Pain in Childbirth

Bruce told me he was reading the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) so that challenged me to do the same. At least, start with Genesis! I love the first 11 chapters of Genesis because it lays such a strong foundation for everything to come. Reading chapter 3 this time, something struck me that hit me like a ton of bricks! This is where sin enters into the world by the transgression of God’s law to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Here in this chapter, God gives the consequences of that choice. Particularly, God telling the woman “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.” (Gen. 3:16a) Having given birth 4 times, I am familiar with that pain to some degree. When the pain became too much for me…I got the epidural! I started to ponder, why pain in childbirth? As far as we know, Eve had not had any children yet. The first time she gives birth, there will be pain and if you have had children you agree that pain is still present in every birth today! Why? Why is this significant? What is the context of this? Sin. The Bible tells us that we are born in sin. Romans 5:12-13 says "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law." (This law is the law of Moses.) Then it hit me! Pain in childbirth, while a consequence of sin, is also a grace from God!! In the world we live in today, we are constantly told that "I'm OK, you're OK". Even in most churches today, you will not hear about sin because it makes people "feel bad" and people already know they have "problems". But the truth is we are sinners and the proof is we all die (see Romans 5:12-13 again) and as the world all around us tells us, just like the serpent told the woman in Genesis 3:4 “You will not surely die.", God tells us and shows us the truth about ourselves. That pain in childbirth should remind us that we were born in sin and we need a Savior! While labor pains are not the most pleasant thing to endure (even with medication!), it is the kindness of God that leads us to salvation! (Romans 2:4) So, while my childbearing days are done, I am thankful to God for His kindness to me to show me in His Word that I am in desperate need of that saving grace and He will not let me deceive myself any longer with the serpents message to the world that "you will be like God"! (Gen. 3:5)