JAN 26

Genesis 3:15, 20-24
Memorise Genesis 3:1
“It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel”

After such a sobering judgment upon their sin, one might think that Adam and Eve would be very discouraged and lose all hope of living. Their sin had just caused them to be alienated from God – the loving Father who had created them, and hitherto they had known nothing but a close unhindered communion with Him. Yet now He had pronounced a series of curses upon them, and they realised that they could no longer come into His presence. Yet what Adam says next shows that amidst the curses, he had hope. He looked at his wife, and called her Eve, which means “life” or “living”, and the reason was “because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). This shows that Adam understood and realised that though their lives would forever be different, yet through Eve and the seed of the woman, they could have life – not physical life, but spiritual, eternal life! How so? He understood the promise of Genesis 3:15.

As we studied the various curses yesterday, there was one particular verse that we missed out, and that was Genesis 3:15. In that verse, God pronounced the curse upon the one who was behind the serpent – Satan himself. God prophesied that there would be constant enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Note that the word ‘seed’ is deliberately used in the singular, referring to not all of the progeny, but one very specific descendent, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:1-5). He will come as the one to save mankind from the curses that resulted from Satan’s temptation, by destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). This verse is a clear messianic prophecy, often described as the “protoevangelium” – meaning the first gospel. It describes the victory that Christ will have in going to the cross (His heel is bruised) and, in so doing, destroying the head of Satan and delivering us from the condemnation of sin and death.

This message of hope is further reinforced by God’s next act in Genesis 3:21. He made coats of animal skins to replace the inadequate fig leaves and, in so doing, demonstrated the principle of having a blood sacrifice to cover sins. God then banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, not as a punishment, but as an act of mercy, for if they were to remain, they might eat of the tree of life and remain in their state of sin forever! Indeed how marvellous is the grace and mercy of our God.

Thought: How miserable it would be to live a life without hope.

Prayer: Lord, I thank Thee for the wonderful blessed hope we can have!