Dr H Reflections

Not my will, but yours ∙∙

Not my will, but yours – Luke 22:42

Genesis 4:7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the superpowers of that time, England, France, and Spain, were locked in a struggle to dominate the New World. Each country had its objectives, ranging from colonization and land acquisition to seeking wealth, freedom to practice religious faith, evangelism, and exploiting the riches of the Americas.

By the 1740s, tensions between Great Britain and France escalated due to their expansion ambitions in North America, making conflict inevitable. Both nations aimed to extend their territories – England by cultivating cash crops like tobacco and France through the lucrative fur trade. This rivalry led to armed confrontations in the late 1750s and early 1760s, known as the French and Indian War.

By 1763, England emerged as the dominant power in North America, defeating France in this conflict.

This competitive drive for control is not a modern phenomenon. It traces back to the earliest human history, starting with the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.

The Hebrew word translated as desire, desire to control, or contrary to you, is teshuqah. Teshuqahhas a primary sense of desire or longing. This term can have either a positive or negative connotation and appears only three times in the Old Testament. In the Song of Solomon, it denotes the deep affection and yearning a husband has for his wife, reflecting his intense desire to be close to her.

Song 7:10 – The woman says of her beloved: I am my beloved’s, and his “desire” is for me.

However, in Genesis 4:7, teshuqah has an entirely negative connotation. Here, the Father speaks to Cain and says that sin is like a crouching beast “hungering, intent upon” him (TWOT).

Genesis 4:7 Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

Sin is personified. It is like a ferocious, ravenous beast lurking about, craving to control and dominate. It is waiting at the door of Cain’s life, eager to assert its influence and take control. Should sin overpower and prevail, the consequences for Cain are ominous.

There is an interplay between sin and Cain’s motivations and actions. Overwhelmed by jealousy and rage, Cain is actively plotting the murder of his brother. Sin encourages Cain to act out his hateful emotions. Sin is trying to dominate, take over, and control. The Father cautions Cain about coming to terms with this force. The Father admonishes him to be strong and resist sin’s control. The Father encourages Cain to be master of his emotions and not yield to sin’s desires.

Cain is to “rule over it.” Cain fails to take the Lord’s advice; sin gains the upper hand, leading to the tragic murder of his brother Abel.

REFLECT & PRAY

Due to the Fall, the very essence of human DNA was significantly altered, leading to a loss of harmony, mutuality, love, and respect. The endeavor to reclaim these lost elements proves to be challenging, often feeling insurmountable and seemingly impossible.

Father thank You for overcoming the curse of the Fall. Encourage Your children to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender control back to You, the Lord God omnipotent.

INSIGHT

In Genesis 4:7, understanding that the term “desire” indicates the desire to control helps us to better understand the Father’s words to Eve.

Genesis 3:16 Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

The complementary relationship and balance between husband and wife that the Father ordained before the Fall has been profoundly fractured. Instead of harmony and unity, there will now be an ongoing struggle between the woman and the man for leadership in the marriage relationship.

Eve was previously the perfect complement for Adam. But that was lost in the Fall. She has been sullied. She now has an inordinate desire to control. She wants her own way. She is now in opposition to Adam. Instead of engaging in joyful collaboration and mutual support, conflict now arises.

Instead of embodying the role of a servant leader who nurtures, cares for, and protects his wife, Adam leans towards domination and coercion. He becomes the father of all toxic bullies. The dynamic has devolved into a cliché of primal assertion, epitomized in the phrase, “Me Tarzan, you Jane,” and its worst.

Conversely, Eve was previously the perfect complement to Adam. But that was lost in the Fall. She has been sullied. She now has an inordinate desire to control. She wants her own way. She is now in opposition to Adam. Instead of engaging in joyful collaboration and mutual support, conflict now arises.

Sin has wreaked havoc on the divine blueprint for marital bliss, leaving couples caught in a relentless struggle to assert their will. There are now two opponents vying to get their own way.

The rebellion of Adam and Eve against the Father has cast a long shadow of conflict over marriage throughout generations. The roles and responsibilities once divinely assigned are now severely damaged. How tragic!

But the Father has an answer for His wayward children. By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, couples receive divine strength to fulfill their intended roles and responsibilities within marriage, restoring the original design.

Ephesians 5:21-32 spells out a way to achieve the original design that the Father desired.

The husband is called to cherish his wife and her well-being above his own. He should embody selflessness, be ready to sacrifice everything for her and mirror the servant leadership of Lord Jesus Christ towards Adam. The Father has provided the ultimate role model for the husband regarding his attitudes and actions towards his wife. The Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself up for” the church in loving self-sacrifice. The husband bears solemn and formidable obligations before the Father. Bullying, domination, or oppression are nowhere to be seen.

The marital bond is meant to be a source of deep satisfaction and an avenue for serving the Lord joyfully for the wife, with the husband playing a crucial role in fostering her spiritual growth, goodness, righteousness, and faithfulness. Interestingly, Paul emphasizes the husband’s responsibilities significantly more than the wife’s. He devotes three times more space to the husband’s duty (nine verses) than to the wife’s (three verses), highlighting the gravity of his role within the marriage (ESV notes).

On her part, the wife is encouraged to respect and honor her husband, acknowledging his position as the leader within the marriage. This acknowledgment is not about coercion but a voluntary alignment with the healthy and harmonious structure designed for marriage (ESV notes). Submission by a woman is never to be driven by a biblical “sledgehammer.” She, too, has an example to follow, but regrettably, a poor one at best. The church is pictured as the bride of Christ. The church is to submit to the Lordship of Christ and willingly seek to fulfill the desires and dreams the Father has for it.

Harry Truman famously said, “The buck stops here,” underscoring the weighty responsibility and accountability one bears, especially in the context of marriage where both partners face the dreadful weight of ultimate responsibility and the daunting prospect of accountability before the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father. No husband would ever want to face the disapproval of his actions and attitudes in marriage by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

From its inception, marriage was designed to echo the sacred bond between Christ and the church. Paul’s teachings on the roles within marriage reflect the Father’s perfect vision for union, inspired by the profound relationship between Christ and His church. The Father’s blueprint offers a standard that all marriages are intended to aspire to, underlining the sacredness and profundity of the marital covenant.

Each of us is a work in progress, striving for the high standard to which we have been called. The Lord Jesus Christ showed us the way, “Not my will, but yours.” – Luke 22:42

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© Dr. H 2024