More on Genesis 3:15 and hope for the future

Genesis 3:14-19 contains the verdict God handed down to Adam and Eve and to the serpent after the Fall. Most of what God laid out involved reversals of specific elements of the "good" He had designed into life in the Garden. The consequences God spoke of were truly devastating; that is, with the exception of what is said in verse 15: "And I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

On Sunday I shared that theologians call this verse "The Protevangelium," which means "The First Gospel." It is the first announcement of Good News after the Fall.

The word "enmity" indicates a level of hostility akin to nations at war with one another. It indicates a life and death struggle, which is also underscored by the fatal nature of the blow leveled against the serpent's head. Interestingly enough, the words "strike" and "crush" are the same in the original language of the Bible. They are translated differently due to which part of the body they impact. The one impacts the "heel"; the other the "head." The wound to the heel may be troublesome, but it does not hinder the woman's offspring from stomping the serpent's head.

The original word translated "offspring" literally means "seed." "Seed" can be understood as either plural or singular (one particular "seed" from among the many). For example, in Genesis 17:7, God told Abraham that He was establishing an everlasting covenant with him and his "seed" (see the old KJV). In Galatians 3:16, the Apostle Paul explains the correct primary interpretation of these words: "The Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ." With all this in mind, in Genesis 3:15, we understand the "seed of the woman" ultimately to refer to Jesus, who one day crushes the head of the serpent, in spite of Jesus having been struck on the heel via the Cross.

Apart from Jesus and Satan specifically, Genesis 3:15 also reveals an epic struggle between believers and unbelievers. From Genesis chapter 4 going forward, the rest of the Scriptures tell the story of this struggle. Whether it is Cain against Abel, Pharoah against Moses, or Goliath against David, each story ultimately comes down to members of the spiritual family of the serpent fighting against members of God's spiritual family. Even the unbelieving Pharisees of Jesus' day were said to be members of the serpent's spiritual family. In John 8:44, Jesus told them: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

In spite of all down side to the struggle outlined in Genesis 3:15, it is clear that Adam and Eve focused in on the hope of ultimate victory. One way we know this is because of the name "Eve", which Adam did not give to his wife until after the Fall and the announcement of God's verdict.

The name "Eve" means "the mother of all living." There is no way Adam would have given this name to his wife, had he not latched on to the hope of Genesis 3:15. Instead, he would have called her something like "the woman who caused all of this" or "the gullible woman without sense". Worse yet, Adam could have called her "the mother of all dead", seeing that "death" summarized the consequence of the Fall that would be passed on all of their descendents. Nevertheless, Adam named her "Eve", the "mother of all living."

It appears that Adam's naming of Eve was a response of faith based on the hope he found in God's first announcement of the Gospel, especially the part about how it all ends. Adam's hope did not erase all of the pain associated with the ensuing epic struggle, but it did offer perspective and a sensitive of confidence in the good outcome ultimately. Both of these contributed significantly to Adam's and Eve's ability to cope for now with life outside of the Garden. Now, it seems, we really are a long way ourselves from life in Eden. But that means we are that much closer to sharing in the victory of the final crushing blow to the head of the serpent. My prayer is that everyone who reads this will be encouraged with the same home that encouraged our first parents!