Pain - From Genesis to Revelations

This week in my D.Min course we have been asked to reflect on the meaning behind 'pain.' 


It's been an extremely busy and brutal week for me, and yet through out the entire week, I've thought long and hard about this week's discussion topic - "pain."  

I've certainly decided, like some of you, I don't like it, don't want it and don't even want to inflict it on my worse enemy at this point - considering that 'what goes around comes around.'  

The first mention of pain in the Bible is found during the first judgment of man for his disobedience in the garden. (Gen 3:14-19)  The serpent/Satan is told his head will be bruised, the man is relegated to a life of toil and pain over an unforgiving land, and lastly woman is told she will endure pain in childbirth.  

Nope - I don't like pain!  But in my exploring this subject, I found out God doesn't either.  I know I live under grace, and enjoy his bountiful mercy, but truth be told there still lurks in the corners of my mind the thought that God enjoys inflicting pain on me (us) for the purposes express purpose of correcting my errant ways.  But the correcting of my errant ways is but a by-product of the work of pain.

I wonder if pain isn't shown to us to give us true glimpse of God's great love for us?  The Bible points out that the "Lord was sorry He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Gen 6:6)  That word grieved is related pretty pointedly to the words, pain, sorrow and toil in Genesis 3:16  So in a very real sense God was not exempt from the pain and anguish which sin had introduced into His creation.  

Isn't that just like a good father?  He isn't ticked off with man - just the opposite.  He is grieved and distraught and is thinking in terms of grace even at the moment of judgment.  His heart is so constantly overflowing in loving kindness and tender mercies to his children.  Not everyone of God's children is interested in grace or moved my divine mercy, and the infliction of pain doesn't change that much in some.  God's pleasure actually comes from dispensing grace and mercy.  

So to sum, I'm more aware than ever after this week of thinking about it - that my disobedience doesn't only bring me pain - more importantly it brings pain to my father and grieves him.  That thought then brings me pain!  Perhaps that is the greatest motive to submission - avoiding God experiencing pain along with me.

By the way - although the Bible pretty much begins with pain for mankind, it also ends with the eradication of all pain.  Here's the good news:  "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more PAIN, for the former things have passed away