Today we look at God’s second promise. Considering what happened regarding the first promise, God offers a hopeful and redemptive second promise to Adam and Eve.
God’s second promise is His response to what happened to Adam, Eve, and eventually to us when they ignored His warning in His first promise. The initial promise was to Adam, “‘ From any tree of the garden you may eat freely, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'” Genesis 2:16-17
Genesis 3 tells the disastrous results for Adam and Eve (and all the human race) when they disobeyed God. Their sin broke their fellowship with God, bringing a sense of guilt, shame, and alienation from their Creator. Though disappointed, God does not kill them or give up on them. Instead, speaking directly to the serpent, He makes another promise,
“‘ Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise Him on the heel.'” Genesis 3:14-15.
Notice three things God does because Adam and Eve yielded to Satan’s temptation.
First, God curses the serpent, Satan’s instrument, by relegating it to a slithering creature that will spend its existence crawling on the ground “eating dust.” The serpent was not slithering on the ground before becoming Satan’s tool. There’s something about a snake that evokes a primal fear in most of us. The serpent, a part of God’s creation, is affected by the sin of Adam and Eve. Eventually, all of the natural order will suffer from the fall. Although we see God’s magnificence in the natural world He created, we also experience devasting storms and other disasters as a result of their disobedience.
Second, God has a judgmental word for Satan. “I will put enmity between you and the woman…” Eve is the mother of all living. Her offspring and Satan’s offspring will be mortal enemies until Satan is finally confined to the pit of hell.
Demonic forces are real and want to mislead and destroy God’s people. Those who do the work of Satan want to discourage us and destroy the work of God. Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 12:34. That’s another way of calling them “snakes.” And, he said they belonged to their “father, the devil” in John 8:44. Satan will always be our enemy and those who follow him will be in conflict with God’s people in the battle between good and evil.
The first and second things about this promise are troublesome and discouraging, but there is a third part of this promise that brings hope and transforms tragedy into triumph!
Part three of the promise is the first glimmer of the gospel in the Bible. It is where God says, ” He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Many biblical scholars have called this statement the “protoevangelium,” a fancy word for “first gospel.” This pronouncement is made to Satan, God’s enemy. There are two parts, and two persons are referenced here.
First, “He shall bruise you on the head…” Who is the “he” referenced here that is going to crush Satan’s head? The seed of the woman will defeat Satan. This points to the promise of Jesus, his cross, and his victory over Satan and death by his resurrection. This promise was fulfilled on resurrection morning! Our salvation was purchased on the cross and secured by Jesus’ resurrection. So, the One crushing Satan is Jesus.
Second, what is the meaning of,” and you shall bruise him on the heel?” Again, these words are directed at Satan. The scriptures tell us the devil tested Jesus, trying to divert Him from His mission to “seek and to save that which was lost.” He and his demons failed miserably in their effort to silence him. He recruited Judas and many of the powerful Jewish religious leaders to plot ways to take Jesus out. They thought they had succeeded when the Romans nailed Jesus to a cross. But, they were wrong. Death silenced Jesus for three days, Satan had only wounded Jesus “on the heel.” But Jesus’ resurrection struck the ultimate death blow to death for all who are covered by the redemptive blood He shed on the cross. Jesus crushed the head of Satan.
There is no mistake about it, Satan is still active in the world but his doom is sure. He will be “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.” Revelation 20:10. Until that time, Satan is actively seeking those he can deceive and destroy.
If you have accepted Jesus and the gift of salvation He has provided for you, Satan cannot take that from you. Nothing can take that from you, not even death. Should you die before Jesus returns, you have the assurance that the death and hell you deserved were taken on by Jesus when he “crushed the head of Satan” by rising from the dead.
Questions about biblical information? I have found good help at this link, https://www.gotquestions.org
Thanks for reading. Claim God’s promises for your life. He loves you.