(1) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and (2) between your seed and her seed; (3) it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15 American King James Version
In this post we deal with part (3) of the verse: “it will hurt your head and you will hurt his heel”. This special part of the verse is the promise of a Savior for humanity and connects directly with the work of Jesus Christ recorded in the four Gospels, as we will see below.
Parts (1) and (2), in turn, refer specifically to the church and the people of God and speak of the difficulties and challenges they would face because of the evil that exists temporarily on Earth. They also demand a life of faith, but they are temporary challenges, until the final encounter with the Savior. These parts will be dealt with in the next posts.
The Work of Christ
Let us observe the last part of the verse (Genesis 3:15), in which God speaks to the serpent: "this one (the seed of the woman) will strike your head, and you will strike his heel".
Three ideas are implied in this part of the verse:
The woman's descendant would inflict fatal defeat on the serpent;
The woman's descendant would be wounded in the heel by the snake, which means that he would die;
The two facts above are interconnected and are part of a single event.
1. '... he will crush your head'
Smashing the head is the effective way to kill an earthly snake. Metaphorically, it means the defeat of Satan and his angels by the woman's descendant.
The Scriptures say that Jesus, by his death and resurrection, annihilated the power of the devil:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — Hebrew 2:14
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17,18
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:14,15
The old serpent, which is the Devil, still remains on Earth for a while, but then it will be trapped.
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. Revelation 20:1-3
2. '... and you will strike his heel'
The serpent's heel wound is a prophecy of the Passion of Christ: the betrayal, judgment and crucifixion operated by men used by Satan, the prince of this world.
and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.
And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.
They were delighted and agreed to give him money. Luke 22:2-5
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?
Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour —when darkness reigns." Luke 22:52,53
Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine.
Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
And I, when I am lifted up "from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. John 12:30-33
Satan's work was at work in the temptation and human action that betrayed and killed the Lord, but ultimately it was the Lord Himself who gave his life and resumed it when He was resurrected on the third day:
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father —and I lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life —only to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:15-18
Jesus, the Son of man, did not turn back in the face of the enormous cruel challenge of humiliation and death, but went to the end to save humanity. He decidedly fulfilled his mission on behalf of sinners, according to Matthew 20: 17-19; John 13: 1; Mark 14: 33-36; John 18: 3, 10-11; Matthew 26: 48-54; Philippians 2: 5-8.
Why would Christ need to die?
In order to fulfill the prophecies of the Scriptures, especially that of Genesis 3:15: "you will strike his heel". Other prophecies are found in the Old Testament, as in Isaiah chapter 53 and Psalm 22.
To overcome sin and death in the position of representative of the human race, for the benefit of it. Jesus Christ never sinned (Hebrews 4:15; John 8:46; 1 Peter 1: 18,19), but he took on the guilt and punishment that would befall men, since they all sinned and were condemned to death - Romans 3 : 23-26; Isaiah 53: 5; Colossians 2: 13,14; Romans 8: 3.
In order to, through all this, bring human beings eternal life and peace - which translate into victory over death and a return to communion with God (John 3:16).
* The serpent's venom metaphorically represents sin and death, as explained in the post Genesis 3:15 - Part 2: The Serpent. In Genesis 3:15, it applies to the Savior's wound and, by analogy, represents the guilt of sin and the condemnation of death assumed in the place of men by Jesus Christ, without deserving it, since he never sinned. In this way the representative of the human race, the Son of man, replaced the sinner on the cross (Isaiah chapter 53).
Conclusion
Christ's death on the cross to fulfill God's promise of a Savior and to pay the sinner's redemption price is inexplicable; it can only be understood through faith (Romans 1: 16-17) and understanding how great God's love is (Ephesians 3: 17-19; Romans 8: 37-39).
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5,6
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:11,12
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bible online King James Version. >https://www.bibliaonline.com.br/akjv/index>. Consulted on 05.13.2021.
Bible online New International Version. <https://www.bibliaonline.com.br/niv/index>. Consulted on 05.13.2021.
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