Genesis 3:15
New Living Translation

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.”

For Encouragement  

His body trembled all over, and his face turned pale. Never in his life had he felt that way before. With the experience of such a close personal relationship with His Creator in the most beautiful and tranquil environment on earth, this was new. God found only one deficit in the life of Adam, and it showed in his demeanor as he watched the male animals snuggle with their female partners around the Garden. God, who is so kind, saw the need in Adam and created the most beautiful female version of him to come alongside Adam as his helper (Genesis 2:20-25).  

The first couple enjoyed themselves and worked together in unity to fulfill the purpose of God for their lives. There was complete unity, openness to each other, and a feeling of no shame in their relationship (24-25).  

God gave them everything in Eden to delight themselves with except one thing: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God always reserves something out of all He has given us for Himself to test our obedience. Our obedience comes with blessings, but as Adam and Eve soon found out, disobedience draws His swift judgment, especially when God has made himself clear about its consequences. God told Adam that on the day he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die for sure (17).

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to Eve (3:4).

You know the rest of the story. Disobedience brought sin and destroyed the most beautiful and peaceful relationship between God and humans. Ashamed of their nakedness and with a sense of guilt for their disobedience, Adam and Eve did three things. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, hid from God, and blamed each other when God questioned them about their situation (7-13).

For us humans, that would have been the end of the story. We would have gotten rid of Adam and Eve and started something new, but that is not the character of our God. He is merciful and kind. Out of His love flows a solution for every mess we create. Even in pronouncing the curse on the serpent, God had the most gracious and kind solution for the situation of the first couple.

“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 heal” (15).

There, in the middle of the mess Adam created, grace appeared to take care of the sin of humanity. God rolled out His redemption plan by announcing the good news of the Savior. The seed of the woman will come to crush the head of the serpent and, in doing so, suffer the bruising of His heel.

Follow through the Bible narrative, and you will come across the outpouring of grace upon grace in the reminders of the coming Messiah until Christmas came in its time (Gal. 4:6). The angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Manger baby in Bethlehem to the shepherds.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Lk. 2:14).

Is your heart ready to celebrate the birth of the Messiah?

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