The Promised Seed

Adam and the woman ate from the tree. They realized they were naked, so they covered themselves with leaves and hid from God.

God called out to the man, pursuing him, and asked where he was. In what is called, chiastic structure, the author of Genesis begins to track God's conversation with Adam, the woman, and the serpent. Each person God spoke with blamed someone else for their disobedience.

We see in the image shown on the right that the pattern for God's conversation centers on his comments directed at the serpent in verses 14 and 15. In chiastic structure in literature, typically the structure is designed to accent or highlight something found in the middle.

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

Because you have done this,

you are cursed more than any livestock

and more than any wild animal.

You will move on your belly

and eat dust all the days of your life.

I will put hostility between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel.

(Genesis 3:14-15)

In the midst of God's judgment, He produces a glimmer of hope. He makes reference to a seed that will one day come and overcome the serpent. This passage is often referred to as the "protoevangelium" or the first reference to Jesus. I would argue that it is the second reference to Jesus in the first chapters of Genesis (see Genesis 1:1a).

From the context of the Bible being one big story (Creation, Fall, Rescue, Restoration), Jesus finds His way to be connected/referenced as a part of all four pillars!

Creation: In the beginning (Genesis 1:1)

Fall: the Seed of hope (Genesis 3:15)

Rescue: The cross and Resurrection

Restoration: Coming back for us

Here is the beauty of the Old Testament. After Adam and his newly named wife Eve, meaning life/living, are asked to leave the garden, the journey begins to find this seed of man that will one day overcome sin and return mankind to the presence of God in the garden.

Do you read your Old Testament as one looking to learn more about this seed that will one day be the savior?

Romans 16:20 and Revelation 12:9, 20:2 confirm that Satan is behind the serpent. The term seed in Galatians 3:16 refers to Christ.

As Keathley and Rooker state, "The most important connection of the line of the seed in Genesis and the rest of the Old Testament is the fulfillment of the line of the seed in Jesus Christ. He is called the seed of David (Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim 2:8) who is born of a woman (Gal. 4:4). Jesus also understood as the seed of the woman in Revelation 12 where, as in Genesis 3:15, he is in conflict with the ancient serpent" (Keathley and Rooker, 2015, p. 277). John Davis continues. "The traditional Christian interpretation, however, is that it is the first direct expression of the gospel. It recognizes the essential conflict between Satan and the Lord and indicates that this conflict also will involve the people of God and the followers of Satan (cf. John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10). The seed of the woman is a clear reference to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus (cf. Rev. 12:1-5; Gal. 3:16, 19), who came 'to destroy the works of the devil' (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:18). The protoevangelium prophesied that Christ would deliver a death blow to Satan, but in so doing would suffer death Himself" (Keathley and Rooker, 2015, p. 277-278).

Later this week we will continue to look at the ramifications of the fall by looking at Genesis 3:21 when God "made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them."

We will also take a look at Eve's development and maturity throughout Genesis 4.