13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done? ”

And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

Because you have done this,you are cursed more than any livestockand more than any wild animal.You will move on your bellyand eat dust all the days of your life.15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring.He will strike your head,and you will strike his heel.

16 He said to the woman:

I will intensify your labor pains;you will bear children with painful effort.Your desire will be for your husband,yet he will rule over you.

17 And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:

The ground is cursed because of you.You will eat from it by means of painful laborall the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,and you will eat the plants of the field.19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your browuntil you return to the ground,since you were taken from it.For you are dust,and you will return to dust.”

Genesis 3:13-25

The Shattering of Shalom (Genesis 3:13-25)

At the rebellion of Adam and Eve, there is a shattering of Shalom. Shalom is God's perfect peace and intention for creation. When Adam and Eve went their own way instead of with God, all creation went off the tracks.The shattering of shalom reaches into every crevice of our lives. Here is a way to break that down into four parts:

1. Relationship with God (Genesis 3:8)

Humans were created to live in right relationship with God forever. Because of sin and shame, a man opposes God, not as an ally but as an enemy. Our relationship with God is fractured because of our selfish sin.

2. Relationship with Self (Genesis 3:7)

Instead of being fully conscience of God, now we are self-conscious. We look at ourselves and experience shame. Our lives are warped by insecurity, and our desires to compensate for what we feel is lacking.

3. Relationship with Others (Genesis 3:12,16)

We were created for a relationship. We were designed to be co-laborers, but now we are competitors. All of the relationships in our life are marked by strife, effort, and in many situations, unimaginable pain.

4. Relationship with Nature (Genesis 3:17-25)

Adam and Eve's role was to tend and expand the garden God had given them. Now, the ground is cursed, and eating from it will be laborious work for all people.Please take a look at your life. Do you experience struggle in these places? This experience is the shattering of Shalom. Sin does not only affect spiritual things; sin affects all things. Jon Tyson says this: "There is a sin tax for living on planet Earth. That means things will take longer, cost more, require great effort, and burn more energy." Life is hard; things are broken.Yet we are not without hope. You were created for shalom in all things, and our faithful, covenant-keeping God will bring shalom back once and for all.