs to be put in proper order.
3. Refusing Authority Positions
Believing women’s desire to rule men is a result of sin has caused some women to believe that exercising authority over men is a sin. (Yes, they also get tripped up by that 1 Timothy 2:12 verse.) By this logic, men ought never to accept authority positions over women either because that is also a result of sin. Either God calls men and women to govern each other like Christ and that’s good, or God calls neither men nor women to do this, and it’s wrong for everyone.
Understanding that this verse isn’t saying ruling is a curse, prompts us to ask, what makes rulership right or wrong? What makes rulership heavenly or earthly? Again, it’s according to the fruit produced.
Power used by the flesh is full of fear of losing earthly authority, greed for more earthly power, anger when our power is threatened, lust to bring more under our influence, and addicted to keeping seemingly powerless people without power. You could substitute the word “power” in the above sentence with all manner of things: children, art, emotion, order, church-leadership, etc.
Power used in the Spirit is full of the fruit of the Spirit and is willing to give up our earthly treasures for the sake of making another ready for Christ.
4. False Hopes
Believing the curse is only to be understood literally may be causing some women to believe that if men just stopped ruling women, we’d bring about Heaven on Earth. Likewise, some men may believe that if women just stopped wanting authority positions, we’d bring about Heaven on Earth.
Taking this verse metaphorically helps us understand the problem. It’s not ruling or desiring to rule. We were meant to rule. And God gave us our desires. The problem is how and what we do with these things.
We have the example of Christ to see what desiring and ruling ought to look like. Both men and women were called to follow the submissive and sacrificial parts of Jesus. Both men and women were called to rule and reign like Jesus did in establishing and upholding His heavenly kingdom on earth.
Even if men and women were to rule together in the home, government, and church, sin would still need to be defeated in us, and only the Holy Spirit can do that. Adam and Eve were perfectly united in the garden. Neither one ruled the other, but they still sinned. This wasn’t man’s fault. It wasn’t woman’s fault. It was because Christ had yet to come and make it possible for God’s word to not only be told to them but become a growing seed in their hearts.
Understanding this verse metaphorically helps us see how we are called to rule and reign like Christ right now. We don’t have to wait until earthly authority structures recognize men and women as joint heirs. We don’t have to wait for those in authority to give us joint ownership of earthly churches or family life. We don’t have to wait for earthly responsibility to fall on our shoulders to be responsible for other’s heavenly growth. In fact, nothing is stopping us from doing the work that God gave us to do right now.
5. Getting Involved
Believing that men will always rule women has given some an excuse for being uninvolved. Women have used it as an excuse to say, “Well, I can’t change the situation, so I’m just going to stay out of ‘men’s affairs."
Likewise, men have used this as an excuse for primarily focusing on earthly rulership systems rather than the inner, private life of family, home, and heart. Why care about those things? God said men will rule elsewhere.
I also get the impression, although this is just a guess, that some men believe that if women just stayed out of men’s affairs, kept busy at home being domesticated, everything would be better.
If “men will rule over you” means that Christians will be ruled by earth’s powers, then we have no reason to take a back seat in either public or private affairs. Through Christ, we can rule and reign in both the public and private spheres when we are open to God making a way for us. We can ask God, “How are you leading me to be involved in this government, church, family, or my own soul?”
Now what if a wife refuses to allow her husband joint rulership in the home? What if men refuse to give women church “ownership”? Is it right then to give up trying?
If opposition causes us to give up, do we really want what God wants or do we want the path of least resistance? Being under earthly authority structures may mean altering our approach. For some macho-men, this may mean learning to be more formational and nurturing in places where women insist women are the rulers. For some timid women, this may mean learning to be more courageous and confrontational in places where men insist men are the rulers. And for both men and women, it must mean learning to hear God’s voice and obey His leading.
If “men will rule over you” means that earthly powers will exercise rulership over God’s people, then our ruling isn’t dependent upon us being in places of earthly authority.
In fact, the rest of the curse seems to say that God uses earthly authorities ruling over His people to produce fruit in us. That is, God might be using earthly restrictions to grow our heavenly rulership.
For example, when my children want something that I’ve said “no” to, they become more clever and cunning. In fact, my restriction of their freedom causes them to invent new ways of getting what they want. This is, of course, naughty, but not unlike what we Christians are called to do about the things of God. It’s like the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16. The fact that earthly authorities restrict us is no excuse for actively bringing about God’s kingdom on earth. It just teaches us to find new ways to shepherd, teach, nurture, and disciple God’s people. The alternative is giving up and pretending it’s someone else’s job.
6. Rulership Limitations and Restrictions
Believing that God said men will rule women has caused us to limit the definition of ruling to what men primarily do. Thus, we limit ruling to what has a militant forceful nature and is prevalent in governments. People haven’t viewed bringing up children, keeping home, civil matters, counseling, or governing the soul as ruling and reigning. Thus, we fall prey to thinking that what we do in times of peace, at home, and in our hearts is not as powerful or as important as what we do at war, in governments, and with our physical actions. This encourages both men and women to be neglectful of our private lives and to focus on our outward public lives.
Seeing how this verse doesn’t limit or glorify public power over private power helps us understand that men and women must learn to govern in all areas. In fact, learning how to rule in our private lives helps us rule and reign in our public lives. Likewise reigning in our public lives helps us rule and reign in our private lives.
Understanding how this verse uses “husband” and “wife” to indicate the intimate relationship between the public and private spheres helps us seek ways to be united in both our forceful ways and our formative ways. You can’t rule your body without ruling your heart. You can’t rule outside the home without ruling inside the home. The rulership of both go together, like a marriage.
If this verse is using man’s rule to primarily symbolize a kind of public forceful rulership, then perhaps women symbolize the more formational, nurturing, growing kind of rulership. The unity of both seems vital to any earthly Christian government, be it church, home, or school.
This type of government echoes Jesus’ rulership foretold in Isaiah 9:7b-c: “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingsom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness."
Jesus brought about His kingdom by combining the “womanly” form of ruling (establishing, nurturing, formational, foundational) with the “manly” form of ruling (forcing, upholding, guarding, conquering). Both of these are being made manifest in us through the Holy Spirit and our daily “putting on” of Christ.
How marvelous that God built into our bodies symbols for how to rule in unity with our whole selves in all areas.
Trusting God Through Perceived Powerlessness
I don’t know why anyone would want to insist that the curse must only be taken literally after this list. A literal understanding skews how we view reality.
I hope your eyes were opened through this experiment. To read more, here’s a poem I wrote about David’s desire to seize power by force and how God’s feast satisfied that hunger.