created was the family? Yes, that’s right – the very first institution ever created by God was the family. Consider these verses,
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 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.2
After God had created everything else, he crafted his most glorious creation: man and woman. Mankind is the only creature that is made in the image of God. We are special. We are unique.
After God created Adam and Eve, he brought them together and performed the very first wedding in history. He then gave them two primary responsibilities: (1) “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” and (2) “subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Essentially, these two commands can be summed up in two words: procreate and steward. Adam and Eve were called to fill the earth with true worshipers of God and steward all of God’s other creation. The plan was simple and yet, very quickly, things began to unravel.
Satan Declares War
Satan is a rebel. He enjoyed the privilege of being in the presence of the Lord but chose to lead a rebellion in heaven. As a result, he was banished from God’s presence (along with 1/3 of the angels) and cast down to the earth. You would think that this severe rebuke and punishment would have been devastating to Satan. Yet, the reality is that it stoked the fires of his prideful rebellion and he sought to bring God’s rule and reign to dust. That is where we come into the picture. Consider the story as recorded in Genesis 3:1-7:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Adam and Eve (the very first human beings) enjoyed God’s presence in the garden and had full reign over all the rest of creation. God had only given them one “no, no” – they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). They could eat from every other tree in the garden but this one, specific tree was off limits. The punishment for eating the fruit of this tree would be death (spiritual and physical).
Satan was not content with being the only rebel; he wanted other rebels – people who would throw off God’s rule and reign in their lives. Adam and Eve were perfect targets. Satan was crafty, craftier than any other beast that God had created. He appeared to Eve as a snake and unfolded his grand plan of rebellion. He did not call it a plan of rebellion but that is exactly what it turned out to be. Satan deceived Eve and caused her to question three specific things about God. He caused her to question (1) God’s Word, (2) God’s provision and (3) God’s goodness.
Did you notice that Satan began his conversation with Eve by asking a question? This was not an accident. He was crafty and cunning. He knew that the best way to begin a rebellion was to ask a question. It was a simple but pointed question: “Did God actually say…?” Satan began his attack on God’s kingdom by questioning God’s Word. We must never forget that Satan is as familiar with God’s Word as the most seasoned biblical scholar. In fact, in his temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11) he even quotes Scripture!
Satan moved from questioning God’s Word to insinuating that God’s provision for Adam and Eve was insignificant. What an absurd thought! God had provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed to enjoy the best spinach salad ever created. But, the text tells us that Eve saw that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was “good for food” and “a delight to the eyes.” In her estimation, what God had provided was just simply not good enough.
Then, Satan threw in the kicker – “Eve, God is holding out on you!” He questioned God’s goodness, calling him a liar and a deceiver. Satan declared that the only reason God gave them this command was to keep them from becoming like him. He reduced God to nothing more than a cosmic ogre seeking to maintain his position of authority.
Eve caved to Satan’s cunning and crafty rebellion and ate the forbidden fruit. Lest all the blame be laid at her feet, the text says, “she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (italics mine). Adam stood idly by while the serpent tempted his wife and then joined the rebellion against God without protest.
Satan Brings Destruction
The results of this rebellion were disastrous. The relationship Adam and Eve enjoyed with God before this event was radically altered. They immediately experienced the immense shame of sin, attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves and tried to hide from an omniscient and omnipresent God. When God came to them and began asking questions, Adam and Eve turned on one another and waved flags of personal innocence. Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent.
Satan’s deception brought destruction. God is true to his word and, in that moment, Adam and Eve knew what it meant to die spiritually. They would later understand what it would mean to die physically as God removed them from the Garden of Eden and access to the tree of life. He also pronounced judgment on Adam, Eve, and the serpent. God promised that Adam would toil and sweat to bring sustenance from the earth and Eve would experience pain in childbirth and desire her husband’s position of authority. The most important pronouncement of judgment was issued to the serpent; he would spend his entire life cursed, slithering on the ground and would be crushed by the seed of woman. Theologians call this the protoevangelium – the first gospel. God, in his judgment of the serpent, issued the promise of a coming Messiah, one who would save his people from sin.
Ever since that day in the garden Satan has done everything within his power to disrupt God’s redemption plan. Knowing that marriage and family would be key to God fulfilling his mission to bring the Messiah (“the seed of woman”), Satan has worked overtime to destroy both. What began with Adam and Eve has continued for thousands of years. Marriages and families have always been and will always be under attack!
Why Families?
God promised that he would send a redeemer to “crush the head of the serpent” but he also noted that the serpent would “bruise” his heel. Throughout the Old Testament we see Satan working to bring God’s redemption plan to ruin. How did he attempt to accomplish this objective? He attacked marriages and families. There is a tremendous amount of dysfunction recorded in the Old Testament even with God’s own people, the nation of Israel. We encounter things like incest, prostitution, polygamy, child sacrifice, and idol worship. Satan was working overtime! Yet, his plan of rebellion did not succeed. Jesus Christ was
