I’m having trouble understanding Genesis 3:15. Could you please explain it to me?
Listen: 151.3
Let’s begin by reading Genesis 3:14-15, “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” I encourage you to read the entire chapter. It deals with the sin of disobedience that Adam and Eve committed. We learn of the consequence of sin as the Lord deals with the serpent, Eve, and Adam…in that order.
Just who, or what, is this serpent? Revelation 12:9leaves us with no doubt who he is. That says, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” In Genesis, Satan takes the form of a serpent to entice Eve to sin. Apparently, up to this point, the serpent had legs. In the Lord’s judgment, He condemns the natural serpent and causes him to crawl on his belly…thus taking away the legs of the serpent. Then, the Lord condemns the true serpent, Satan, and proclaims his eventual and ultimate defeat.
Now, let’s read Genesis 3:15from the World English Bible translation, which makes the meaning a little clearer. That says, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” This hostility represents the hostility between Satan and all mankind. The offspring of Satan would be the demons and the offspring of the woman is Christ, the Messiah.
The serpent would crush the heel of the Messiah, but what a blessed promise that the woman’s seed, or offspring, would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. When did this happen? At Calvary! There, the Lord Jesus died, giving His life for the sins of the world. He suffered terribly as He hung there on that tree, suffering God’s wrath for our sins. We read in Romans 8:32that God, “…spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all…” His ‘heel’ was bruised. He suffered terribly, but He did not suffer defeat. Rather, He was victorious over death and the grave! Romans 6:4tells us that, “…Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father…” What a wondrous victory that the Lord won for us!
With His death, burial, and resurrection, the Lord Jesus completely defeated Satan. He ‘bruised’ his head. The Lord Jesus, speaking of His impending crucifixion said in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” This total victory over Satan is spoken of in Hebrews 2:14-15where we read, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” There is no more death those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although believers have to pass through natural death, we have eternal life in Him and shall live with Him forever in Glory. Because of the love, the death, and the resurrection of our blessed savior we are rendered, “…more than conquerors through him that loved us” as we read in Romans 8:37. (151.3)