Her Seed: Genesis 3:15

In Genesis 3:15 God said to the serpent, “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.” This verse has been called the protoevangelium, which means “the first good news.” Why? In this verse we see the eventual triumph of Christ over God’s archenemy, Satan.

The Hebrew word for seed can be interpreted as collective (essentially plural) or as singular. While it needs to be seen as singular because it speaks clearly of the supreme conflict between Christ and Satan, it also can be seen as highlighting the battle between God and humanity against the forces of evil. While not every human being is on God’s side, Satan’s temptation of Eve clearly shows us that the devil was working against her and Adam as well as against God. He has worked against all their offspring throughout history as well.

Thus the dual meaning very well may have been intended; the hostility or struggle would occur between the woman’s offspring (all of humanity and eventually Christ and everyone in Christ) and Satan’s offspring (demons and all others who serve the devil [see John 8:44]). Yet eventually the woman’s Seed (singular) would face Satan Himself. The fact that this conflict would involve the woman’s Seed and not the man’s shows that her Seed would have no human father; He can be none other than God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

In this cosmic conflict, the serpent, or Satan, would strike the heel of the woman’s Seed, wounding Him, but not fatally (and wounding humanity as well). The woman’s Seed, however, would strike the serpent’s head, dealing him a deathblow and emerging victorious in the most important struggle in all of time and space. This is exactly what happened in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before and even since Jesus’ resurrection, Satan has been doing plenty of damage—but his doom is sealed, thanks to Christ’s redeeming work.

To elaborate further, Satan’s activity certainly has crippled us, but it need not destroy us because of Christ’s work on our behalf. When we look to Christ and trust Him to rescue us from the worst Satan has thrown at us, we are rescued indeed!

And think of it: all of this was in God’s mind at the very dawn of creation.