Battle For The Truth (Part 19)
Notes
Transcript
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Introduction
One of the things that distinguishes the United States of America from other nations is that we are “A nation of laws.” This means that laws, not people, rule.
According to our Constitution and Bill of Rights, everyone in this country is to be governed by the same laws, regardless of their race creed color or religion. Whether a person is a local or state bureaucrat, member of law enforcement, member of Congress, the Senate, the Judiciary, or even the President of the United States; all must be held accountable to the just laws of the USA.
Almost daily for the past four years we have heard a phrase repeated over and over, “No one is above the law.” Although the governing documents assert this phrase to be true, we are all painfully aware of instances where this concept has not been upheld. Justice is not always served.
There are innocent people who are unjustly incarcerated and there are others who are guilty of crimes but have escaped judgement. This simply means that our system of justice is not perfect. However, when it comes to the judgement of God, not only is no one above the law, but no one receives injustice from God. Amen somebody.
We have now reached the point in our text where the proverbial bloom has come off the rose. While pointing an accusatory finger for their action, Adam and Eve have confessed to God their sin of disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As mentioned in last week’s message, having a reason for wrong acts does not make it an excuse.
Poplar among people today is the misunderstanding that they have an excuse for not believing what the Bible teaches. This thinking is seriously flawed. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:20 – “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
It is the biblical Creation account where the initial battle line for the truth is drawn and by which men will stand in judgment, because the word of God is the truth. Although people may reject it, I am so thankful that they cannot disprove or effectually nullify it. Amen somebody.
This brings us to today’s text. When God speaks, He speaks truth. He does not joke, exaggerate, or waste words. Anything God wanted man to know, He told him, and everything He wanted man to have He gave him. One of the things God gave man was a free will. God gave man a free will so that he could freely choose to love and obey Him.
However, like Satan who was consumed with pride and rebelled against God, so Adam and Eve allowed pride to fill their hearts and followed Satan in rebellion against the command of God. When Satan and possibly one-third of the angelic host rebelled against God they were cast out of heaven to the earth with no forgiveness or way back into God’s grace. Satan and all the angels who joined him in rebellion received eternal damnation in Hell as their judgment. This was divine justice.
Vv. 14-15 – “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Here we find another, “God said” statement. “…the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this…” God first speaks to the serpent (the creature) for allowing himself to be used by Satan to propagate lies and deceit. It is important to note that the serpent was just an intermediary to the real person behind the deadly plot to cause mankind to sin—Satan.
This is seen in the eight-fold curse God pronounced upon the serpent, which carries with it a double reference—the actual creature and Satan who spoke through him. Curses 1-5 are directed towards the actual creature and 6-8 towards Satan. They are as follows:
Cursed above all domesticated animals
Cursed above all wild animals
On you belly shall you go (or travel)
Dust shall you eat all the days of your life
Hostility between you and the woman
Hostility between the seed of the woman and Satan’s seed
The seed of the woman will crush your head. (protevangelium)
The seed of Satan will bruise the heel of the seed of the woman
The use of dual referencing is found elsewhere in in the OT and NT. Although Satan is not named in Isaiah 14:12–17 and Ezekiel 28:11–19, these passages are understood to refer to his original state and the reasons behind his fall.
Side note:
It is important to reiterate the obvious regarding the serpent, he was and is a real creature. Therefore, “If the serpent is to be understood in a literal sense, then the passage must have a double reference. It must refer to both the serpent as a creature and to Satan who is “that old serpent, called the Devil.”[1] (see Rev. 12:9; 20:2)
[1] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Genesis (Chapters 1–11) (Vol. I, p. 170). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
One of the things we learn from God’s curse upon the serpent is that he did not act alone in this deadly plot against man, he partnered with Satan which suggests that the serpent also had a choice and chose wrong. According to the Genesis 3:1 description, the serpent was more subtle or crafty than any other creature, which speaks to his intellect and ability to clearly communicate with Eve.
In fact, given the ostensible familiarity of the conversation between the serpent and Eve, one might conclude that Eve had a cordial comfort level with the serpent. Perhaps they conversed on a regular basis.
And although we do not have a pre-curse physical description of the serpent, most scholars agree that he once had legs and may even have walked upright. Whatever the serpent’s prior form and figure may have been, God’s curse dramatically changed it forever.
Throughout the NT, Satan is known by many different names but always with a consistent sinister meaning. The following chart shows the many NT names for Satan:
Insert table here.
This curse upon the serpent is either true or not. I find it to be true. In fact, because God’s word is the truth, it remains true to this day. The last time I checked, the serpent is still crawling upon its belly and is a foe to all other creatures. Amen somebody.
Man’s rebellion imposed a curse upon all the animals with the serpent receiving the greater curse (“cursed thou art above all”). To this day the serpent is a loaner and is distrusted by all other animals.
Sometimes to be descriptive or insulting, people often attribute animal characteristics to another person or persons. When it comes to gluttony the animal is a pig; promiscuity, a dog; silliness or foolishness, a monkey. But when it comes to untrustworthiness, deception, and evil the serpent or snake is the animal of choice. Hence, we get the phrase, “snake in the grass” to refer to someone of low character and honor.
Judgment on Satan
V.15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Here is where the double reference to the serpent and the Satan is seen.
God promises to place hostility between the serpent and the woman destroying the previously friendly relationship that existed between them. Furthermore, God promises to place hostility between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (or Satan).
The seed of the woman will deliver a deadly blow to his head, indicates Christ delivered a death blow to Satan at the cross (Colossians 2:14–15; Hebrews 2:14) and he (Satan) would in turn deliver a bruising blow to the heel of the woman’s seed, suggesting Satan would have a minor victory in the fact that Christ died; nonetheless, Christ’s death became Satan’s defeat.
This promise in theological terms is referred to as the protevangelium or first Gospel. Gospel meaning “good news.” Remarkably, this “good news” gets its first mention as a curse upon Satan and not a direct promise to man.
This is indeed good news because God promised to destroy Satan who was the instigator of rebellion in heaven and corruption of man on earth. Ironically, Satan’s destruction will come at the hands of the “seed of the woman” whom he deceived with lies about the truth of God’s word.
Normally, when the Bible refers to the human seed, the reference is to the man because women do not carry the seed, but rather the egg or ovum. It takes a man to plant his seed or sperm into a woman for conception to occur. However, the promise of Genesis 3:15, specifically refers to the seed of the woman, which most scholars agree suggests a conception without a man i.e., virgin conception.
We find this promise reaffirmed by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This same prophecy was announced by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, who was chosen by God to bear the promised “seed” and became the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen somebody. The fulfillment of this promise is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-35.
Conclusion
It is at this point in the narrative where the Battle For the Truth intensifies. The scene is one of judgment as Adam and Eve witness the curses God placed upon the serpent.
Can you imagine the terror raging through their hearts as they await God’s judgment upon themselves? Although there is no scriptural evidence for it, I believe when God pronounced judgment upon the serpent, the effect was immediate. In my own sanctified imagination, I can see Adam and Eve shaking in horror as they observe the results of God’s curse upon the serpent.
The serpent loses his legs and goes from upright to prostrate, loses his ability to speak, and slithers away in shame once judgment in pronounced. God warned Adam and Eve that disobedience to His command would result in certain death. Well, bless God, Adam eventually died according to Genesis 5:5, which reads, “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Thus, the conclusion is that God’s word is true. Amen somebody.
Furthermore, according to Scripture, because Adam was corporate head of the human race, all of his offspring inherited his curse. This explains why to this very day men continue to die. Paul writes in Romans 5:12, 14-15
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (15) But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”
Hence, the good news is that because of the triumph Jesus Christ (the seed of the woman), at Calvary, redemption has come to fallen man. For Paul writes in Colossians 2:13-15,
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Amen somebody.
We will have more to say on this next time. So, until next time, may the Lord bless and keep you is my earnest prayer. AMEN.