In the aftermath of their cosmic rebellion against God, Adam and Eve lost their home in the garden and life on our planet was forever changed. But amazingly, this was not the end of the story. God did not abandon our planet. He did not abandon Adam and Eve or you and I. In fact, in this very time of rebellion, God gave the first promise of a savior and the Advent. That promise is found in Genesis 3:15.

“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”

It seems that serpents were forever destined to crawl on the ground as they became a symbol of Satan who had appeared to Eve in the form of a snake. But more important is what God says about the relationship between Satan and the woman and her offspring. First he says that there will be enmity between Satan and Eve, which is understandable given his part in this terrible event. Eve would never forget the awful event that Satan had enticed her to participate in.

But then God says something more interesting. He will put enmity between Satan’s offspring and hers. The offspring of Eve would, of course, be those who would come after her. As to Satan’s offspring, it could either be the demons who follow Him or the people who follow Him.

But the apex of this verse is the last phrase, “he will crush your head and you will strike his heal.” Stay with me here. First there would be enmity between Satan and Eve, then between their respective offspring. But then God introduces a single male offspring, who will eventually come, who will crush the head of Satan once and for all, even as Satan strikes his heel. This is the first reference in Scripture to the One who would one day come and defeat Satan. Even on this terrible day that changed all of history, there would be another day that would also change history, the day that a Savior would come and defeat the evil one. 

Think about this. From that day forward, Satan has known that he would be defeated by an unknown male offspring of Eve. He lived in eternal fear of who that would be, and when that day would come. It is clear that Satan recognized Jesus for who He was when He appeared in the incarnation. This is why Satan tried to entice Him in the desert temptations immediately after Jesus’ baptism by John. And, on Good Friday, he was ecstatic that God’s Son was crucified! He had won. He had defeated the one who came to defeat him. Little did he count on Resurrection Sunday and on that day he knew he had met his waterloo. He had lost. God had won and all he could do from that day forward was to fight a losing rearguard battle.

All of history from the awful day of the fall has been a story of redemption as God, out of amazing love for rebellious people, put in place His divine rescue operation that would climax with the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, and culminate in a New Heavens and New Earth where God and His redeemed will live for all time.

God is a God of amazing grace. He does not abandon us. He wants to redeem us. There is nothing you can do to cause Him to love you more or to love you less. “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.”

Father, I thank you that you did not abandon Adam and Eve and that you did not abandon me. Thank you for your amazing heart of grace and redemption. Help me to live in thanksgiving for all you have done. Amen.