Becoming a curse for us...

(Galatians 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”

Why do so many things in life that should be blessings end up a curse, if not a curse at the very least a struggle? The dimension to both the blessing and the curse is well worth a thought! A curse has its place just like a blessing. I am rather intrigued as I begin to understand the importance of both the blessing and the curse with a clearer mind, just another small glimpse into God’s brilliance.

Because of our sin, mankind’s sin through Adam, we have had our eyes open to both that which is good as well as evil. One tree, however the fruit of it when eaten meant that both avenues would then be explored, an awakening to good and evil, part of the experience. It is not as if we are able to use some sort of food processor and separate the fruit’s contents, good in one glass and the evil in the other.

In order to understand the blessing we must understand the curse. In order to understand forgiveness we must understand punishment and finally if we are to embrace and enjoy life we must understand death.

It was the Lord Jesus who taught that the same tree cannot produce both good and bad fruit; “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:17-19): - And yet this tree had both or did it?

Let us hold that thought! In creation was God unhappy with anything He had created? The answer is absolutely not! “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31): - Would that not have included the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? It most definitely did!

   

Let us explore this a little deeper; an awareness of both good and evil is then very good and needful for all of God’s subjects to understand. Not an understanding of one or the other but both clearly understood as God would understand. It takes a curse to be recognized before a blessing may be realized.

Let me explain…

This tree (knowledge of good and evil) was forbidden by God in the beginning, every other tree in the garden was permitted food, even the tree of life. But why did they not eat from the tree of life? The answer obvious, death had not yet been realized! We (mankind) are well aware of death that is why so many parameters are put into place to prolong death; we are taught to eat healthily, we exercise to keep illness away and we look at all cost and by any means to retain our youth and yet we all know death is imminent. The Egyptians mummified their bodies in hope of preservation that a cure for death would eventually be realized and that they could even after death be restored to life, or so it seemed. Why else go to such lengths to preserve dead flesh? What then instilled this passion for life into mankind; it was the knowledge of good and evil. Can I prove this thought? I believe I can, shortly after Adam and Eve had eaten and they now knew that they were naked and were now ashamed, what did God do? He now kept them from the tree of life; “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

Punishment for the knowledge of Evil (disobeying Gods commandment) was to be kept from the tree of life. Because of their action even the earth was curse and would ultimately be destroyed, but until then it would no longer be very good as it was when created, but it would now bring forth thorns and thistles as well as edible fruit. Both alive and both now needful; “And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

However because of the curse man now had something to look forward to and that was God’s blessing, the tree of life even though it had now been forbidden. What is the definition of hope? To wish for something with expectation of its fulfilment. What was man to do? When Adam was allowed to eat from the tree of life he chose not to. Why? Because he had not understood death or any curse. Something or rather someone good would have to break the shackles of the curse. God alone could undo the curse. Because of the awareness of the curse man now longed for a blessing, eternal life, and the hope we all have. Even the atheist does no run out into oncoming traffic. Was mankind now doomed for eternity? We know this is not the case. Praise the name of Jesus! However with that now understood, we realise that it would take another curse to set mankind free. What and who was then that curse?

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree--.” (Galatians 3:13)

It was the Lord Jesus, God in the flesh that now became a curse as He hung on that cruel Roman cross so that every believing saint would now find life, eternal life. But He would need to be perfect in righteousness to break that curse, which He was. Even in His perfection He needed to be cursed so that we would go free. Mindboggling! How great is our God? It was God the Fathers will to curse His own Son in order to break the shackles of the curse He had inflicted on Adam in the Garden of Eden. If we do not see that as the zenith of love we have not understood true love. God institutes a curse through Adam’s sin but with it makes away of escape in and through His Son. Praise the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. He was obedient even unto death! This act of love and mercy was instituted while we were yet sinners; “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10)

I trust we see the importance of curses and how they lead us to a place of repentance as they help us to see our need to call out to God to be saved from them. Therefore curses are as much a part of our lives as blessings and this is why Paul is able to make such a profound statement in the book of Romans; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28-29)

It is then through both curses and blessings that God is preparing those who will inherit eternal life and one day we will face to face be able to call the only true God our Father. How I long for that day! The Lord Jesus the “firstborn among many brothers.”

Signing off

Tyrone