You have seen the pictures―smothering poverty in Haiti, a country so poor it cannot remove earthquake shaken debris from its capitol two years later; or, famine in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia where thousands have perished and millions have migrated in search of food; or the stunted growth and haunted eyes of tiny, malnourished children in North Korea. Why are so many people poor? When did the story of poverty begin?
The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God created man in His own image…male and female…God blessed them…and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over… the earth.’ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:1, 27-28, 31). God then placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and begin a family.
It was not long after the creation that Adam and Eve rebelled against God and what was created very good quickly turned very bad. The effects of their sin and consequent judgment plunged the human race into a life and death struggle against itself, a cursed creation, and a spiritual enemy that hates God and humanity and seeks only to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10) God’s work and people.
Sin’s corrosive and deadly effects had an immediate impact on human society. Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, murdered his brother Abel and became a banished wanderer. Within the relatively short time from Adam to Noah, society had become so wicked that, “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (Genesis 6:5).
Because of Adam’s sin, God cursed the ground and Adam’s work became very difficult. “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; …. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).
Adam and Eve and their progeny were to take dominion of the world but it would not be easy following the fall. They must deal with thorns and thistles, destructive bugs, various climatic conditions, floods, famines and other natural disasters.
Life became difficult because of people’s sin and rebellion. As people-groups grew and developed so did their problems. Famine caused mass migrations. Whole cities became corrupt and perverted. Wars broke out between opposing kingdoms. People were taken as slaves as a result of war or due to their inability to provide and protect themselves. As a result there were broken families, poverty, and injustices that left many people in fragile and vulnerable positions.
And just that quickly, man’s sin and rebellion against God unleashed a tsunami of devastation in the world that has impacted every generation since. But, there is hope in the midst of difficulty if people will only look to God for help.
