This verse is part of the account of Adam and Eve disobeying God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden. Let us pick up the story in Genesis 3:8-15. “8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ 10 He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’ 11 And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ 12 The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’ 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; 15 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’” (NASB).

God told the serpent in Genesis 3:15 that He would put hostility or hatred between him and the woman, Eve. We know that this was not a mere serpent because of Revelation 12:9, which states: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (NASB). As we compare these Scriptures, the serpent who deceived Eve in Genesis 3 is undoubtedly Satan.

Genesis 3:15 continues with God declaring that there would also be hostility between Satan’s seed and Eve’s seed. We know that Satan’s seed are those who reject Christ because of the Lord’s own words when He was on earth. The Lord Jesus told the unbelieving Pharisees that “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44, NASB). Eve’s seed includes all who accept Christ as their Savior. We know this is true because of Genesis 3:20, which states: “Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living” (NASB). The name Eve means life or living one. It is significant that Eve is called the mother of all living instead of the mother of all dying. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (NASB). We also read in 1 John 5:12, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (NASB). Eve was the mother of all those who embrace eternal life through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Genesis 3:15 says “He shall bruise you on the head,” the word “He” indicates a single person. The word “bruise” means “to crush.” The One who is the seed of the woman and destroyed Satan is Christ. We read in Hebrews 2:14, “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.” Through His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus destroyed Satan. God is still permitting Satan to operate until he will be permanently cast into the lake of fire after the thousand-year reign of Christ (see Revelation 20:10).

Genesis 3:15 concludes with stating that Satan would crush the heel of Christ. This indicates that Christ would be harmed, and was even killed, on the cross. However, the third day after dying Christ rose from the dead and lives forevermore. Therefore, Satan’s defeat is complete and permanent, symbolized by Satan’s head being crushed. However, Christ’s death on the cross would only result in temporary harm, symbolized by Satan crushing Christ’s heel. Our Savior said in Revelation 1:18, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” The Lord Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Have you repented of YOUR sins and trusted Christ as YOUR Savior? If not, please do so today.  (DJ)  (693.6)