DWDP: Gen 3:16. Questions that Teach

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Ever wondered why childbirth involves so much pain? Or why couples seem locked in endless power struggles over who's in charge? Dr. Papa takes us on a fascinating journey through Genesis 3:16, revealing how Eve's choice in the Garden of Eden continues to impact our lives today.

Through what he calls "questions that teach," Dr. Robert Jackson demonstrates how everyday experiences provide opportunities to share profound biblical truths across generations. The pain of childbirth becomes a doorway to discuss sin's consequences, while marital conflicts reveal the lingering effects of humanity's fall from grace.

You'll discover a memorable biblical acronym—LSD (Lust, Sin, Death)—that captures the progression outlined in James 1:15. Dr. Papa uses this framework to explain how Eve's lust for forbidden knowledge led to sin and ultimately death, a pattern that has devastating consequences even in modern times. Before advances in medicine, childbirth mortality rates reached a staggering 50% in some contexts, making the curse's impact painfully tangible.

The episode shines when examining marriage dynamics through the story of "Buck and Beulah Mae," a couple whose conflicts mirror the curse described in Genesis. Buck's passivity and Beulah Mae's attempts to control illustrate the fundamental question hanging over many relationships: who's in charge? Dr. Papa offers hope through Ephesians 5, explaining how sacrificial love from husbands and respect from wives can break the cycle of conflict—though he acknowledges we all fall short and need grace.

Share this episode with someone who might benefit from understanding the biblical roots of relationship struggles and the path toward healing through Christ-like love and respect.

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Episode Transcript

Dr Robert Jackson (00:03):
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus
is more than enough for the illsthat plague our culture and our
country.
Hosted by author and physician,Dr Robert Jackson.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Papa, can you tell me a story?
Do you really want me to tellyou a story?
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Welcome to Devotions with DrPapa.
Gather around, grab your Biblesand let's look into the written

(00:37):
word, which reveals to us theliving word, which is our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Today we're at Genesis, chapter3 and verse 16.
To the woman, he said I willgreatly multiply your pain in
childbirth In pain you willbring forth children.

(00:57):
Your desire will be for yourhusband and he will rule over
you.
Today I want to talk aboutquestions that teach, questions
that teach.
Every time you, mothers andgrandmothers, see a woman

(01:18):
laboring in great pain ontelevision or in a movie, or
discuss with a pregnant daughteror granddaughter their
impending labor and delivery,you should ask them and their
children why does your motherhave such pain in childbirth?

(01:43):
Why does your mother have suchpain in childbirth?
To be truthful, most folksnever stop to ponder the reason
why.
This is your opportunity, momand grandmom, to teach the
gospel message to your childrenand grandchildren and to explain

(02:07):
to them.
Genesis, chapter 3, verses 15 to16, the subject of last week's
lesson and the subject of thisweek's lesson.
Why did Eve, who was to be themother of all living and who was
commanded to be fruitful andmultiply and fill the earth,

(02:30):
along with Adam, her husband,and obviously before the fall of
man?
This would have been easy andwithout pain or discomfort.
Why was the pain of childbirthgreatly multiplied?
Now, not only Eve, but everywoman after her would suffer in

(02:55):
childbirth.
The question is why Can youexplain that mystery to your
daughter and granddaughters?
Now here's another question.
Do you know James, chapter 1and verse 15, which says Then,
when lust has conceived, itgives birth to sin, and when sin

(03:21):
is accomplished, it bringsforth death?
This is where LSD is mentionedin the Bible.
For, you see, l lust bringsforth sin, which then produces
death.
L-s-d Lust, then sin, thendeath.

(03:43):
Lust then sin, then death.
That's the mnemonic that helpsyou and me remember James,
chapter 1 and verse 15.
You see, eve lusted forforbidden knowledge, which led
to sin and rebellion, which thenbrought death.
The penalty for sin is death.

(04:04):
Even my third graders in mythird grade Sunday school class
know that the penalty for sin isdeath.
Where did this pain ofchildbirth begin?
It began when Eve lusted forforbidden knowledge and then she

(04:27):
chose sin.
For centuries, childbearing ledto mother dying.
Did you know that Childbearingled to mother dying due to
infection or complications ofdelivery?

(04:48):
The labor and delivery processwas fraught with danger and
filled with fear that you and Idon't even comprehend in these
days of modern medicine.
Before the late 1800s, the riskof childbed fever, or as we
doctors call it, puerperal fever.

(05:10):
That risk was quite high,especially in teaching hospitals
, where doctors and theirstudents moved from one patient
to the next with unwashed hands.
Before the days of steriletechnique and the doctors spread
infection, with a 50% mortalityamong young postpartum female

(05:37):
patients.
Delivering a baby was fraughtwith danger and filled with fear
.
Why was that?
It was because of LSD, eve'slust for knowledge, that led to
sin and then death.
The curse on Eve led to herpain in childbirth being greatly

(06:02):
multiplied and, by extension,every pregnant woman after her.
These are questions that teach,that remind our daughters and
granddaughters of the direconsequences of sin.
But let's move on.
This verse also says that herdesire shall be for her husband,

(06:27):
but he shall rule over you.
Now, doctor, whatever in theworld does that verse mean?
Well, here are the questionsthat teach.
Have you ever wondered whygrandma barks orders at grandpa
like a marine drill sergeant atParis Island?

(06:50):
Have you ever wondered why hethen bristles like a porcupine
and looks at her and says woman,you're not the boss of me.
And even though they've beenmarried 40 plus years, you
wonder if they're going to staymarried for two more days as
they glare at each other.

(07:11):
You've seen that scenarioplayed out and let me tell you
about two of my patients.
Now, this is not their realnames, but we'll call them Buck
and Bula Mae.
They came to me for counselingand as soon as I came into the
room, buck was leaning againstthe exam room table wearing a

(07:31):
dirty white t-shirt and chewingon a plastic straw.
Beulah Mae was sitting in achair by the lavatory and she
had on a real pretty yellowdress.
She had her makeup on, her hairwas fixed and immediately she
said to me all he ever does isplay video games and watch

(07:51):
all-star wrestling on TV.
He never helps me with thechildren at all.
I do all the cooking andcleaning.
I help them with their bathingand homework and he never helps
me at all.
And he took the plastic strawout of his mouth and pointed at

(08:12):
her and he said little lady, Ibring home the bacon.
My daddy didn't do squall workand I don't do squall work.
My daddy didn't do squall workand I don't do squall work.
And her face got as red as abeet and she pointed at him and
she said I work all day long too, just like you do, and I make

(08:33):
just about as much money as youdo.
If you take your big truckpayment and your boat payment
and leave me and the kids, we'lldo just fine.
In fact, if we don't pay foryour booze and cigarettes, we
would save money.
And then he looked at her andhe said I'm the captain of this

(08:56):
ship and you don't tell me whatto do.
And then she looked at him andshe said well, I'm the captain
of my ship, and if you don'ttreat me with more respect, then
you won't get any loving untilhell freezes over.
Well, you could cut the tensionwith a knife in that exam room.

(09:21):
What was the real issue betweenBuck and Bula Mae, between
Grandma and Grandpa?
Well, it was the same issuebetween all four of them and it
was the result of the curse.
You see, buck is passive andhe's not a servant leader in his

(09:43):
home, and Beulah Mae is tryingto rule over her husband out of
frustration and anger, and sheshows him no respect.
What's the solution here?
The solution is in Ephesians,chapter 5, where the Bible tells
us that husbands should lovetheir wives as Jesus loved the

(10:07):
church and gave himselfsacrificially for her, and that
wives should respect theirhusbands.
Love and respect Sacrificiallove and respect.
If husbands I'm talking aboutspirit-filled husbands love and

(10:28):
served their wives and childrenin the same way that Jesus loved
and gave himself for his bride,the church, then I submit to
you very respectfully that wiveswould love their husbands and
would follow them withoutproblem and submit themselves to

(10:49):
their husbands just as gladlyas they would submit themselves
to the Lord, jesus Christ, butthe condition is that their
husbands must be like Jesus.
If wives were to respect theirhusbands rather than trying to
rule over them, in the same waythat they respect Jesus, their

(11:09):
Lord, then much conflict wouldbe resolved.
Now, why is this hard?
Well, it's because we're allcursed by sin and we all fall
short of the standard, and wehave to extend grace to one
another when we fall short.
Have women been abused andsubjugated by male-dominated

(11:35):
cultures over time?
Well, certainly they have.
Yes, they have.
Has this influence ofChristianity elevated and
protected women in westernized,christianized nations?
Yes, it has.
There's a delicate balance.
In every home, the questionhangs in the air who's in charge

(11:59):
?
Because of the curse, the womaninevitably seeks to rule over
her husband and the maninstinctively resists, resulting
in interpersonal conflict.
Moms and grandmoms?
This is the question thatteaches.
Ask your adult married childrenwhy they butt heads in their

(12:25):
home.
Ask your married daughter whytheir son-in-laws say to them
you're not the boss of me.
Why do they say that to theirwives?
Ask your daughters-in-law whythey speak to your sons like a
drill sergeant, commanding themto get the diaper bag, check on

(12:47):
the children and then watch yourson-in-law bristle like a
porcupine.
You see, these are questionsthat teach, and that teach the
dire consequences of sin thatreach across thousands of years
of time to touch your life,000years ago, the bridegroom of the

(13:12):
church.
He was not passive.
He actively loved his bride,the church, and gave himself for
her that he might prepare forhimself a bride without spot or

(13:35):
blemish or wrinkle, clothed insnow-white robes of
righteousness, the veryrighteousness of Jesus Christ.
That bridegroom is easy to love, easy to follow, easy to
respect.
The challenge for all of us isto allow Holy Spirit in us to

(13:58):
make us more like Jesus, morelike the Master.
You're listening to Devotionswith Dr Papa.
If you like what you hear, Ipray that you would share it
with your friends Follow, likeor share, or even download it,
and then I'll be back again nextweek as we continue our studies

(14:20):
in Genesis, chapter 3.
Until then, may the Lord blessyou real good.

Dr Robert Jackson (14:27):
Thank you for listening to this edition of
More Than Medicine.
For more information about theJackson Family Ministry, dr
Jackson's books, or to schedulea speaking engagement, go to
their Facebook page, instagramor their webpage at
jacksonfamilyministrycom.
This podcast is produced by BobSlone Audio Production at
bobslone.
com.