15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring.He will strike your head,and you will strike his heel...

20 The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

Genesis 3:15, 20-21

Glimpses of Hope (Genesis 3:15-20,21)

In our investigation of Genesis 3, things have been dire. The serpent twisting God's words, the woman believing a lie about God, the man and the woman choosing their way over God's way, shame and brokenness entering the scene, Genesis 3 describes when and why things got off the tracks.Even amidst the chaos of shattered shalom, there are glimpses of Hope. We see these glimpses most clearly in verse 15 and verses 20-21. Genesis 3:15 is referred to by many as the "protoevangelium" or "First-Gospel."In verse 15, God states that there will be enmity between Satan and the woman, meaning that there will be continual friction and conflict between the eventual offspring of the woman and Satan. Further, God states that eventually, there will come one (a person) who will bruise (or crush) the enemy’s head, and Satan will bruise His heel. This passage prophesies the eventual offspring of Eve - Jesus Christ, will crush Satan and his offspring of sin, evil, and death. Genesis 3:15 finds its fulfillment in the Cross of Christ. On the Cross, Satan “bruised Jesus’s heel” with his death. But on the Cross, Jesus “Crushed the enemy’s head” by dying and rising from the dead, defeating sin and death forever! The offspring of Eve has defeated the Evil one once and for all.Similarly, in verses 20-21, the Lord provides for Adam and Eve adequate coverings. The text says that the clothing was made from "skins." This implies that there was a sacrifice of an animal to clothe Adam and Eve. This act of God providing a sacrifice to cover sin and shame also points us forward to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus, in his perfection, chose to die on our behalf to cover our sin and shame.Just moments after Adam and Eve's rebellion, both passages display God's loyal love. The Lord was already setting the stage for the redemption of his people back to himself.He is the unstoppable God who pursues us. Thanks be to God.