“‘地必为你的缘故受咒诅；你必终身劳苦，才能从地里得吃。’” - 创 3:17
昨天我们已经看过，神把人类安置在一个安全的园子里，在那里神与他们一同生活和工作，好叫他们和所创造的世界一同得以兴旺。
可是，人类被蛇所迷惑，他们受到试探去违背神、吃了那禁果。他们渴望“如同神能知道善恶”。然而，他们却不了解一个事实，就是人类和神不同，他们知道恶的唯一途径，就是让人自己因混淆善和恶而破碎。吃了那个果子之后，罪便藉着破碎损伤侵占了他们整个人。
创世记形容这种破碎为一个“咒诅”，特别是指关系上的咒诅。人类与自己、与其他人、与自然界、和与神的关系都被破坏了。然而，在这个时候，神宣告有一天，蛇和罪恶与死亡的咒诅，终将会一同被击败。
因着耶稣在十架上受死和藉着衪的复活所成就的工，这一切都已经成为事实。现今，这咒诅已经被消除了。当我们吃耶稣所设立的主餐时，我们便开始修复破碎了的关系；我们领受神在我们生命中的医治和喂养，我们又在主餐中彼此分享交接。此外，在这曾被咒诅的土地上，我们仍然能够栽种收获美好的粮食。神就是这样向我们彰显衪的慈爱和看顾。
祷告
主耶稣，感谢你爱我们、为我们舍己，又感谢你赐下使一切得以复原的恩典。阿们。
创世记 3:1-19
1耶和华神所造的，唯有蛇比田野一切的活物更狡猾。蛇对女人说：“神岂是真说，不许你们吃园中所有树上的果子吗？”
2女人对蛇说：“园中树上的果子我们可以吃，
3唯有园当中那棵树上的果子，神曾说：‘你们不可吃，也不可摸，免得你们死。’”
4蛇对女人说：“你们不一定死！
5因为神知道你们吃的日子眼睛就明亮了，你们便如神能知道善恶。”
6于是女人见那棵树的果子好做食物，也悦人的眼目，且是可喜爱的，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；又给她丈夫，她丈夫也吃了。
7他们二人的眼睛就明亮了，才知道自己是赤身露体，便拿无花果树的叶子，为自己编做裙子。
8天起了凉风，耶和华神在园中行走，那人和他妻子听见神的声音，就藏在园里的树木中，躲避耶和华神的面。
9耶和华神呼唤那人，对他说：“你在哪里？”
10他说：“我在园中听见你的声音，我就害怕，因为我赤身露体。我便藏了。”
11耶和华说：“谁告诉你赤身露体呢？莫非你吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子吗？”
12那人说：“你所赐给我与我同居的女人，她把那树上的果子给我，我就吃了。”
13耶和华神对女人说：“你做的是什么事呢？”女人说：“那蛇引诱我，我就吃了。”
14耶和华神对蛇说：“你既做了这事，就必受咒诅，比一切的牲畜野兽更甚！你必用肚子行走，终身吃土。
15我又要叫你和女人彼此为仇，你的后裔和女人的后裔也彼此为仇，女人的后裔要伤你的头，你要伤他的脚跟。”
16又对女人说：“我必多多加增你怀胎的苦楚，你生产儿女必多受苦楚。你必恋慕你丈夫，你丈夫必管辖你。”
17又对亚当说：“你既听从妻子的话，吃了我所吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子，地必为你的缘故受咒诅，你必终身劳苦，才能从地里得吃的。
18地必给你长出荆棘和蒺藜来，你也要吃田间的菜蔬。
19你必汗流满面才得糊口，直到你归了土，因为你是从土而出的。你本是尘土，仍要归于尘土。”
Reversing The Curse
"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life." - Genesis 3:17
As we noted yesterday, God placed human beings in a garden sanctuary where God could live and work with them to bring about the flourishing of his world.
But through the deceit of the serpent, humans were tempted to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. They desired to be "like God, knowing good and evil." But the hidden reality was that, unlike God, human beings could only know good and evil by becoming a mingled mess of good and evil. As they ingested the fruit, brokenness moved into every part of their being.
Genesis describes the brokenness that followed as a "curse," especially in relationships. Humans' relationships with themselves, with one another, with nature, and with God became damaged. At the same time, though, God pronounced that someday the serpent, along with the curse of sin and death, would be defeated.
And in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and by his resurrection, all of that became true. Now the curse is being undone. And when we eat the Jesus-meal, the Lord's Supper, our damaged relationships can begin to mend. We receive God's restoring nourishment in our own lives, and we share the meal with one another. In addition, from the cursed ground we can still grow good food by which God communicates his love and care for us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for the love by which you gave yourself for us, and for the grace that restores all things. Amen.
