Wednesday,
February 5, 2020
OUR GROANING CREATION!
Gen
3:17
17 And unto
Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:
cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life;
Rom
8:22
22 For we
know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now.
Is
creation angry
because of our sins? Is it getting worse? No, I’m not talking about what is
currently called “climate change” because God has established seasons which
change regularly. No, I’m talking about the curse.
The word “cursed,” in Genesis, means “to feel or to express great loathing
for.” So, yes, the ground feels great loathing for man and his
sin which caused thorns, thistles, and other natural disasters.
Two
words are worthy of our attention in Romans. One is the word “groaneth” which is the
Greek word sustenazo which means “to moan together.” We might
think of it as the whole of the systems of nature are in a miserable state and
are complaining together. Sometimes they roar.
The
second word
is “travaileth” which is the Greek word sunodino which
means “to have pangs in company or in concert with others.” The Biblical word
travaileth often refers to the labor pains of an expectant mother. Again, we
get the idea that the chorus of complaint comes from the collective systems of
creation.
Those
who say
that man is responsible for ruining his environment may not be totally wrong,
but they are misguided. We will not cure nature’s ills by abandoning plastic
straws wrapped in paper for paper straws wrapped in plastic or sending more
taxes to an already hungry government. No, creation is groaning under the
weight of our sins.
Rom
8:23
23 And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body.
Dear
Lord, we who are the redeemed groan in harmony with creation. We are grateful
for the redemption of our spirits but we long for the redemption of the body.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus. AMEN
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