And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Genesis 3:17
The curse entered the world because of the rebellion that Adam and Eve initiated against the life process that Jehovah-God had established in Eden.
Although in the text of Genesis 3:17 it appears as a divine action, that is, God cursing the earth, the curse is actually the consequence of the agitation in Creation caused by the rupture of divine instruction.
Adam and Eve’s opposition to continuing the instruction that God had established as the order of life caused the earth not to be able to properly execute the power of the Word, And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good, a word with which Creation had been certified as the place of well-being for man.
The curse is enhanced by the spoken word, and is presented as a formulation of evil, which stops the original working process of Creation.
In the words of the apostle Paul, the curse is a condition of subjection to vanity,
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Romans 8:20
The curse is a state of physical and spiritual degradation into which a person or region enters, by virtue of the declaration of curse that has fallen upon it. The curse upsets the welfare of man.
The curse is based on the power of the word, as James himself confirms,
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. James 3:6
The curse is also acquired by participating in the same conditions that led a person or region to be under a curse.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2nd. John 1:10, 11
The words used in the Bible to define the curse are two, the first, אֲרוּרָה (arurah), whose root, ארר (arar), means the action of cursing, is the term that appears in Genesis 3:17.
In this context the meaning is, the earth becomes cursed because of the executions of those who inhabit it; the curse you sowed on the land you inhabit will be returned to you in everything you develop in it.
The second word, קְלָלָה (kelalah), refers to the text of the curse itself. This is the term that appears in the texts of Deuteronomy to refer to the curse that will fall upon those who do not follow the commandments of the Lord.
The curse never comes without a real cause to allow it. This principle is highlighted in the story of Balaam being hired by Balaach to curse Israel:
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? Numbers 23:8
The best explanation of this principle is found in The Book of Proverbs,
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. Proverbs 26:2
In the text of the description of Balaam’s participation it is emphasized that the curse comes from idolatry and pagan practices,
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Numbers 23:23
In short, although the curse has access to man and can disrupt his well-being wherever he lives, the curse is subject to and conditioned by the actions of the recipient.
My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. Genesis 27:12
It is not only people who can receive a curse; villages can also receive a curse and are thus constituted as cursed cities and regions.
Villages, cities, regions are considered as an extension of the life of their inhabitants. The actions of the inhabitants enable the regions to be exposed to a curse.
The following examples clearly show this. The first case is the case of Cain around the city he built on his generation,
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that everyone that findeth me shall slay me. 15And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Genesis 4:11-15
It can be observed that both the region of Nod, and the city of Henoch that Cain founded, were constituted in an area under curse, in which violence predominated.
The curse established by Cain created a propitious environment for its inhabitants to forge accursed personalities, as in the case of Lamech, Cain’s fifth direct line descendant.
And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. Genesis 4:23,24
The curse generates styles and behaviors of social life that are cursed styles, which cause generations born in these styles to turn away from God. We see in Lamech an increase in evil and violence, more than Cain showed to his brother, because Lamech manifests an intentional behavior. Sexual rituals are built upon this lifestyle, closely linked to idolatrous activity and religious forms.
The case of the curse of the region of Canaan is another example. The curse entered the area because of Cam, the son of Noah, who became the initiator of the Camitic race,
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Genesis 9:25
In the case of the city of Jericho, the curse entered because of the idolatry and apostasy that was developed there. It was Joshua who brought a curse to prevent its reconstruction.
And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. Joshua 6:26
All these examples illustrate how towns, cities and regions are exposed to the curse because of their founders or inhabitants.
The weight of curse on a region is maintained even when the precursors and/or founders of them have disappeared. The revocation of the curse on a region cannot be removed by a declaration contrary to the established curse, it is necessary to act according to the protocol of liberation that God has established.
All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.
Pastor Pedro Montoya
Ph. (407) 764-2699
Twitter: @pastormontoya