Hope Remains
Genesis 3:14–15
By Josh Komis
The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
It’s silent, that moment the world changed forever. Juice dripping down Adam and Eve’s chins. Brief smiles of satisfaction now turned upside down. The snake slithered away in apparent triumph. The ground was cursed. Satan fooled them all. The innocence of man was lost.
Still, hope remained.
“The LORD God said to the serpent, because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Where might we find hope in this tragic moment?
First, a curse. God would punish the deceptive serpent. He would continue to slither around on his belly in the dust along with all of his descendants. He would bear the iniquity of his sin forever.
Second, a conflict. The seed of the woman would continually fight with the offspring of deception. Good and evil. Light and darkness. Toiling. Striving. A battle to the death.
Third, a coming conqueror. This offspring of Eve would crush the snake on his head. It would be a mortal wound and the Deceiver will never recover. This mortal blow would also bring hurt to the conquering seed. The serpent would bruise his heel. He would pay a deep cost for the victory.
If you’ve only heard of the first Adam, then you will find little hope in Genesis 3. Let me introduce you to a second Adam, a better Adam. His name is Jesus. He is the promised One, who was born of a virgin, resisted the serpent’s temptations, gave up his life on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to the throne of God. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
He did this by becoming the curse for us. He traded his life for our lives. The cross meant nails in his feet and hands and thorns on his brow. He was bruised just as God promised in Genesis 3. His bruises would bring healing to the nations.
Additionally, “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (v. 25). Christ is reigning. He has crushed the head of the serpent and is in complete control even as Satan flails today in the throes of mortal defeat.
Don’t let the flailing fool you. We’ve been fooled enough by the Serpent. The world is passing away and the new has come.
We have hope. He is here and his name is Jesus Christ.
Father, thank you for the gift at Christmas that is Jesus. Jesus, thank you for becoming the curse for us and defeating sin and death. Spirit, thank you for bringing hope to dwell in our hearts.