Chapter 5

The Ancient Curse

Chapter Text

As the leader of one of the largest and most influential women’s ministries in the world, I grieve as I travel the globe and see the hardships women endure. My heart breaks for those who are ignored, overlooked, oppressed, and abused, and for those who suffer under the tyranny of intimidation, control, and disregard as a way of life. I cringe when I hear about cultural customs that mutilate a young girl’s sexual organs, leaving her in pain for the remainder of her life. I am outraged when I see women who must wear coverings from head to toe with only enough of an opening so they can see—all for the purpose of keeping men from lusting. I am deeply saddened and troubled when I read the statistics, and hear about the realities of many women I know personally who, as little girls, were sexually used and abused by fathers, uncles, brothers—those who were supposed to protect them—and see that such abuse leaves pain and shame that can affect them for the rest of their lives. I am shocked and angered when I hear the horror of “honor killings,” the taking of a woman’s life to “preserve” in some twisted way the “honor” of the men in her family.

Have you ever wondered why there is such violence and wrath poured out against women in so many cultures of the world? Through the ages, the enemy has come against women for a very specific reason. I believe he has feared us since the very beginning of human history.

We can see this in nations and societies across the globe; we can see it within the Church; we can see it even in America, which seems to be so liberated and advanced. In many places, an attitude of oppression exists that is difficult to define, but undeniably real. When it’s present, women feel it; they know it; they sense it every time they encounter forces at work to suppress their influence and silence their voices.

The Siege

The abuse of women lays siege to the entire human race. The abused and violated suffer unspeakably at the hand of the enemy, and I want you to understand what he is doing in our day. He did not discontinue his operations against women when he finished with Eve; he has never let up in his efforts to silence and harm women.

As of 2007, approximately one-third of the 3.3 billion females on earth were being abused or would be abused at some time in their lives. That’s one out of every three women. Just think about the last time you attended a friend’s birthday party. Imagine sitting at lunch or in a coffee shop with your two closest female friends. While it may not be true for the three of you, statistically speaking, one of you would be an abused woman. Staggering, isn’t it?

Even more staggering is that, according to such groups as the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, the abuse I refer to includes sexual assault, mutilation, beating, false imprisonment, and slavery—and those statistics apply not only to women in the prime of life, but also to infants, children, teens, and elderly women. Serious stuff.

I, for one, do not agree with the world’s rationale for abuse. I believe the reason so many women are abused predates the religious systems and cultural practices of our day. It started in the garden!

Exposed!

Genesis 3 reveals the reason for the ongoing abuse and suppression of women throughout history and to this day. This is when the enemy became so enraged at Eve. This is where the “ancient curse” is first revealed, and it explains the violent treatment of women and the hatred and abuse of women that encircle the globe and are present in every culture in the world.

Remember, we have said that the enemy approached the woman first in the garden, with the intent of attacking the plan of God. His thrust was primarily against God, but he went at God through his subtle approach toward the woman, the help God had sent.

Following the tragic events of that day, God came in the cool of the evening, calling out to them saying, “Where are you?” Adam responded first. He began to squirm and hedge, blaming it on Eve, saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). Then God directs His words toward Eve, asking, “What is this you have done?” Eve responds decidedly, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13, emphasis mine). God immediately responded to Eve’s admission with thunderous, explosive, and enduring words of division between Satan and the woman. He began where the sin began, with the serpent: “You are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14).

Notice that it was the woman who first exposed the enemy for who he really is. She said, “He deceived me and I ate.” She nailed him. She called him who he really is—the deceiver. She had exposed God’s enemy. And God spoke into that, and in essence He said, “Now forever and ever, Satan, down through the ages and down through the centuries she will be used again and again and again to expose you, to uncover you, and to call you who you really are!” He said, “She will be your enemy. You can count on the fact that forever and ever she is going to recognize you in family situations; she is going to recognize you in the Church; and she is going to recognize you in the world. She is going to know where you are working and what you are up to.”

Who’s Whose Enemy?

Satan heard it and he understood! The woman would be his enemy. While he would continue to deceive her into thinking he was her enemy, the exact opposite would be the truth: she was his enemy.

Genesis 3:15 states it this way: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (emphasis mine). The American Heritage Dictionary defines enmity as “deep seated, often mutual hatred.” God was saying, in no uncertain terms: “I will put deep, mutual hatred between you, Satan, and the woman; between your seed and her Seed, and there will come a Seed from the woman that will utterly destroy you. It will be a death blow to your head. You can count on it. And you can look for it to come through the woman. The seed that comes from you will merely bruise the heel, but what comes from her will thoroughly demolish you.”

This is the reason for the hatred and violence against women. It comes from the pit of hell. It is Satan’s ongoing attempt to silence the female gender and to render us powerless.

The woman would remind him again and again to “stay on his belly and eat dust!” The enmity God put between the woman and Satan began in the garden and continues to this day. The deal was done: she would crush his head and continue to expose him throughout the ages. This has led to systematic attempts—both flagrant and subtle—to silence, suppress, and undermine the woman’s value as a person and her role in families and societies around the world. This is the reason women are not only abused, but overlooked, often kept uneducated, not taken seriously, denied opportunities, and forbidden to follow their dreams. Sadly, the Church often does not recognize the strength of the woman’s role, and she is kept serving in the nursery or singing in the choir. Even as women in the Middle East are kept under burkas, women in the Christian community are often bound by a “religious” burka, a religious system that can be limiting spiritually to the “other half” of the Body of Christ.

Just as I do not believe the world rightly understands the reasons behind the oppression and hatred of women, I also do not believe the world provides the best solutions to it. We must avail ourselves of the resources we have to assist abused women, but we must also move beyond the help the world offers. What do we do? We help women understand their authority over the evil one. We teach them that they can overcome him. This, in my mind, is the key to their destinies and the best solution to the strike he has carried out against women for centuries.

Summary

• For generations, the enemy has feared and come against women for a very specific reason. This is evident around the world and has been throughout human history.
• The abuse of women deeply and radically affects the entire human race.
• Eve, the woman, first exposed Satan for who he really is. Women continue to expose him to this day, and he continues to fight back against them.
• Women must understand and exercise their authority over the enemy. This is a key to their destinies.