Genesis 3:14-15: The First Gospel
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The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Prayer
Catechism Question: What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures.
The holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
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Dismiss Kids.
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Welcome back to Confessors of Christ Church and welcome back to our journey through Genesis.
Today we come to one of the most important parts in our entire Bible.
We come to what is known as the Proto-evangelium. Proto-E-Van-Gel-Lee-um
Also known as the first prophecy, and the first Gospel.
The hope for God’s people first rested in the verse that we will be reading today, and this hope.....
Continued for generation to generation until it was fulfilled in a man named Jesus 2000 years ago.
This verse is Holy ground for Christians, it is a reminder of the hope we have in the snake crusher.
It is a reminder that the enemy will be defeated and we will have victory.
Not because we will triumph, but because Christ has triumphed.
It is this hope that we must hold to in our deepest and darkest days.
Here is the reality, we live in a dark and twisted world, filled with pain and suffering.
We live in a post Genesis 2 world where sorrow and sadness reign and often times we feel defeated.
Even though we are alive we often feel like the walking dead and residents on what is better known as Planet Death.
It is in this reality that we cling to the truth that God declares instead of the darkness we see.
This year has been an absolute whirlwind already and for the most part this year has just started.
We buried our beloved dog boomer three weeks ago and he was only 5 years old and was an incredible shock to us and hit us out of no where.
Two weeks ago my dad passed away, and while this was more expected, it is still very difficult and he was only 64 years old.
Then on Thursday a great friend of mine and a hero of the faith, John Barros, who I did ministry with in Downtown Orlando passed away of cancer.
Last week Jason asked how I was doing that I didn’t seem to be acting like myself.
I guess I didn’t realize how much of a toll things have been taking on me recently and seem to have only continued to pile up further.
Now, my point is not to make a big deal of what I am going through, because if we are honest with ourselves,
We are all going through something to one degree or another.
Life is often described as a roller coaster and there are ups and downs and sometimes launches and spirals and you are like.....ok I’m ready to get off this ride!
Yet, the Bible does not leave us scratching our heads as to why this is happening.
The Bible does not abandon us and say good luck, I hope you figure it out.
The Bible declares with great clarity the truth of what we experience, why we experience it, and the solution to the pain and suffering.
What we are discovering over and over is that the solution is not found in us.
You are not the solution.
You are not to be better, do better, act better, live better.
You can try, but you will fail, and you will continue to fail, and you will never live up to your own standards, let alone God’s standards.
Which is exactly why the verses we are going to go over today exists.
It is through humanities failure, through our rejection, because of our rebellion, that God put forth a plan to rescue, redeem, ransom, and restore.
Just when the enemy thought he had won, God shows that what happened only was the next step in putting forth His perfect plan.
A plan that cannot be thwarted, a plan that cannot be defeated, a plan that will come to pass.
Today, I will find the comfort that I desperately need, and you too, will find the encouragement that will carry you from today through eternity.
That encouragement is found in the Gospel, and today you will see the very first Gospel.
Let’s discover it together.
Open your Bibles or Turn them on to Genesis Chapter 3, and we will look at just two verses. Verses 14 and 15.
The Chapter numbers are your big numbers, verse numbers your smaller numbers.
Genesis is the very first book of your Bible.
Let’s see what we have before us this morning.
The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
If you are just now joining us, we are now in Chapter 3 and this is where Adam and Eve, created by God are given a mission and purpose from God.
Yet, they rebelled against God and disobeyed His command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
This took place because Adam did not protect his wife and obey God.
This took place because Eve did not listen to God but listened to another voice.
This took place because Satan entered into a serpent and then deceived them into thinking they could be like God.
That they could become little gods.
This lie did not die in the garden but is declared in self help books and
This lie is still declared today and even taught in some churches.
Deception is real and the only cure for deception is truth and holding fast to the truth.
What God says and declares is truth. God is our standard of truth, Truth cannot have a foundation unless it is found in God.
Yet, the devil, the Father of lies, wanted to guilt and shame, wanted to deceive and manipulate, and
Ultimately wanted to try and thwart God’s plan, yet the serpent did not derail God’s plan.
The devil did not change God’s plan.
The devil did not even cause God to question his plan.
Matter of Fact, this was exactly God’s plan and how he would use the devil and humanities rebellion to bring out a perfect purpose and redemption.
So, this catches us up, and now we look at what our verse says.
God begins by cursing the Serpent.
“The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this.” and then we see the curse.
The first part that caught my attention was how different God’s approach was between the two parties.
This is a radically different approach that God is taking with the serpent than the approach He took with Adam and Eve.
God questions Adam and Eve to reveal their sin, to draw out their confession, to expose their rebellion.
However, when God turns to the serpent, there are no questions, only condemnation and curse.
What we discover is that there is a different relationship that God has for the rebellious angels verses Adam and Eve.
There is actually a different relationship that God has for those who are of the devil versus the children of God.
Hang on to this idea because it will be played out in much greater detail in the next verse and will be a key staple to all of Scripture.
The Lord God, or using God’s Covenant name due to these letters being capitalized, Yahweh, now moves away from Adam and Eve and moves specifically to the serpent.
Now before we get to what is said, you might say, why is the serpent being punished if it was Satan who took it over?
Wouldn’t the serpent be innocent in this whole endeavor?
No, because God is going to use this serpent as an illustration for Satan and his ultimate fate.
So, while the curse is pointing at the serpent it ultimately represents Satan.
While all of the earth experienced the fall and were cast into this new world of sin.
The serpent would receive a curse above all of the other animals.
The livestock would be considered all of the domesticated animals.
The beasts of the field would be considered your wild animals.
So, at this point in our understanding of sin, we see that sin will cover everyone and every thing.
Nothing will escape the curse and the brokenness that is to come.
But, the serpent especially, pointing us to Satan, will receive the worst of the curse.
Next we see, “on your belly you shall go” as a continuation of the curse.
A question often arises on whether this serpent used to walk with legs or even fly before this moment.
The reason for this speculation is because the curse declares “on your belly you shall go.”
Does this mean that the serpent was not on its belly before and is now being condemned to its belly?
Or is this confirming that this reptile will continue on its belly and will be limited to where God will allow it to go.
The difficulty is that it requires a lot of assumptions on our part to come to any conclusion.
It is also important to note that this curiosity on what the serpent could have been or couldn’t have been before, is not the focus or the point here.
The best answer we can give is that we just do not know and if we were to assume, it is probably safer to assume that the serpent always slithered.
It would seem as this statement is more of a declaration of what the serpent will continue to do, versus what it was attempting to do.
John Calvin uses strong language to declare that it is as if God was saying:
“Thou, a wretched and filthy animal, has dared to rise up against man, whom I appointed to the dominion of the whole world; as if, truly, you, who are fixed to the earth, had any right to penetrate into heaven. Therefore, I now throw thee back again to the place from which you attempted to emerge, so you may learn to be content with your lot, and no more exalt yourself, to man’s reproach and injury.”
Calvin seems to take the approach that the serpent left its place, changed its role, and was now being put back in line.
Whenever someone steps out of line, one in authority is quick to correct the problem and get them back in step.
In this manner Calvin looks to this part of Scripture.
Martin Luther and Matthew Henry had a different opinion, Luther’s specifically is fascinating, He says, speaking of this curse:
“From this some obvious conclusions follow: that before sin, the serpent was a most beautiful little animal and most pleasing to man, as little mules, sheep and puppies today; moreover, that it walked upright.”
As we see, there is much speculation even among the most educated and theologically robust saints of old.
Therefore, I have nothing further to add except that the result, regardless of our speculation, concludes with serpent being confined to its belly.
To continue to slither upon the ground for the rest of its days.
Anything we conclude about this is purely speculation and if we are not careful, we can be sidetracked from the actual point of the rebuke and curse.
Lastly, we see in verse 14, a declaration that the serpent shall eat dust for the rest of its existence.
To eat dust is to be humiliated.
What is funny is this concept has continued even today.
When someone says, “eat my dust” as they speed off in their vehicle, it is said in the same fashion.
The goal is to put someone down, to humiliate them, to show your superiority over them.
So, next time, instead of telling saying eat my dust, in order to be more biblical, you should thus say, “dust you shall eat” then speed off.
But, the difference is that God is a just God who brings about perfect condemnation and perfect justice.
You and I? Not as much, so we should probably leave the curses to God.
Throughout the Bible, this concept of humiliation is further declared.
In a lament we read in the 44th Psalm.
For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground.
Then in the 72nd Psalm.
May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!
So, you can add lick the dust to your dust you shall eat smack down.
No, don’t do that, and don’t say Pastor Tony said it was OK.
Let’s not miss the point.
What this is declaring is that Satan is cursed and would be shamed and would lose all dignity in which he once held.
This is going to be the devil’s reality until he is cast into the lake of fire.
Satan, was rebuked, fell from heaven and continued in his rebellion now receives a second judgement, a curse.
This curse does not end with verse 14 but continues.
Let’s move now to our second verse.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Again, we see the continuation of curse and the extent of its reach.
Here we see God specifically putting enmity between the serpent and the woman.
What does enmity mean?
This means there will be a deep hatred, an incredibly strong dislike or distaste for the serpent.
The woman and the serpent are enemies and now at war.
My wife takes this task very seriously and has multiple…..let’s just call them “tools.”
To take out snakes on our property.
She believes this is part of her role as a strong and God-fearing woman to make sure no snake lives within a 1 mile residence of our place.
Sharks, she loves, snakes, she becomes Rambo, or for our millennials, lets go with she channels John Wick,
My point is that there is now hatred in the physical sense and there is now enmity from a spiritual sense.
This is important because we see this play out through these two verses the physical and the spiritual sense.
The physical serpent and then spiritually the devil.
But, before we get further into this, I want to pause for just a moment.
What is often missed in this curse is how much grace is given to the children of God with this curse.
True believers are mindful of the works of the devil, they push back against the works of the devil, wage war against the works of the devil.
This hatred for the enemy of God is actually a kindness, a blessing, a grace extended to us as believers to help us not be deceived.
We recognize the works of the evil doer and we see the deception and manipulation, and we fight against it instead of give into it.
There is a chance you have not thought of this as a grace extended by God to us, but it absolutely is.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the battle is easy and doesn’t mean we can’t get confused, we still have our flesh that we fight.
We may for a season believe something is good when it is truly not.
We may for a time believe something that is false because we are still growing.
We may for a period believe something is unacceptable only because we did not know it was biblical.
But, through the power of the Spirit, through the grace extended to us with this curse, we discover the works of the enemy.
This extended beyond just the serpent and Eve.
This extended beyond snakes and women.
This now goes between the offspring of the devil and the offspring of Eve.
Here we have an often overlooked this incredible truth with monumental implications.
In our rush to get to the Gospel at the end of this verse.
In our dash to see the first mention of Jesus.
In our excitement to hear of our Savior, we could miss this incredible truth that is vital to our understanding of the faith.
What is this truth?
That there will be offspring of two different groups, two different peoples, two different genealogies.
I’m not saying this is not speaking of the physical offspring of the serpent and that of Eve or all of humanity.
Yes, this is a part of it.
This is why there is still such a general hatred for snakes today.
But, what is screaming forth to be heard is the Spiritual offspring in which this curse applies. (Pause)
One would look to the devil as their father. (Spiritually, not Physically)
The other would like to God as their Father.
The reason why we know this is speaking physically of the serpent is because there would be more serpents.
The reason we know that it is spiritually speaking of Satan, is because this curse is an illustration for the curse against Satan.
Satan is a fallen arch angel and according to Mark 12:25 angels do not physically reproduce.
Because they cannot reproduce, this is speaking spiritually and not physically of the Devil.
There is your one and only hint towards my take on an upcoming controversial verse in Genesis that is still to come.
The Bible uses this kind of language, speaking of spiritual offspring, often in our bibles to differentiate between these groups of children.
Jesus gives a harsh and what would be very insulting truth to the Pharisees.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
We can turn next to one of the parables that Jesus explains in 13th chapter of Matt. Speaking of the weeds of the field he says:
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
There are two lines of people that are opposed to one another.
This picture is most clear when we do our ministry at the abortion clinic.
While I would never require anyone to go down there, I do share all the time how beneficial it is for the believer to at least experience it once.
Everything that I preach about comes to life on that side walk.
The wickedness of the protestors, the hardness of hearts, the hatred for God, the complete rejection of any and every opportunity of help.
It is all on full display.
Yet, it is also in this place that you see God do the most amazing work.
Someone who was just cursing you an hour earlier comes out an apologizes and asks for prayer.
One who ignored you an hour earlier comes out in tears and says thank you and gets in one of our vehicles as we drive her down to choices women’s clinic.
It never gets old to see God work in the midst of the chaos and insanity.
We are so used to seeing man-made and counterfeit miracles proclaimed by false teachers and charlatans,
But, when you see a true miracle, it changes you, it inspires you, it transforms you.
If you are a believer then you yourself have had a front row seat to one of the greatest miracles imaginable.
The turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
To take one who was opposed to God, who hated God, who wanted nothing to do with anything relating to God.
To now following, praising, worshiping, and growing in Christ.
This is our story as well.
If you are a believer you have been transformed by this very same miracle brought about by God.
You have been taken from the grasps of the devil and adopted into a new family, the family of God. (Pause)
Now it is finally time. Now we get to the first prophecy of all Scripture and this is a prophecy given by God himself.
We come to the first Gospel in all of Scripture, the Good News of the coming Messiah.
Soon as sin burst upon the scene of the world, the Savior also burst upon the scene.
Let us read our verse again and see it closer.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
And there it is: Proto-evangelium. Proto-E-Van-Gel-Lee-um
The first prophecy in Scripture, and what is often stated as the first Gospel.
Speaking of the Messiah, he would bruise Satan’s head, and Satan would bruise the Messiah’s heel.
This is the prophecy of Calvary. The prophecy of the cross.
It is the Gospel because it is this very scene that brings us the good news of our Salvation.
When sin, death, and Satan will be defeated at the cost of the life of Jesus.
However, Jesus would not stay dead, but would be resurrected and triumph over the forces of darkness.
The illustration fits perfectly.
When we see a snake in real life it is on the ground and is aimed at striking our heel.
Yet, it is also at the right height for us to stomp on its head as well.
This is why this verse is also referred to when calling Jesus the snake crusher.
The word bruise here in the Hebrew can also be used for striking a wound.
This prophecy could be confusing because it seems to be giving Satan permission to strike a deadly blow against the Messiah,
However, at the same time, the Messiah would bring forth the ultimate strike to the very head of Satan.
Crushing his dominion and casting him in the lake of fire forever.
You see, this is not just a simple battle of no consequence.
This is an all out war that is being waged and a victory that will be accomplished and it will have eternal consequences.
We may think that the enemy is ruling and reigning, but we find that this is not the case and his abilities are greatly limited.
Augustine declares that:
The devil was conquered precisely when he was thought to be conquering, namely, when Christ was crucified.
For at that moment the blood of him who had no sin at all was shed for the remission of our sins. One who was guilty of no sin freed them justly from this condemnation.
Richard Phillips declares this:
Satan had two great days, and both ended in defeat. The first was in the garden, when Adam and Eve followed him into sin. But God concluded that day by pronouncing the crushing curses on Satan’s head. The Devil’s second and greater day was at the cross when by his schemes Jesus Christ was cruelly put to death. Yet in that apparent victory, Satan undermined the very foundations of his own realm and power.
Hebrews 2:14 explains that God’s Son took up our human nature “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is , the devil” delivering believers from their fear of death.
This is the first promise of redemption that we see in the Scriptures and this is the great hope that we hold fast to, today.
But, with this promise being foretold, and this promise accomplished on the cross, why do we still have all of this pain and suffering?
Why does the enemy still prowling around and not thrown into the lake of fire?
The answer is actually beautiful.
God delays the final judgement of the serpent in order that redemption to humanity may be accomplished.
The reason why we are still here and Jesus has not returned is because there are still more that need to come to Christ.
There are still more names that have been written in the book of life that still need to receive Christ.
There is still time for us to tell those who need to hear the Gospel the truth of this incredible good news.
God’s delay is not God’s failure, God’s delay is God’s grace.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
This day is coming and it is coming soon.
Thus, we need to be ready, we need to be prepared, we need to be about the purpose and mission of God.
We need not delay, we need not tarry, we need not get distracted.
We have a calling and a directive that are invited to carry out and get to carry out.
Now we must go and do that.
The more I stop, rest, meditate, and think about what I have been going through these last few weeks, the more I realize I’m weaker than I thought.
I’m more tired than I realized.
I’m more exhausted then I understood.
I’m more sad than I give off to everyone else.
But, this is where my hope lies.
This Gospel, this good news, this Christ.
What will get me through is not my good works, it is not my ability to do better, it is not 10 ways to be encouraged in trials.
No, what will get me through is my Savior,
What will get me through is the Spirit guiding, directing, and sustaining me.
What will get me through is knowing that this is but a temporary season and eternity awaits.
So, while I am struggling now, while I am weak now, while I am exhausted now, a time will come when I will get rest.
That day is not today, but that day will be here.
If you are feeling weak, feeling down, feeling defeated, feeling useless.
Then you too need to cling to this hope that is found in these verses today.
Trust in Christ, believe in Christ, look to Christ, and yes, rest in Christ today.
May that be our story today, tomorrow, and forever. Amen?
Let us pray.