And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and
her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.
Genesis 3:15
God did not wait until Jesus was born to share the Good News about the Messiah.
On the contrary, the first time He said anything was right after Adam and Eve sinned, some four thousand years earlier.
Although the words are slightly veiled, you can learn much about the future Messiah or promised seed from what God tells the serpent.
My NLT Study Bible note says about Genesis 3:15, “Christian interpreters have traditionally understood this verse as a prophecy of Christ, the seed of Abraham, and the culmination of the woman’s seed.”
And my NASB Study Bible note says, “He. An individual from the woman’s seed, namely, Christ, will deal a death blow to Satan’s head at the cross, while Satan (you) would bruise Christ’s heel (cause Him to suffer).”
Let’s look at what led up to Adam and Eve’s sin and how Jesus meets the requirements of this future promised seed God promises.
Table of Contents
How is Jesus the Promised Seed?
God cursed the serpent and said, “You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The He is the promised seed, the Messiah who would defeat Satan and offer salvation to all people. Four thousand years later, Jesus was born. Later, He died on the cross and indeed defeated Satan. Additionally, He met all the criteria of the promised seed.
The Back Story
Sin enters the world in Genesis 3. The players are the serpent (Satan), the woman (Eve), and the man (Adam), who possibly witnesses the exchange between the two.
Let’s set up the scene: You have the serpent who was more crafty than all the other wild animals God had made (3:1a). And the woman who had no idea what sin or deceit was. She was not prepared for what was about to happen.
Along comes the serpent and says to the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (3:1b)
Notice he’s already being crafty by twisting God’s words, but the woman has no idea. Instead, she corrects him.
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die’ ” (3:2-3).
God didn’t say anything about not touching the tree, so why would the woman say that?
Well, let’s think about that for a minute. God told Adam about the tree in the middle of the garden before He made the woman. So Adam must have told her what God said.
As an aside, imagine the two of them talking and the woman asking about the food they could eat. Adam takes her over to the tree in the middle of the garden and says something like, “Don’t eat from this tree because God says you will die. In fact, don’t even touch it.”
The Opening
But now, the crafty serpent sees an opening to deceive the woman. Imagine him putting his hand on the tree as he says, “You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” (3:5)
The serpent capitalizes on the woman’s misspeak by essentially calling God a liar and, at the same time, offering her something better–to be like God.
That’s all it took. “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too” (3:6).
The Hint of a Promised Seed
As soon as they ate the fruit, their eyes were opened. They suddenly felt shame at their nakedness and hid when they heard God walking in the garden (3:7-8).
The Lord questions Adam, but instead of taking responsibility for what he had done, he plays the blame game: “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it” (3:12). It’s her fault and Yours, God. You’re the One who gave this woman to me.
So, God questions the woman, and she does the same thing: “The serpent deceived me. That’s why I ate it” (3:13).
God doesn’t question the serpent but goes right into the consequences and hints at his (Satan’s) destruction (3:14-19).
Jesus Christ Defeated Satan at the Cross
The promised seed hinted at in this verse is the hope for all humanity. Sin separates us from God, and we need a Savior, Someone who could and would defeat Satan and the power of sin.
“He shall bruise you on the head” indicates the seed would be a male human and would deliver a fatal and final blow to the serpent. And “you shall bruise him on the heel” means that the serpent would wound the woman’s seed, but it would neither be fatal nor final.
Isaiah develops this verse in his teaching about the suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). “He was bruised for our iniquities” (53:5 NKJV) reminds us of what God told the serpent in the garden.
And that is precisely what happened at the cross.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Additionally, Satan’s final punishment and total disabling are still coming (Romans 16:20; Revelation 20:10).
The Unique Nature of Messiah Prophesied
In Genesis 3:15 and other Scriptures, we learn that the Messiah must meet specific criteria.
- Messiah’s birth would be unique: He will be the seed of a woman. It says nothing about the seed of a man. Jesus was born of a virgin. When His mother Mary asked the angel how this could happen, the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…” (Luke 1:35).
- Messiah would be supernatural: Only a supernatural being could defeat another supernatural being (Satan). Satan is called the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). And Jesus defeated Him on the cross.
- Messiah would also be human: Jesus is the God-Man, both human and supernatural (Isaiah 9:6). He would be a descendant of Shem (Genesis 9:26), Abraham (Genesis 12:3), Isaac (Genesis 26:3), Jacob (Genesis 35:11-12), Judah (Genesis 49:10), David (Isaiah 11:1), and Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:23). He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) before the Temple is destroyed (AD 70, Daniel 9:24-26). Jesus’ complete genealogy is found in Matthew 1:1-17. Altogether there are over 300 prophecies given in the Old Testament about a future Messiah. Interestingly, Jesus fulfilled all of them.
RELATED > > > > > Why is Jesus’ Genealogy Significant? – Matthew 1
Jesus Messiah
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how Jesus is the promised seed talked about in Genesis 3:15.
When sin entered the world, humanity needed a Savior, a Messiah, a promised seed. God had a plan from the beginning.
As you follow Scripture and see how each criterion that had to be met was met in Christ Jesus, it’s clear that He is the promised seed.
What does that mean for you?
Sin separates you from God, and without being made right with Him, you have no hope for heaven.
The Good News is Jesus made reconciliation possible when He died on the cross.
Do you know you’re going to heaven? If not, I invite you to keep reading.