DOMINION DIED – PARADISE LOST!

…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” – Genesis 3:8

The moment dominion “died” paradise was lost. That’s why the Genesis 3 Man looked like a ‘midget’ caricature of the Genesis 2 Man! Humanity began to hide from God’s Presence. Divine Fellowship was forsaken: “So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (v.10) – Fear, Shame, and Loss of fellowship. Once Sin invaded and penetrated, shame, fear, and timidity replaced integrity, faith, and boldness. The original possession of dominion had been traded on the market place of disobedience.

Suddenly, humanity lost the serenity of Eden and entered into an arena of Conflict. God pronounced on the serpent thus: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (v.15). For the woman, conception became characterized by multiplied labour and pain, yet ironically tempered by Mercy: “…your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you” (v.16b). If such proviso of mercy was not inserted, the pain of childbearing would have driven every woman from ever submitting again to the tortuous process; but inside of the pain was a divinely-imputed “desire” and pleasure that guaranteed the perpetuity of procreation!

For the man, work which was meant to be an enjoyable and pleasant demonstration of dominion became rigour and toil. Notice: although the consequences of Sin were grievous, it was actually the Ground – not Man – that was cursed! Note verse 17b,18: “…Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the herb of the field”. Again, mercy undergirded judgement! The cursed ground will still provide “herbs” to ameliorate the sufferings and sicknesses that humanity would begin to partake of!

Another by-product of the loss of dominion: “sweat” replaced “sweetness” – “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…” (v.19a). Toil replaced work. The peak of the loss of dominion was physical death: “till you return to the ground; for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (v.19b). Why was Paradise lost? How did dominion die in Adam? The answer is simple: by disobeying God and obeying the serpent, there was an exchange of authority from Adam to Satan. Man who had enjoyed so much authority over nature now became extremely subject to nature. All that he had dominion over were now brining him into subjugation and subjection. Dominion ‘died’ through Sin and Disobedience!